jean genie

Filed Under Pregnancy and Birthing, Stuff | November 5, 2009

After the haze of the first trimester wanes and you enter the much anticipated (hopefully) energetic second trimester, you’re thrown a new pregnancy curve ball – you no longer fit into most of your “regular” clothes. And while you may be living in reworked knit dresses and yoga pants, at a certain point you’ll find you’re really missing that tried and true wardrobe staple – your favourite pair of jeans.

Maternity jeans seem to seesaw between two ends of the style spectrum. You’re either reduced to jeans that give a new definition to high-waisted with their strange elastic panels and lack of style or the high-end (read: really high price tag) options offering heaps more style at a cost that may be hard to justify for four to five months of wear. So what’s a pregnant mum-to-be who’s craving the good old day of jeans and a tee to do? We decided to investigate the Mavi store smack dab in 4th Avenue’s “baby row” after noticing a small sign in their window promising a stock of maternity jeans.

Initially we were disappointed to find that the in-store selection of maternity jeans isn’t the best, but here’s the catch, and it’s a good one:  Mavi will convert any pair of jeans they carry to maternity jeans for a flat $20 alteration fee. Suddenly the whole store’s your playground, with nary an elastic stomach panel in sight. The helpful fellow who attended us was able to predict how our jeans should fit – obviously we couldn’t do up the waist but they needed to fit in the thighs and an extreme low rise won’t convert well when they cut off the waistband and added a maternity band – and steer us in a flattering direction.

So after repeated assurances that dark wash, skinny jeans wouldn’t make us look top heavy, we took the plunge and were thrilled with the result. It takes two to three business days for the alterations and they’re professionally done with an under-the-tummy waistband with two buttons to accommodate your burgeoning belly.

Imagine, a great pair of comfy jeans that make us feel fab for around $100?

Mavi
www.mavi.com
2112 West 4th Avenue