How to find the right pair of jeans

From cowboys to glamour girls, it seems that everyone's got a place for jeans in their lives. After all, is there anything that makes a backside look better than a well-fitting pair of blue jeans? Read on for tips on how to make the best of what you've got and find the creme de la creme of web-based denim.

Modern Mom Jeans: If, like so many of us out there, you're tired of too-tight jeans that leave little to the imagination and your gut flowing over, try a pair of the well-received Not Your Daughter's Jeans. They lift your bottom, suck in your belly, and leave you looking and feeling an entire size smaller. Nordstrom.com in the neighborhood of $100.

Pretty Pretty Plus Jeans: For all the curvy girls out there who have a hard time dealing with denim, there's hope! Retailers have listened up and are creating jeans designed to fit and flatter. Lanebryant.com, for example, uses the Right Fit approach and narrows everyone into one of three categories for clearer options.

Design-Your-Own Denim: For those of you who want nothing less than one-of-a-kind, try one of the reasonably priced options out there where you can create custom jeans. Makeyourownjeans.com lets you choose the wash, the rise, the fit, and embellishments. Prices start at around $50 for men's, women's and children's and delivery is about two to four weeks.

High-Dollar Designer Denim: If price is no object when it comes to the denim you don, try shopbop.com, which has an enormous selection of the hippest jeans and -- my favorite online offering -- free shipping. Truejeans.com is another great site - and it lets you enter your measurements for a more sure fit.

For the busy and can't-be-bothered types who don't have the energy to look around for their go-to pair of jeans, here's my pick for you, from JCpenney.com. Try the a.n.a. jeans for under $30 - choose a bootcut with a dark rinse and a moderate rise for a classic option that should work on any figure type.

Helen Malani is the Chief Shopping Expert for Shopzilla.com, a Scripps Networks Interactive company, and the largest comparison shopping search engine on the Web. E-mail Helen at askhelen(at)shopzilla.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.net.

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)