My girlfriend Heidi has a crazy good nose for shopping; neither the high-end boutiques nor the jammed racks at TJ Maxx intimidate her, and she’s dead honest in the dressing room.

So who better to enlist on my recent quest for fabulous jeans? I had had enough of trolling around in inexpensive jeans that fit great the first time around then stretched in odd and unflattering ways, and was prepared to lay out the cash for a fabulously fitting pair of designer jeans (or find the right pair and hunt them down for less on Ebay).

Our first stop was Jasmine Sola, where the staff was helpful and knowledgeable, but the jeans all about a foot too long in the leg (and I’m not that short, at 5 feet, 4¼ inches), and several inches too low in the back. Somewhat dejected (20 pairs later...), I was ready to give up and grab lunch but Heidi encouraged me to pop into Lucky Brand Jeans, and I am thrilled that we did. Lucky offers jeans with shorter inseams and midrise styling so you get a little more coverage while still looking current.

I got the Sundown Jeans (hipster wash; $98) with the short inseam; they are slim through the leg, midrise in back, and offer a bootleg cut. Now who says shopping can't solve problems?