It's all in the jeans

I love blue jeans. I mean, I love them. And my newest obsession is Old Navy's "Sweetheart" jean. They don't bind, they don't show crack, they are just long enough to wear with a slight heel but won't drag on the ground if I choose a girly flat.

My friend Liz turned me onto these; both she and her sister have the same pair. It's hard to believe that the same cut could be flattering on three very different body types but it worked for the girls in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, so I urge you to give these a try.

I might have to buy a couple more pairs. What if something happens to these? I can add the extras to my piles of jeans.

• The fancy-pants Sevens that I can only wear with four-inch heels and a long shirt (there's too much fabric in the leg and not enough in the bottom).
• The really faded, ripped Old Navy ones that I wear on days when I'm feeling Fragonard (my friends' way of saying plump).
• The ones I got on sale for $30 when I crossed the street to the Gap after getting frustrated trying on $200 super-low-rise jeans at Nordstrom.
• The cool Joe's Jeans that have big sailory-type grommets around the waist that I got at a consignment store in Boston when I was there for a book signing (which no one showed up to).
• The cropped jeans with the cool stitching on the back pocket.
• The men's Levis I wear when I want to look tough.
• The Paper, Denim, & Cloth ones that were too long so I cut the hem and left the raggedy edge.
• The Red Engine jeans that I fit into when I lost 30 pounds which I can't bear to chuck now that I've gained some of it back.

The list goes on. I think I'm so obsessed with jeans because I didn't have much in the way of cool clothing growing up. I went to a Catholic school, which meant, yes, uniforms. They didn't seem so sexy at the time. All I wanted was a pair of Guess jeans with zippers at the ankles. I finally got them and wore them to a basketball game one Friday night. After years of chasing trends and wearing clothing that was always slightly off, I finally felt cool and spot on.

And not much has changed. When I'm in a pair of perfect jeans, I pass for stylish and together, even though I might feel nerdy and messy on the inside. This time, I only had to lay out $29.50 to feel cool (a heck of a lot cheaper than those magical Guess jeans), definitely money well spent.