Where to Find Affordable, Quality Denim

Unpublished Kora jeans (c/o) // Vince sweater (40% off) // Karen Walker sunglasses
Foley + Corinna handbag // Habille Italy shoes (similar here and here)

Since becoming pregnant, denim is the one thing I’ve had to temporarily put on hold.  As someone completely obsessed with wearing denim, this has been reallllly hard.  While I can still pull on my normal jeans, buttoning them proves to be a problem.  I’ve tried belly bands, but they just aren’t my thing.  Maybe it’s the knowledge of knowing I’m walking around with my pants unbuttoned, but I just couldn’t get on board.  Clothes either fit or they don’t in my book.

There are some great maternity jeans out there (which I’ll get into in a future post) but the idea of spending money on something that I’ll wear for a very short period of my life doesn’t sit well with me.  So, the hunt was on.  Where could I find affordable, comfortable jeans that fit during my in-between phase, but would still look great after baby?

Towards the end of 2017, I connected with Unpublished, a denim line out of LA with an unapologetic, ‘wear what you want’ mentality.  I was amazed by the sophisticated cuts and excellent wash options they had at such an affordable pricepoint – their jeans average $60 per pair.

• Pro tip: if you want to know the difference between a cheap pair of jeans and a quality pair of jeans, look at the wash.  Cheap jeans look like they were dyed with a spray gun.  Quality jeans have varied tonality and deep pigment (even in a light wash) that are part of the thread count, not sitting on top of it.

The best dye houses in the world are in Los Angeles, so I knew Unpublished was the real deal.

As I waited for my jeans to arrive, I was nervous.  What if they didn’t fit?  Would this be another example of something I’d have to put on hold until after baby?

When I slipped them on in my normal pre-pregnancy size and could button them, I freaked out.  I immediately ran to my husband and screamed “look at these, they fit!”

The soft, stretchy fabric is incredibly comfortable and holds its shape, unlike a lot of other brands at this pricepoint.  No sagging fabric; my legs and butt looked great.  The 9 inch mid-rise style is perfect for me, but they also come in a 10 inch high-rise. 

It’s a huge benefit for me as a denim lover to be able to wear high quality, affordable jeans that are so flattering and forgiving.  I’ve never liked the idea of “maternity clothing” so being able to wear a contemporary line while pregnant (that I’ll wear just as much after baby) is incredible!

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