Featured on Oprah as "Oprah's New Favorite Jeans," CJ by Cookie Johnson jeans were designed to provide a flattering fit for curvy women of all sizes.
Cookie Johnson, wife of the famous professional basketball player Magic Johnson, spent years struggling to find the perfect pair of jeans. Though she was by no means obese with her size 8 body, Cookie Johnson still had the curves that made finding the perfect jeans difficult.
Like many women with curves, such as an hourglass figure, Cookie Johnson found that jeans always fit the hips, but left large gaps at the waist line. As a result, it was problematic to find jeans that fit both her hips and her waist.
After doing research, Cookie Johnson realized that the jeans she, and many other curvy women were looking for, didn't exist on the market. In answer to this need, she created CJ by Cookie Johnson jeans.
About CJ by Cookie Johnson Jeans
To start the CJ by Cookie Johnson Jeans phenomenon, Cookie partnered with one of the most successful people in the premium denim industry, Michael Glasser. Known for creating premium denim brands like Seven For All Mankind, Citizens For Humanity and Rich & Skinny.
Though Glasser's previous experience with jeans focused on marketing to thin, straight-figured women, in a June, 2009, interview Glasser remarked, " CJ will be bigger than Seven, because they have more people to sell to than Seven, and they have a bigger slice of the pie."
Instead of trying to target a segment of the market that tends to fit many people reasonably well, CJ by Cookie Johnson jeans aim to provide a perfect fit for women sizes 12 - 14 who have curvy figures, such as the hourglass body shape.
How CJ by Cookie Johnson Jeans Fit
Unlike many jeans made for sizes 12 - 14, CJ by Cookie Johnson jeans are made with a slight stretch in the denim. But unlike their cheap counterparts, the stretch is subtle and supportive rather than tight with a feel of spandex.
The unique cut at the waistline allows the person wearing CJ by Cookie Johnson jeans to have jeans that fit just below the belly button, without the gaps at the waist or the creation of the unflattering "muffin top." Additionally, the inseam isn't too long or bulky, another problem for women with curves.
Buying CJ by Cookie Johnson Jeans
When CJ by Cookie Johnson Jeans first launched, Nordstrom stores tested them in only a select number of their stores. The store then expanded the line to be carried in all 112 of its stores across the United States.
CJ by Cookie Johnson jeans are only available in Nordstrom stores and Neiman Marcus department stores. They range in price from $140 - $200 per pair and come in a variety of styles and denim washes.
CJ Johnson graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Retailing of Clothing and Textiles. According to Pamela Perret of Nordstrom, "Customers are responding really, really well. It has all the styling and hallmarks of premium denim – interesting washes, details and stitching – but it's cut to fit a curvy woman's body."
The copyright of the article CJ by Cookie Johnson Jeans in Women’s Fashion is owned by Annalise Kaylor. Permission to republish CJ by Cookie Johnson Jeans in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
I understand that they are for curvy women.and they fit very well, But the
price is a bit steep.
Oct 22, 2009 4:03 PM
Guest :
I would like to have more CJ Jeans in midrise - they all seem to be
lowrise. Overly priced.
Oct 22, 2009 4:04 PM
Guest :
The price is way out of my reach, and low-rise does not work for me either.
Mid rise would be much better.
Oct 22, 2009 4:05 PM
Guest :
awwwww I was all excited until I saw the price... a bit too pricey
for me.
Oct 22, 2009 4:25 PM
Guest :
i really love to try this jeans, but my gosh, the price is so high....very
expensive!
Oct 22, 2009 5:18 PM
Guest :
12 -14?? what kind of sizing is that??? I don't think I am bigger than
Oprah but I can't fit in 14
Oct 22, 2009 5:20 PM
Guest :
??? The Price is ridiculous. Maybe more of us curvy women would buy them
if they brought the price down. And you also said these were for Plus Size
Women, 18 is not Plus size.
Oct 22, 2009 6:49 PM
Guest :
The price is too much. Pls are those jeans for people that are 4-14, or
plus size ladies too.
Oct 22, 2009 8:06 PM
Guest :
I was interested in the jeans, did I read right that they only start at a
size 12 and up? I'm a 4 and curvy. What about the rest of us?
