Jeans are the ultimate wardrobe staple - whether the style is bootcut, boyfriend, flare or skinny.
“It is the great fashion equalizer,” Good Housekeeping's style director, Lori Bergamotto, told “GMA.” “Not every woman can have a couture gown or a designer gown but we all have an amazing pair of jeans.”
Enter the -5KG jeans by Chuu, a Korean brand that is taking over social media. -5KG’s claim to fame is supposedly making women look 5kg (aka 11 pounds) skinnier. At $25 to $50 a pair, the jeans are a fraction of the cost of designer labels.
“Jeans can make you look 10 pounds thinner,” said Bergamotto. “But it’s not about just looking skinnier, it’s about finding the most flattering pair for your body.”
"GMA" had to find out the “jeanious” secret behind -5KG. Four female ABC employees graciously agreed to put these pants to the test!
-5KG claims to fit like your favorite pair of skinny jeans so we took that literally. Each woman came dressed in her favorite pair of jeans and then swapped them for the -5KG denim. The results are in…
Alexa Valiente, digital producer
Size 27, petite.
The downlow on the denim: “They’re my mom jeans from GAP. I found them on a sale rack and I ended up buying two pairs of them because I loved them so much.”
Why they’re your favorite: “They make my butt look good!”
Alexa in -5KG
Reaction to the jeans: “I feel like it really sucks everything in. I think they’re a good wash and they have a raw hem so that’s good for me since I’m super short, they might make my legs look longer.”
What style expert Lori Bergamotto says: “I think she looks fantastic in these jeans and I’m going to tell you why they work. One is the pocket placement. I think the negative space they use and the size of the pockets is really flattering. Another element to the design of these jeans is the waist. A high waist is really flattering on anyone’s abdomen. You want it to come to the top of your belly button, you don’t ever want it to go too much higher than that.”
Would you add them to your shopping basket?: "If these were on sale I’d buy them!”
Eva Pilgrim, correspondent
Size 28, long and tall.
The downlow on the denim: “These jeans are AYR and they’re very stretchy. That’s sort of my qualification for a jean. They’re high-waisted because I’m notoriously bad at doing laundry so all my shirts end up an inch shorter than when I bought them.”
Why they’re your favorite: “I like this jean because it gives. I can wear it when I work, I can wear it if I’m on a plane, I can wear it everywhere I go.”
Eva in -5KG
Reaction to the jeans: “They feel pretty comfortable but it’s weird how tight they feel on my calves. I don’t hate them. I wonder how I would feel if I wore them for a full day.”
What the expert says: “I do think she looks slimmer in these jeans. You can see a little bit of her ankle which you always want to see in a pair of regular, casual jeans because it gives the illusion of a leg lengthener. These make her look even longer!”
Would you add them to your shopping basket?: “I would totally wear them, especially because they’re not super expensive.”
Gabbie Cirelli, anchor assistant
Size 25, slim and slender.
The downlow on the denim: “They’re just good, old Levi's. They’re high-waisted and hit me just below the belly button. I love the color of them. They’re pretty thick denim, which I actually like and they don’t stretch very much but they’re incredibly comfortable. I can dress them up or down really well and I love the raw hem.”
Why they’re your favorite: “They’re incredibly comfortable and they look good. I’ve bought four more pairs.”
Gabbie in -5KG
Reaction to the jeans: “I don’t know if I feel life-changing skinny but I think they’re flattering. The most annoying thing is I feel like there’s so much extra space in the crotch area. It feels like they hang a little bit too low on me.”
What the expert says: “I do think the jeans look really good on her but if they’re not comfortable why would she want to wear them? I think whatever jeans she was wearing before she felt very confident in so I say stick with those.”
Would you add them to your shopping basket?: “I don’t think I’d buy them. I don’t love them.”
Mary Godie, associate producer
Size 29, curvy.
The downlow on the denim: “I got them online at Fashinova.com. They are just the classic high-waist skinny jeans in a dark wash. I like to go into the store normally and try my jeans on so I took a chance and they worked out just fine.”
Why they’re her favorite: “It’s hard to find that pair of jeans that you can just go to all the time and feel comfortable wearing so once you get that pair it’s kind of hard to go back.”
Mary in -5KG
Reaction to the jeans: “I think I like them, they feel pretty good. They are a little tight in the thigh area but I think after wearing them a couple of times they’ll loosen up.”
What the expert says: “I’m super into these on her. I don’t think she needs to look 11 pounds thinner but she looks really fit, really toned and her butt looks amazing.”
Would you add them to your shopping basket?: “I don’t see why not! I really like them.”
Chuu was happy to learn that most of the women were happy with the jeans.
“We have over 90 models of -5KG jeans adapted to different body shapes and tastes,” a company spokesperson told "GMA." “These jeans are developed by our passionate designers who always have at heart to offer innovating, flattering and comfortable jeans.”