I invite you to dive into one of the most complex enigmas of fashion: denim that fits well. For some, finding the perfect pair of jeans can be a never-ending search. Meet your local denim experts: Cheryl Little (owner of Black & Blue), Paige McManus (owner of Denim Affair), and Christy Ward (manager of Black & Blue). After asking the experts, here are some answers that may help ease the denim dilemma:

Size 29 versus size 8: is there a difference?

“It’s basically the same,” says Ward. “Generally, an 8 equates to a 29,” and so on, says McManus, who adds that “if it’s a dark denim, some may go up a size because the treatment done to the denim can shrink the fibers.”

Boot cut, straight leg, flare, wide leg, or skinny: which style best suits which body type?

The experts agree: boot cut and straight leg jeans are universal, especially when styled well. “Straight leg with heels looks good with most body types,” says McManus. “If you have short legs, stay away from wide legs or flares because it makes you look shorter,” McManus advises. “Wear age-appropriate jeans,” says Little. “If you’re 51, you’re probably not going to pull off a skinny.” For those with curvy hips, McManus recommends to “avoid a skinny jean unless you’re going to tuck the jeans into boots and wear a long top.”

High rise, mid rise, low rise, or super low rise: how low should you go?

“Accentuate your good features” when selecting a rise," says Ward. “High rise jeans can highlight problem areas,” says Little. “There is only one body type that should wear a high rise: tall and lean,” says McManus, recommending that “most people look good in a mid rise.” For those with long torsos, “a low rise will look really low,” says McManus, who advises people with such body types to “stick with a mid rise.”

Ready to make that denimpulse purchase? Check out these denim boutiques and find your perfect fit:

Black & Blue

720 Governor Morrison Street Suite E-180

www.shopblackandblue.com

Denim Affair

9848 Rea Road

www.denimaffaironline.com

As a big girl myself, I’m quite familiar with the treasure hunt for fashionable clothing that actually fits more voluptuous figures. It doesn’t help my search when upon entering a fashion-forward store or boutique, I'm welcomed with stares, whispers, and even the occasional, brave, greeting of “What is she doing in here?” It’s like I’m Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, only I’m fat, not a prostitute. I appreciate fashion, just as a girl half my size does, so why should I be banished to the few shops that actually cater to the majority of female Americans? Why is it OK for the skinny girl to shop in plus size stores, yet a big girl in any store that isn’t just for plus sizes is apparently a crime. It’s the fat girl double standard.

What I wouldn’t give to be able to wear what my size-four counterparts wear, instead of being peddled moo moos and, ironically enough, stretch pants. But it seems as though hiding our figures is easier than coming up with any fashion that is figure-flattering. I can recall plenty of times when I searched high and low for that trendy menswear vest or cute knee-high boot, only to find that the vest wouldn’t fit over my larger bust, or the calf of the boots were made for Skeletor.

Department stores that actually carry plus-size lines push the section to the dreaded back corner of the store, with the dim lighting and strange absence of mirrors. And don’t count on any visual aides by the way of full-figured mannequins in stylish ensembles; the only mannequins are stick-thin and stand like a white picket fence blocking the view of the fat clothes.

But alas, even in this recession, when a lot of these plus-size lines are being cut from stores due to cost, retailers like Forever 21, Wet Seal, and Target are investing in their own junior plus lines. Finally, trendy, youthful fashions that come in bigger sizes than large, and are meant to fit the 56 percent of women in the world who wear a size 14 or more. The youth-oriented lines are great for finding the hottest styles, but with the junior sizing, the amount of plus-sized ladies these stores are actually helping is still a small percentage of the women who seek assistance in their shopping. For instance, Forever 21’s perception of plus size only covers up to a size 16, which excludes much of the plus-sized consumers that would potentially shop their Faith 21 line. Wet Seal is more realistic in their sizing, going up to a size 24, while Target’s new Pure Energy line goes all the way to a size 30.

Todd Albaum, creator and owner of Scarlett Plus Size Boutique, knows all about the plus size market. This tall, fit Jersey boy is quite the curvaceous connoisseur, and larger ladies flock to his store for high quality, gorgeous fashions and superb service. “I’m a guy in the psyche of a plus-size woman. I know what will work well with their features, and make them feel good on the inside because they look good on the outside,” he says. “The plus-size market is literally shrinking. The reason the market is drying up is that stores don’t know how to market their plus sizes. They don’t cater to the plus woman correctly.”