Oct 22, 2009 9:13 PM
Guest :
yes,I would have to agree, even if we have big butts, we don't have the big
wallets, Way to much for me in cost.
Oct 23, 2009 7:05 AM
Guest :
I would love to buy these jeans, but, seriously the price is too much for
the "common" woman of size. Most women don't purchase clothes
from Nordstrom or Neiman Marcus...they are high end stores and most women
don't have the extra money to buy such a huge splurge. The "real"
women shop at places like Lane Bryant, Ashley Stewart, or other plus size
stores....not the high end places. It's just not in the budget for most of
America.
Oct 23, 2009 7:15 AM
Guest :
Ladies Ladies Ladies. Why are you so focused on the price? Try the jean
on and see how it makes YOU feel. So many times we short change ourselves
based on price but we will go out and spend 400 on a game for our children.
By no means am I suggesting not to look at price tags but what I
have learned is to not make judgements based on price alone.
Oct 23, 2009 5:32 PM
Guest :
Yes,with us looking to make ends meet we need to look at prices. If they
were cheaper maybe more of us bigger women would look better in jeans. Like
always everything is for those who can afford high prices an for those who
are skinny. Not the average person!
Oct 24, 2009 11:11 AM
Guest :
I agree about the pricing. When will we see these in Marshalls and TJ
Maxx?? I cannot afford to spend that kind of cash of these jeans. Do you
have to be rich to look good?????
Oct 24, 2009 9:16 PM
Graeme Hay :
$140-$200 isn't a ridiculous/'laugh out loud' price for jeans - think about
how much use they get, think about the improved quality of the materials
and the manufacturing process involved.
I'd say the pricing on
these jeans is more a quality assurance than it is a 'designer' wanting to
overprice a pair of jeans.
PS, It almost sounds like I work for
CJ jeans, but rest assured...I don't. I typically pay this much for my
jeans because I find the cheaper ones can't stand up to much wear and tear
and don't have any alternative styles other than straight-leg boot cut.
Oct 31, 2009 7:55 PM
Guest :
It isn't the first time we have heard of designer jeans costing this much.
Get over it, they will sell whether you want to purchase or not. I have
never paid that much for any clothing or shoes but I am looking forward to
my first purchase and wearing my CJ Jeans with pride and comfort...
Nov 1, 2009 7:45 PM
Guest :
I knew about the jeans on Oprah.I remember her saying that the But heard
$140-$200,abit pricey for jeans.
Nov 2, 2009 11:02 AM
Guest :
Price is very high....too bad it's out of range for most 'middle class'
working gal....are they only available in Nordstroms and Neiman Marcus.
I'm in Toronto but going to Niagara NY for shopping (Waldon Galleria) and
would love to at least try a pair on.
Nov 2, 2009 1:24 PM
Guest :
Cookie, Cookie, Cookie...I was so excited about your jeans...I thought
darn, we're finally gonna get a decent fitting pair of jeans...Poor
me...Wrong again...I guess $140-$200 is nothing to you and Oprah...But it
is way too much for a pair of jeans for the poor plus sized working
girl.
Nov 3, 2009 9:54 AM
Guest :
Are there any stores in Toronto, Ontario that would carry these jeans?
Unless I am mistaken there isn't a Nordstrom or Neiman Marcus store in
Toronto. Also, Buffalo is only a few hours away, are there stores
there?
thanks!
Nov 9, 2009 4:30 AM
Guest :
I LOVE these jeans! I am a size eight and had found it practically
impossible to find premium denim that would fit my tall, curvy body
correctly. The CJ jeans do!
The price is SO worth it even if I
have to wear my two pairs of jeans every day of my life.
Oh!
The woman who said that "real women" shop at Lane Bryant and
Ashley Stewart......well, that's true...........other "real
women" shop at Nordstroms and Neimans.
Thank you, Cookie
Johnson!
Nov 9, 2009 8:57 AM
Guest :
Not all plus size women have big legs and behinds. What about the rest of
us? Due to family genes. What about me? I would really use some help. Also
the price is CRAZY!
