Try-ons: Mother Jeans, Jenni Kayne Sweaters, and Tibi Sweats

Eleven miles and ten hours of try ons

Jan 18, 2024

Where my mother trained me in the art of going in for one thing and trying on all the things

Last weekend I had a rare Saturday with nothing to do. This is one of the thrills of January and having a husband out of town. I drove eleven miles to do some shopping all the way in Maryland. DMV residents know that Northern Virginians do not cross the river into Maryland without a very good reason and Mother jeans were the reason. For local folks, the Bethesda Row Anthropologie has an excellent denim selection and they were the only store in my area that is currently stocking the Mother Rambler ankle jeans that I have been wanting to try since seeing them on Heather, author of the delightful Priss and Vinegar blog. I think jeans are harder to buy than swimwear so I try to shop in person if I can so I don’t have to order three sizes. I am everything from a 24 to a 29 in Mother Jeans so it’s an adventure every time.

Mother Jeans The Rambler Ankle in Going Dutch

I was glad I made the effort because the Ramblers turned out to be not right for me at all. The problem was the length and the rise. I tried on a few different sizes to see if it made a difference and they were just meh for me.

Mother The Rambler Ankle Jeans in Going Dutch

Mother Jeans The Hustler Roller Ankle in High on the Hog

Loved these! Mid rise, stiff denim and the perfect (for me) flare. My favorites of everything I tried on. I took my true denim size.

Mother Jeans The Twister Ankle Roller in Across The Finish Line

I liked these as well. The denim was soft and stretchy if you prefer that over rigid denim. The wash was a bit darker/less distressed. I took my true denim size.

**Mother Jeans The Twister Ankle Roller Across The Finish Line**

Mother The Insider Crop Step Fray in Save Your Soul

I tried these on because I’m always looking for black jeans and they looked cute on the hanger. They were a big thumbs down for me upon trying on, though they might be cuter with the right styling. I’m trying on my true size here - I might try a size larger to compare.

I popped into Madewell also and have to again give a shout out to their Kick Out Crop Jeans. I just bought them in black and went in to try on the other washes. These are the Oneida Wash. Love! And they are so much less expensive ($138) than the Mothers ($250ish and up). I take my true size.

Madewell Kick Out Crop Jeans in Oneida Wash

Then it was off to Jenni Kayne. I don’t own any of her sweaters because the price makes me anxious. I don’t have that same feeling about a designer dress or even the perfect pair of trousers, but somehow I can’t get behind investment sweaters. I’ve watched a lot of videos and tried to get the JK look for less (Quince has come the closest) and my sweater game is decent, but I’ve never tried on a Jenni Kayne. Until now. Cue dramatic music.

Jenni Kayne Cashmere Jet Turtleneck in Sugar

Stop traffic, this sweater is everything. The softness, the color, the perfectly oversized but not clownishly large proportion. Perhaps it’s like Farrow & Ball paint - you just can’t duplicate it. I keep wearing my husband’s sweaters in an attempt at the slouchy oversized but it doesn’t translate.

Jenni Kayne Cashmere Cotton Fisherman Sweater in Ivory

Pretty. Just so pretty.

Jenni Kayne Hudson Turtleneck in Camel Marl

Ooooh I loved the chunkiness of this one.

Tibi, Tibi, Tibi

My stylish friend and boutique owner is always talking about Tibi. She says if she could only wear one brand forever it would be this one. I’ve never been as enamored with Tibi styling. It might be too fashion forward for me and whenever I try on Tibi pieces I just don’t quite feel like myself. The pieces often seem complicated and they don’t do a lot of prints and prints are my love language. Their Calder sweatpants though? I can get behind these! These are sweatpants with a point of view, if that’s possible. I have a work trip to Europe coming up and I’ve been imagining myself in some kind of sweats and wool coat situation for the flight but I’m really not an athleisure girl so do not currently own any sweatpants that were manufactured in the last fifteen years. By the way, when did we all stop wearing leggings? I think I’ve been so distracted by caftans and rosettes that I missed the boat on sweatpants and now full blown sweatsuits. What a time to be alive! The Tibi sweatpants are Really Good - I love how they style them on the website with real shoes. I almost wore them to work today.

The sweatpants and four pairs of Uniqlo socks were my only purchases for the day. I had a gift card for the boutique where I bought the sweatpants and just couldn’t justify the cost of the sweaters or the jeans. Plus, I do not need either. And jeez, it’s hard for me to get excited at this point in the season about sweaters and jeans. Nevertheless I’m glad to have tried the styles and now I know my size in both in case any pop up on the resale sites. By the way, can you see the patterned pants hanging in the dressing room in the picture above? They are Tibi nylon cheetah print pants (!!!!!) and I tried them on for kicks and forgot to take a picture so here is one of a proper model.

Tibi nylon cheetah pants (just the words make me happy)

They have a drawstring at the hem that makes the length and drape adjustable (genius) and they make the best swishing sound that immediately conjured happy teenage memories of wearing parachute pants in the 1980’s. Don’t they say if you are old enough to remember wearing them the first time you shouldn’t wear them the second time? Sadly, I didn’t have time to really fool around with the pants and see if they would really work on me because it was getting toward the end of the day and Daughter 1 was hangry (age 20 and she still is a grouch without her afternoon snack) and rushing me. I’ve still yet to find anyone other than my friend of over forty years, Amy, and my mom, who have the stamina for shopping and trying on clothes that I do. My mom started me young and I spent hours with her at our now defunct favorite South Florida department store, Burdines.

Post-Script

During my day of endless try ons, I received two compliments on the silly Sonny Angel attached to my bag. I bought these dolls for my daughters for Christmas as well as the little outfits I found on Etsy and carrying cases from Amazon. I had to cut a hole in the case to fit my Sonny’s headgear which makes it extra cute. Just a little January pick me up!