The Buckle Store – Finding a Fabulous Pair of Jeans

I’m a pretty confident person when it comes to fashion and what I look good in but sometimes I just need a bit of help with certain looks I want to try and I’m always looking for a great-fitting pair of jeans. After going through my closet recently as the season is about to change, I realized that while I have more little black dresses than events to go to, I’m lacking in more casual yet stylish outfits. My major challenge in finding comfortable but fashionable denim jeans is the length. I’m 5″1′ and most things have to be hemmed or I have to wear high heels, which isn’t want I want to do when dressing casual. Some of the large, discount stores have great prices but don’t carry my size or if they are in my size, they don’t quite fit because I’m trying on junior sizes and I’m not a junior anymore.

Anyway, a friend told me about the store Buckle, and mentioned that they did personal fittings and were really helpful in finding the perfect pair of jeans for your body shape so I decided to check it out.

Now as most of you know, I prefer shopping for really, really inexpensive (cheap,) clothes that I can pick up at Goodwill, consignment stores, from clearance racks or even garage sales. It’s very seldom that I actually go to a mall so I wasn’t sure what the prices were going to be like and if I’d have sticker shock or not.

The reason I’m talking about pricing is because for some, being on a budget or getting a great deal can vary greatly, depending on what your circumstances are. Some people have more time than money, which gives you more time to really hunt the bargain buys, while others have more money than time and prefer to get in and out of a shop quickly.

Buckle sells medium to better-priced casual apparel, including denims, other causal bottoms, tops, sportswear, outerwear, and accessories and footwear. (The boots were very, very tempting!) They sell a wide selection of brand names and their own private labels. The prices for jeans vary, depending on what’s on sale. You can pick up a pair anywhere from the mid $30’s and up. (I saw some in the $20’s too.) Ok, so I prefer to spend about $15 tops for a pair of jeans but that’s me, and I actually enjoy bargain-hunting. But I wanted to get some new ideas and actually try on jeans that hadn’t belonged to someone else for a change and hopefully find something that fit so well, price wouldn’t be an issue.

First of all, besides some really cool, very up-to-date clothes to choose from, Buckle offers a few things most other stores don’t. You can actually call ahead to the store, talk to a salesperson and let them know your sizes and what type of outfit you’re looking for and when you get to the store, they will already have pulled items for you to try on. It’s like having your own personal shopper. So a call was placed before I left, letting the sales associate know my sizes and what I was interested in…

I shopped at the Buckle store located in the Citadel Mall (750 Citadel Drive East, Colorado Springs,) and when I arrived, sure enough, there was a dressing room waiting for me with a fabulous selection of clothing items. The first thing we did was fit me for a pair of jeans so I was actually trying on the correct size. My denim specialist that day was Christina Buckles and she was friendly, upbeat, helpful without being pushy, and really listened to me.

Besides the actual size of the jeans, there are other things to take in consideration when finding your perfect pair, like the rise (low, mid, high or super low,) the wash (light, dark, medium, colored, etc.,) and the cut (straight, flare, skinny, boot, etc.,) and even how the pockets are designed, which can make your butt look bigger or smaller. Christina really helped in these areas, listened to my concerns, and in a very short time, found a pair I loved.

Now even though Buckle specializes in apparel, footwear and accessories for fashion-conscious young men and women, (and I wouldn’t consider myself young in age,) there was plenty to choose from that was current, stylish and actually appropriate for those of us who are a bit older.

Besides having a personal shopper assist you, each Buckle store has an alteration specialist and actually offers free hemming on jeans. I love that, especially since I have such a challenge with lengths. And it’s free, which fits right in to my budget.

There’s a huge selection for the men in your life too.

And oh my gosh…did I mention the boots? Fabulous.

So here’s the outfit I ended up buying (not the boots, at least not that day.) Now I will admit the prices were a bit higher than I personally usually pay but everything fit so well and just made me feel comfortable but still stylish. And, as with everything I typically purchase, I mentally paired pieces I already own with what I was buying to come up with other looks.

The jeans were $64.95, the top was $56.95 and the sweater vest, which I love, was $59.95. The boots I have on and was really lusting after were $295.

But since Buckle also offers free layaway and a frequent shopper program, I can see those boots in my closet at some point.

There are 450 Buckle stores in 43 states so chances are, there’s one in your area you can check out. Buckle’s mission statement is “To create the most enjoyable shopping experience possible for our guests.” For me, it was enjoyable, Christina was so attentive, and I walked away very happy with what I bought.

And since I already own a lot of shoes and boots, (I won’t mention how many because someone might stage an intervention,) I knew that I could come up with some other looks with what I already owned…

Free hemming on jeans, a personal shopper, loyalty card, and free layaway…it was worth it to me. And they also offer a private label credit card that has great savings for you and they offer a 10% military discount.

Thanks Christina Buckles for all your help!