Grab some unexpected delights during the AE early April promo

This post about the AE early April promo contains affiliate links. Please read this blog’s disclosure post for more info.

Ahhhhh American Eagle. What a wonderful surprise this brand — and their lingerie brand, Aerie, has been for me. All this year I’m dropping weight I had gained from an injury in the Summer of 2016. It’s a slow and steady process. I’m very happy with my progress so far! I started repairing my diet and fitness last Fall and the results are really starting to show. (More on what’s been working for me next week or two! You can read about my fitness regimen here.) As this happens, I want to look cute but I’m not necessarily looking to purchase any luxury items that I know will be too big in a year or so.

As a result I’ve been looking at what inexpensive brands can help me along this journey. American Eagle has become one of my go-to brands! Not only are they wallet-friendly, I’ve found their quality is better than brands I was paying more for. Also, I like their fit better on my curvy body than many other brands I was trying to make work.

One area American Eagle really excels? Their jeans. I don’t know how they do it but American Eagle makes high-quality jeans that seem to fit every body type. My hourglass with a curvy bottom and thighs? They look great! My favorite shopping partner’s tall, lithe, skinny minny body type? They look fantastic! My good friend’s petite pear shape? They look amazing!

I personally find that I have to order a tall in most of AE’s jeans. I’m 5’9″ which doesn’t quite make the tall category officially, but my legs are super long. I usually try on in-store and then have the store order them for me, or sometimes (like now!) the online promo is so good I’ll just order them from AE’s site.

What jeans have worked for me? Over the winter I lived in these AE Denim X High-Waisted Jeggings (now $53). They are incredibly soft and stretchy. While they have distressing there’s another layer of denim below the distressing to keep my legs warm. They’re too warm to wear in true Spring or Summer but may be worth the investment now on-sale to keep your legs comfy next Winter! I currently have these in a size 12 and feel they run big; size down one size from your usual. For Spring, I have this pair of the same jean in a lighter wash and they are fantastic.

My favorite warm weather pair will be the AE Denim x Jegging Crop (now $38). I had found a pair of jeans in a similar color at LOFT — alas, the LOFT jeans only came in ‘modern’ cut which gives me perennial muffin top. The AE jeans? Wonderful and the perfect length for me in a 12 tall.

Speaking of sizing, I usually have to size up at AE from whatever jean size I wear elsewhere. Right now I’m a 10/12 in jeans and at AE I’m a 12/14, and sometimes a 16 in their non-stretch cotton. Sizing up really seems to help over my bottom, where AE jeans can sometimes be cut small. Mostly though they are very curve-friendly with just the right amount of stretch.

Besides the pairs I’ve already mentioned, I’m very interested in purchasing these green-tinted jeans (AE has so many pretty colors of denim!) and these distressed white jeans. There are more denim picks in the shoppable boutique at the end of this post.

Beyond jeans, I’ve also been delighted by American Eagle’s shorts! I wish that I had some more OOTD shots to share in this section. Alas, the weather in NYC has been far too cold to even fake being warm long enough to capture photos. They’ll have to wait!

Another pair of shorts I own and love are the AE Festival High-Waisted Shorts (now $42). These shorts have really poor reviews and it’s because they’re cut super small. They’re also online-only so you need to know to size up! I usually wear a 12 in AE shorts, but these I need in a 16. I’m just glad AE accommodates a range of sizes like that.

Also, if for some reason you want to try the overall trend…AE has those too. (I’m so tempted but know I need to refrain. Darn it.)

In need of new Spring tops? Perhaps a mix of lighter and midweight? You’ll find plenty of options in this AE early April promo. Head over to the clearance section where deals abound! Right now I’m working tons of plaid into my outfits, both for work and the weekend. The outfit photo above is a perfect example featuring this plaid top (I took my usual medium). And you probably remember this look from earlier this week with this plaid buttondown top (I sized up to a large in this one, it was small through the shoulders for me). Both of these looks feature plaid with skirts but it also looks great over shorts and jeans! I’ll have an OOTD of that soon.

More tops in the shoppable boutique at the bottom of this post.

During this AE early April promo I also highly recommend taking a look at Aerie, especially their bras! Like AE proper, Aerie has embraced a body diverse stance that means more sizes and more opportunities for all women to look and feel beautiful. Up until a couple of months ago I was rocking a 34F bust which is a really tough fit not only for bras, but for clothing. Much to my surprise, some of Aerie’s bralettes were supportive enough for me even at that size!

Two of my absolute faves? The Classic Lace Bralette (now $14) you see above, which has adjustable back straps, and the Boho Racerback Bralette (now $17). The latter I especially like to wear under my work outfits, and then make them a bit more visible when I meet up for Alex for date night. Here’s an example of that with the ivory color, and here’s how the blue looks.

Today you’ll find bras and bralettes are 40-60% off, and undies are 10 for $35. That’s a wonderful deal on romantic yet practical undergarments!

Below you’ll find all my picks from today’s AE early April promo. I didn’t discuss dresses in this post but I’ve included some cute options below. It is so easy to make outfits with American Eagle items! Need some inspiration? Check out this recent post, though please note that the promo mentioned in that post has expired.