What lies beneath is more than just a bra and underwear: It’s a statement, a color choice, and at times, a gadget. After entering the world of four local “lingeriexperts,” it is clear that despite the pressures of a slow economy and fast-growing lingerie giants like Victoria’s Secret, local lingerie stores are strapped-in and here to stay. Follow these four steps to stay pushed up on lingerie: fit, fantasy, fun, and function.

Step 1: The Perfect Fit

“It’s all about fitting … 85-90 percent of customers are fitted for a new size,” says Shelly Domenech, owner of I.C. London. Why are women wearing the wrong size? “We call it boob denial,” says Domenech, whose store carries up to a J cup. Lingerie is for more than just the bedroom. Trish Hudson, manager of Adam and Eve, says “corsets and bustiers are always popular” because women wear them out to clubs. Fit is important, but confidence is essential: “It’s about feeling good and having good support,” says Domenech.

Step 2: What’s Your Fantasy?

“We sell the fantasy,” says Chrissi Zelez, co-manager of The Red Door, which carries packaged lingerie sets known to Zelez as “fantasy in a box.” For some, part of the fantasy is looking classy. “Trashy is out,” says Karen Holder, owner of Karen’s Beautiful Things. Trashy may be out, but openness is in. Zelez believes that “people in Charlotte are becoming a lot more open with their sexuality.”

“Odetta is wise and feminine, a flower-child of the 60s. She will get you through transitional times – both spring and fall. Because she is well-balanced, her fabrics ready you for the cold, while the brightness of her colors keeps you feeling warm and cheerful. Odetta's hobbies include nostalgic handicrafts: crocheting, knitting, macramé, and crystal-collecting.”

Odetta sounds like a pretty cool chick, doesn’t she? Well, actually, Odetta is an animal image, an owl to be precise, created by local clothing designer Amanda Aileen for her clothing line Inhabit. This redesigned vintage collection is comprised of one-of-a-kind, original pieces made using recycled materials such as vintage clothing and scrap fabrics and accented with embroidery and different types of stitching. The animal image, created using watercolor, acrylic and newspaper, is the anchor of the line.

“I feel like the animal is sort of symbolic to the line,” Amanda (pictured below) says. “The name [of the clothing line] is Inhabit, and it’s about inhabiting your space. In a way, you’re supposed to take on the spirit of the animal in a way.”

If the concept sounds a little out there, well … it is. But that’s a good thing. Who wants to be caught dead wearing the same outfit as the next woman? That’s a risk too many of us take nowadays when we shop in department stores and malls — we become carbon copies of one another.

Are you antsy for some much needed retail therapy but you’d rather not have to drive to the mall? Perhaps you’re having a late night craving for peep-toes and strappy sandals? Worry no more — Heels.com is here to satisfy your shoe shopping urges, and they’ll throw in the shipping for free.

“Welcome to shoe heaven,” says Linda McCoy, co-owner of Heels.com. 20 months ago, McCoy and her husband Eric founded their Charlotte-based Web site devoted to selling the latest trends in women’s shoes. Carrying over 80 shoe brands at prices ranging from $50-$700, Heels.com is home to flats, sandals, boots, wedges, and of course, heels.

Heels.com sets itself apart from other shoe websites by focusing solely (no pun intended) on women’s shoes. “We try to stay on top of our brands and pick shoes that department stores won’t pick,” McCoy says of the site’s assortment, which includes brands such as Guess, L.A.M.B., Jessica Simpson, BCBG, and Betsey Johnson. The result is a vibrant, trendy, colorful website that sets itself “aside from your basic black pump” assortment.

“We really make it easy for our customers to shop,” McCoy says. The Web site is an easy-to-navigate paradise for shoe shoppers, featuring seven views of each shoe with zoom capabilities, as well as a live video of a model walking in the shoes so customers can see “exactly what it looks like when you walk your first step,” says McCoy. “Shopping on Heels.com is risk-free,” according to McCoy, because the website offers free second day shipping as well as free returns. “You can’t get this at Zappos.”

