Denim & Co.® 101—A Chat with Carolyn Gracie and Gary Goben (2024)

Hi there,

It’s been such a brutal winter that it’s almost hard to believe spring is finally here (woo hoo!). I know those of you who have endured snow storms and frigid temperatures can’t wait to pack away the boots and gloves and bring out the sandals and shorts. This month, I want to help put Old Man Winter behind us by sharing some inside scoop on Denim & Co.® apparel debuting for the warm weather ahead.

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I spoke with QVC’s resident Denim & Co. experts—Program Host Carolyn Gracie and Designer Gary Goben—to talk about the “How” collections customers know and love. But first I have to share some exciting news…drum roll, please…Denim & Co. is launching a beach line this year! Just the word “beach” is like music to my ears! “It’s super exciting,” said Gary. “We’re doing cover-ups and scarves that you can wear to the beach over your bathing suit!” Carolyn added, “You guys have asked for things you can wear with your swim suits, so we’re bringing them to you! Keep checking our blogs and Facebook pages for more in the coming months.”

Now that I’ve gotten you even more excited for sunny days at the shore, or wherever you may be headed this summer, let’s talk about activewear. The Denim & Co. Active collection is full of soft, fashionable pieces you lounge in at home, wear while running errands, or put on for the gym. Carolyn explained it best: “I think Americans are dressing much more casually now; it’s accepted. We do it more frequently than getting dressed up. But there’s a difference between looking casual and looking sloppy. With Denim & Co. you can feel casual and comfortable and still look really put together. We have great colors, great fabrics, and the fashions are affordable.”

Many of the items in the Active collection are done in French terry, jersey knit, velour, and knit terry, so you know they are going to feel as great as they look. And there are many styles to choose from! “We’re bringing you shorts, capris, and crops, plus we have new yoga pants and leggings,” Gary told me.

Now to those “How” pants I mentioned. One of the many great things about them is you can wear them year round. There are four different “Hows”: “How Smooth,”® “How Comfy,”® “How Classic,”® and “How Timeless.”®

“The ‘How Smooth’ is a wide-waistband pull-on pant. We designed it to give the customer a very smooth look under her clothes so that there’s no bulk, no extra fabric, no belt loops—nothing like that,” Gary said. The “How Smooth” is perfect for wearing under your tunics. Carolyn explained, “It’s a fitted jean, so you look very slim. They’re the right weight, they’re not see-through, and they’re not so clingy that they enhance what’s not perfect. You don’t see bumps and lumps and things. It’s a very flattering fabric.”

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“How Smooth” Petite Capri Pants with Pockets

The second member of the “How” group is “How Comfy,” which is all about the comfort of a yoga pant with the look of denim. “‘How Comfy’ is a knit jean,” Gary said. “They’re more stretchy and more comfortable, hence the name.”

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“How Comfy” Pull-On Boot-Cut Jeans

“How Classic,” according to Gary, is all about the fit. “The ‘How Classic’ has elastic three-quarters of the way around. That means the center front of your waist from belt loop to belt loop is going to be flat, but then we put elastic all the way around to the back for comfort.”

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“How Classic” Five-Pocket Boot-Cut Jeans

I enjoyed hearing about “How Timeless” partly because of the fun nickname created for the women who wear them. “We refer to our ‘How Timeless’ customers as our ‘side-pocket senoritas,’” Gary told me. “These pants have a full elastic waistband with side pockets.” So what’s with the nickname? “Scott, a member of our team, invented the affectionate term for the ladies because many of them own a pair of the side-pocket pants in practically every color!” Carolyn explained. “We have the ‘How Timeless’ pants in Petite, Tall, and Regular, so there’s something for every customer, and they just last forever.”

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“How Timeless” Regular Capri Pants with Bow Details

If you’re a woman who likes to do some research before investing in a pair of pants, make sure to check QVC.com for more information. On the home page, click on the “Fashion” tab, click on Denim & Co. under “Brand,” and then click on the category you want to view. Or, if you already know you want to look at “How Comfy,” just type “How Comfy” in the search box—it’s that easy! And for even more details on each pant, make sure to look for a video posted with the product.

Now, let’s get back to spring! I asked Gary about the big trends for the season. “Anything chambray, like a lighter blue, is very strong, along with corals, yellows, royal blue, and mint green,” he told me. “The other big thing is floral prints. A floral print in anything is going to be really good.”

And that one item every woman should have in her closet? “A great pair of jeans,” Carolyn said. “I think if you have a great pair of jeans and you feel good in them, you can put on any kind of top and feel like you look good because of your jeans.”

“I totally agree with Carolyn,” Gary added, “a great pair of jeans. But I also think a must-have is a denim jacket. I love denim jackets over dresses, T-shirts, tunics—you name it!”

It may sound like Carolyn and Gary agree on fashion choices, but they’re actually in the middle of a competition they affectionately call Designer vs. Diva. “We have a viewer poll contest every couple of months where viewers can vote on their favorite of two items—one of which is picked by Gary and one of which is picked by me,” Carolyn explained. “And they don’t know which of us picked it until after they vote!” So, who will win? Make sure to follow Carolyn Gracie on Facebook and stay up to date on both Carolyn and Gary’s blogs, so you don’t miss a minute of the fashion fun!


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Denim & Co.® 101—A Chat with Carolyn Gracie and Gary Goben (2024)
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