NEARLY everyone owns a pair of jeans, but do we buy the right ones? Vibe’s Jim Palmer went do to Intu Shopping Centre in Bromley to find his fit.

Like many men, and probably women, I’ve never thought too much about my jeans.
Generally I am just looking for something that is comfortable, doesn’t fall down and at least keep my ankles company. Sometimes I’ll settle for two of the three.

When I think about style, my thought is simply: blue will do.

So the thought of seeing Intu Bromley’s resident stylist seemed at once unnecessary yet intriguing.

Stylist Juliet Wyatt is at your disposal for free at the centre, formerly The Glades, three days a week and she doesn’t get paid commission, so you can have faith in what she recommends.

The day I visited, Intu was running Jean Genie, helping people to get great fitting jeans, as part of Bromley Fashion Week.

I’m six feet seven tall and, if I say so myself, fairly slender. I regularly find clothes will not fit me, so Juliet had her work cut out.

Lesson number one in buying jeans is to work with your body shape.

If I was to describe my look when I arrived, I would say casual and functional.

Juliet, who promised to be honest, thought differently.

She said: “If I’m honest, the clothes that you arrived in just weren’t in proportion with you.

“Because you have got a really slim face and being so tall, by wearing the baggy jeans and a slightly baggy cardy, it has then made your face look even smaller.”

Juliet brought me skinny jeans. They fitted well – sufficiently lengthy and a good fit around the waist despite being an inch narrower than I thought I needed.

I’ll admit I had reservations about the style, but once I was in them it felt great and the positive feedback did wonders for my self esteem.

“What we are trying to do is get you in proportion,” said Juliet. “After we had dressed you, you can see you didn’t look tall at all because you were in proportion.

“I actually loved it. Just doing little tweaks with the t-shirt, like rolling up sleeves, works with your shape.

“Styling-wise that’s completely age-appropriate. The cardy, just pulling it in and making it look a bit slimmer again worked with the jeans. I think it looked amazing. Rock a biker jacket with it. And experiment with it.”

“I love the trainers, I think they’re cool, but then you could do some army-style boots and roll the bottom of your jeans a little bit – you’ve got long enough legs to do that – you could rock some Converse. You’ve got a few different options there.”

Of course, what worked for me would not work for everyone.

Juliet said: “Because you are nice and slim, you then work with that body shape.

“What I wouldn’t do – if someone’s quite round – I wouldn’t then put them in a skinny style. If you are long and lean wear something long and lean. Work with your body shape rather than against it.

“Basically, each shop dresses a different silhouette. They have an idea of an age and a body shape they want to dress, and also a personality. There are certain shops that work with different personalities.

“For instance, Zara, H&M in particular are very long and lean. They are nice and fitted.

“If you have got a bit of a tum, maybe English brands are a bit better for you, like Debenhams.”

Jim’s new jeans were Superdry’s Skinny in Indigo wash, £64.99. Get Jim’s old jeans from a Bromley charity shop soon.

Intu’s resident stylist Juliet Wyatt is at the centre three days a week to offer free advice and there her counterpart Angie Poplett offers the same service at Lakeside. E-mail Juliet at bromley.stylist@intu.co.uk or call 020 8313 9292.