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Brief The need for a women's cut riding jeans has been glaring oversight of gear manufacturers. When the average rider on the street rides in jeans, it stands to reason that there is a demand for a jean that offers a little more protection. The Ladies Standard Riding Jean is Icon's answer to this demand. But if you read nothing else, be warned DO NOT ORDER YOUR USUAL SIZE! Overview Ah yes, one could not measure my joy when I discovered the Icon Standard Ladies Riding Jeans in their new lineup. Finally, an answer to my problems; a simple riding jean with no fussy zippers, elastic panels or snaps, just what I have been hoping for. A regular looking pair of jeans that I could ride to work in and have a little more protection. Alas, the Icon Standard Riding Jeans are not without their problems. In regards to sizing the name of this product is a misnomer; the sizing is nothing close to standard and any woman who orders their usual size will have a problem fitting these jeans. Details Now I am a fan of most of Icon's line of products. I feel that as a whole they have smartly assessed and filled the needs of that average street rider, a market that has been largely ignored by most of the other track oriented gear manufacturers. A big thank you goes out to Icon for answering the demand of its consumers and finally offering a woman's riding jean. The concept of the Standard Riding Jean is just right: a woman's jean with a straight leg cut, not a trendy low rise, with dual layer knee reinforcement and Kevlar stitched seams I have to say, however, that I have never had as much trouble fitting an item as I have with these pants. Not only is their sizing absurdly small, they seem to have been based on the world's most strangely shaped model, perhaps an anatomical skeleton? Allow me to recount my saga of buying these pants: Wanting to have a comfortable pant that wouldn't be too tight anywhere, I went on the conservative side and ordered the Standard Riding Jean in a size larger than I would normally wear. These were special ordered since no one stocks them in town. When they arrived I found that Parts Unlimited had sent the wrong size, 4 sizes too big for me. Sent them back to PU and they return shipped a pair of random fashion jeans by a different manufacturer! Sent those back and finally got the Standard Jeans in the size that I had actually ordered…here is where it gets ugly. These jeans were not just snug, these jeans were not just tight, I could not even get these pants past my knee! The legs on these pants are so narrow that I can't imagine who in my normal size these would fit. Reminder: these pants were already a size larger than I usually wear. So I sent the jeans back to PU and got the next size up. READ: this is 2 sizes larger than my standard pant size. I can get these pants on now, but they are still a little snug in the thigh. Now I am not the scrawniest thing in the world, but I have never considered myself to have thunder thighs. I would say that I am pretty average and virtually any woman who doesn't have very thin legs will have trouble getting these pants on. Although I can now put these jeans on my troubles are not over. The new jeans are so big in the waist that I can actually fold the waist over. If worn lower on the hip the rear is notably saggy and I appear to have gained an appendage in front. Disappointing but wearable, I settled on these. More on the cut: I like the straight leg jean and prefer it to the trendy boot and bell legs jeans. The Standard Jean is true to description, it is not a low rise. The waist would hit the average person just below the belly button (on me it sort of floats in front of that region). The cut is flattering to the derriere and is not too tight through the hips. The length of these varies based on size, see sizing chart below. For the shorter ladies these can be hemmed, but for taller ladies these pants are out entirely with the longest inseam of 32". The sizing chart doesn't tell the whole story of these pants; according to the chart I should have fit into the size that I originally ordered with ease!
To add insult to injury, when I actually went to wear my new riding jeans I noticed that the zipper kind of "pooched" out. Closer inspection revealed that the zipper was sewn incorrectly and it get crooked at the top. Since Parts Unlimited is now charging a fat restocking fee, I am going to have to take it to the local seamstress and hope that she can fix it. Another friend has a similar problem with her Icon Riding Jeans. Can we say quality control? The denim on these pants is very sturdy, 14oz. goodness with a nice, soft finish. The pants feel heavy when you pick them up and I like that very much. Aside from the funny fitment you cannot tell them apart from any other jean I would normally wear. The reinforcement at the knee is very subtle with only two small seems running just above the knee and one about mid-calf. The pocket has a simple embroidered "i" logo…nothing too flashy. Overall the look of these is very nice. The Icon Ladies Standard Riding Jeans were exactly what I wanted and they still fit the bill even if the fit is disappointing. Communication with other women on this subject has revealed that I am not the only one having trouble getting these pants on. While Icon has done their research and given us what we asked for, I wish that they would have polled the average woman when setting up sizing and fit. The result will be a lot of returns on this product, I fear.
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