This week, Heels.com will be launching an additional feature to its site called HeelsTV. Featuring fast-paced, energetic videos, HeelsTV is a quick and informative source for designer spotlights, sneak peaks, emerging trends, and new brands. HeelsTV will help “bring our shoppers closer to the brands,” says McCoy, who anticipates that this project will engage, entertain, and educate shoppers.

McCoy, a West Virginia native and former public relations assistant manager at Neiman Marcus, started Heels.com with her husband in hopes to “start something on our own to grow from the ground up … we collaborated.” McCoy believes that starting Heels.com is a way of “supporting Charlotte” and that customers are “going to get some different items” than in department stores or on other shoe Web sites.

For those who are gearing up for fall fashion, McCoy has a few tips as to what is coming next in the world of shoes: animal print, thigh-high boots, open-toe booties, turquoise, charcoal, and “purple is going to be huge” this fall. McCoy hopes to make a “presence in the U.S.” with Heels.com and eventually branch out into an appointment-only boutique

Her husband Eric is just as confident: “Zappos was the appetizer. Heels.com will be the meal.”

What a freakin' great idea.

Ladies, how often are you limping back to the car after a night of dancing and clubbing in some fantastic-looking, toe-pinching heels? I'm telling you, the walk from The Forum to the 7th Street parking garage is much too long after dancing for hours.

Or how about trying to walk down the stairs at the Epicentre? If that ain't murder on your poor sore feet, I don't know what is.

A company in the UK has come up with the innovative idea to put in popular nightclubs vending machines with, get this, shoes. Not just any shoes: comfortable ballet flats, called Rollasoles, that come out of the machine balled up, ready for you to unroll and slip onto your tired tootsies.

They even come up with a bag to put your heels in. How thoughtful!

Rollasoles come in black, silver and gold, and the company plans to branch out beyond the UK. I hope they do so soon!

VALENTINO: THE LAST EMPEROR

DIRECTED BY Matt Tyrnauer

STARS Valentino Garavani, Giancarlo Giammetti

As far as documentaries about the couture culture go, Valentino: The Last Emperor runs out of thread long before its closing credits. By comparison, the 1995 Isaac Mizhari piece Unzipped provided a lot more, uh, zip than this nonfiction effort, which ultimately seems as self-absorbed as its central figure.

That icon is, of course, Valentino, considered one of the greatest of all Haute Couture fashion designers. The early going of the film is the most interesting, as audiences are provided brief glimpses into the creative process (Valentino and his army pour all their energies into his latest showcase) and allowed to witness the artist’s loving (if tempestuous) relationship with the infinitely more levelheaded Giancarlo Giammetti, his longtime companion and business partner.

Over the long haul, however, Valentino doesn’t turn out to be a particularly interesting person, just a spoiled brat whose opulent lifestyle frequently leaves a bad taste in the mouth when the present economic situation springs to mind (as it frequently does when confronted with such extravagance). Director Matt Tyrnauer (a key staffer at Vanity Fair) completely succumbs to celebrity-gawking by the finale, which centers on a lavish evening meant to celebrate Valentino’s 45th year in the business but also turns out to be his retirement party. Tyrnauer spends almost as much time ogling the A-listers in the audience as he does shooting the models on the runway. Look, there’s Anne Hathaway! And there’s Uma Thurman! Check out Sarah Jessica Parker and hubby Matthew Broderick! And isn’t that Eva Mendes?

Yawn. If I really wanted to indulge in stargazing, I’d just as soon hook up a telescope in the backyard and aim it at the night sky.

(Director Matt Tyrnauer will be in town this weekend for several Q&A sessions. Get the details here.)

On Saturday, May 16, Tara Michelle Davis, designer and owner of FLOW by Tara Davis, held an exclusive trunk show showcasing her much anticipated Spring 2009 Collection at FUZE Salon. Her contemporary designs are a hot commodity for the spring and summer seasons. The collection consists of a vibrant spring palette and silhouettes perfect for every body type. Here are a couple of photos.

Designer Tara Davis and models

(From left to right) Stylists: Janna Williams, Simon Childress, Marilyn Miller;  Fuze Salon Owners: Eileen and Glenn Carder;  Stylists:  Maria Santiago, Alisha Jackson;  Customer Service: Haley Mange