Almost a century ago, Levi Strauss created what came to be the first modern jeans. This universal youth style statement and fashion apparel has had a long symbolic history. Interestingly, what is now an essential part of every wardrobe actually began as a symbol of change and was met with a lot of resentment, and was considered a threat to conventional English trousers. Stylishly fusing the rugged, rough and durable look with fashion, today almost all social and economic classes wear them. Trends and fashion icons come and go but wearing stylish, comfortable jeans has always remained in style.

While their charisma springs from their legendary American roots, the commercial strength of jeans rests on innovation and interpretation in the hands of jeans makers around the world.

The variety of jeans available is seemingly endless. The variation in cloth andmaterial, cut and style, number and style of pockets, embellishmants, the color and the wash given to the fabric are all factors to take into consideration. There are jeans designed for just about any physical build and fashion sense out there.

Stretch jeans are made of a fabric that contains elastic and stretches to fit the body like a second skin. They are stylish, make many people look thinner and enhance the body's shape. Stretch jeans cut and stiched in different styles perform many figure enhancing and camouflaging miracles.

Tight jeans have been selling like hot cakes for many years now, especially in combination with the lowrise, or even no-waistband. Stretch jeans have become the second best selling clothing item, right behind the standard 5 pocket jean pants. The cotton/spandex is very popular among all stretch denim materials. Floral, embroidered and beaded stretch jeans are also rapidly gaining ground in the market. Another popular stretch denim material combination constitutes of 71% cotton 28% polyester and 1% spandex. Cotton-lycra blends are also stretchable and help create a sleek look. The clingy fabric hugs the body and a contoured waistband helps create curves. Many fashion experts suggest choosing a pair of jeans that has been lightened at the thighs and knees as they will make the legs look shapelier.

Jeans are usually considered an article of clothing that make people look slimmer, but when improperly styled they do just the opposite! If your hips are much larger than your waist then you will probably face this problem. Stretch denim jeans work wonders in such a situation. It is advisable to stay away from crisp or heavy fabrics if you are looking to hide body flaws.

Every person has a unique build and body shape and there are so many types of jeans out there, the perfect pair for just about anybody is available!

For the production of fashionable tight fitting stretch jeans, the manufacturers not only need to use good stretchable comfortable and durable material, but they also need to be conscious of the average body structures of the people of the region they are supplying. In today's highly consumer oriented market, fashion retailers and wholesalers need to choose a rather narrow target market before they do anything else. Just a few centimeters of difference in hip or upper leg measurements can make you an instant hit or a complete failure. For instance, the difference of structure between the very small Thai girls and average Russian women could cause a very uncomfortable fit of the tight jeans for the Russian women, leading the designer's line to fail in that area.

Designers today are becoming increasingly conscious of this consumer-specific need. Hence, a pair of jeans can be designed in innumerable ways, including stretch fabrics. The combination of elastic and denim helps to simultaneously enhance and camouflage body parts accordingly to create the look of a well-toned, curvaceous body.

As they say, "fashion comes at a cost!!" A few years ago, the Canadian Medical Association Journal received a letter detailing the cases of three women who had developed a nerve condition similar to carpal tunnel syndrome as a result of regularly wearing pants that were too tight. This Canadian doctor warned that excessively tight trousers could squeeze a sensory nerve under the hipbone, causing a tingling, burning sensation called paresthesia. In a statement unlikely to endear him to fashion-conscious females, he said "low-rise" trousers were not suitable for "heavy women" and suggested that women should return to wearing the traditional high-waisted jeans or, preferably, loose dresses.

Nonetheless, the popularity of stretch jeans has only grown and people have testified for their benefits far more than the side effects (which occurs only in cases of excessive use). Stretch jeans today are the designer's magic potion. A clever and talented use of stretch denim material can make the legs appear short or long or the buttocks look smaller or large appropriately. Some even claim to make the tummy look flatter. All of these body enhancing features are reasons people buy and wear stretch jeans.