With the tagline ‘The Perfect Fit’, Miaou (pronounced like the purr of a cat) is the magical American trouser brand that’s designed to flatter everyone. In the post-skinny jean world that we live in, the label’s Paris-born, LA-raised designer Alexia Elkaim has made a curve-loving style for the girl with a bit of booty in the back.
Former V Magazine and CR Fashion Book intern Elkaim was raised on a diet of thrifting. As the step-daughter of Joie, Equipment and Current/Elliot’s creative director Serge Azria (who is the brother of BCBG’s Max), Elkaim would join her stepfather on frequent flea market research missions around the world. It was after one discouraging trip to a vintage store in Paris that the idea for Miaou was born. Elkaim recalls feeling dejected by a pair of too narrow, too long Jean Paul Gaultier jeans - this led her to wonder if she could recreate the quality and construction of French tailoring but in a style that would be universally loved.
Using the proportions of her comelier friends, she created a shape that gives everyone’s bum, tum and hips the fit they want. ‘Miaou Jeans hug every woman the same; all shapes and sizes,’ Elkaim says. ‘I like to think of them as jeans for girls who wear dresses, because of the feminine style’.
All six Miaou styles are cropped and comfortably high-rise with grommets at the waist that are used to thread figure-cinching rope and chain belt’s through. Like a breath of fresh air in a market that’s brimming with boyfriend and frayed jeans, they look sharp enough for the office and sleek enough for Saturday night. Since launching in August last year, Miaou’s fan base has already become a who’s who of Instagram It Girls. Here’s how her biggest fans wear theirs…
Look Like Money
Credit: Instagram @Miaouxx_
Take on the cornerstone of the corporate dress code and give it swagger with a top Linda Lovelace would have approved of.
Join The Chain Gang
Credit: Instagram @atlantabean
Take a leaf out of Atlanta de Cadenet Taylor’s playbook and give your Miaou’s a Camden Market twist with a dangling chain link belt.
The Learning Curve
Credit: Instagram @miaouxx_
There’s no need to breathe in or contort your body to show off your womanly curves with Miaou, just add an off-the-shoulder Bardot top.
Hit Remix
Credit: Instagram @Miaouxx_
Elkaim designed her trousers to be as versatile as possible, so follow Paloma’s lead and be James Dean sexy in a white tee or embrace the comfort factor in a warm polo-neck jumper.
Make The Hoodie Haute
Credit: Instagram @Miaouxx_
Add teen angst to tailored trousers with a tucked in hoodie and a dose of hard-nosed attitude.
Slink Into Spring
Credit: Instagram @Miaouxx_
Look smoking hot without lighting a cigarette with a silk camisole. Plus, swap out Miaou’s signature rope and chain belts with a thick, glossy ribbon for a romantic feel.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.