It's time to learn how to measure your jeans properly so that you can achieve the best fit for yourself, it can be daunting to find your measurements and there are many places that measure differently but we're going to do basic measuring here. A universal method so that you can understand what parts of the jeans are the best to measure and how you like the fit. Once you find out what measurements you have on your favorite pair of jeans then you can determine by a single measurement how other jeans will fit you regardless of tag size because not all jeans are tagged "True to Size," in fact many are vanity sized (the tag is sized smaller than actual measurements.)
Waist: The waist is the most common measurement and one of the easiest to do. First you want to make sure your button/zip fly is closed. Make sure all of your rivets are through their eye holes and that your zipper is up, then make sure the waist band is buttoned as well. Once that's finished, take your jeans and lay them on a flat surface, flatten them out to get rid of as much crinkling as possible. Then you'll want to make sure there is a slight "dip" in the front waistband, the back should be straight, and now take your tape measure, grab one end of the jeans, and drag it along to the other side. Tug on the jeans a little bit, you'll want some slight tension to mimic how the jeans fit on your actual body, and then take that measurement. It will be double digits such as 17, then you take that number and double it: 34, that is your waist measurement of your jeans.
Front Rise: This is from the crotch seam up to the front button of your jeans. Take your tape measure, grab it from the top of the jeans (with the button) and pull it towards the crotch seam. This will be your front rise measurement, depending on the type of jeans will depend on your front rise. Most classic styles should be about 12" while slimmer fits would be about 10" but very rarely do they ever go below that but it does occur. So now you have two measurements, if you're still not comfortable with a pair of jeans then continue on so that you can get the proper measurements for your perfect pair of raw jeans.
Thigh: It's measured from the crotch seam straight out to the outer seam of the jeans of one pant leg, this will be measured the same as the waist, a double digit number that you can multiply but it's not necessary to multiply since most sites that offer measurement information won't list it that way. This number will let you know how snug or how loose you want your jeans, if the thigh measures 11" and it's too snug for you then you can size up so that the thigh is 12", it will be a bit roomier for you if you want that comfort or you can figure out to size down if you want a snugger fit. But remember that if you size down on one measurement, everything get's sized down so you'll want to keep that in mind.
Knee: The knee measurement really isn't necessary unless you're searching for a pair of boot cut so that you can compare it to the leg opening. But you'll want to measure 12" down from the crotch seam then measure from seam to seam. This is your knee but again, it's really not necessary for many jeans unless it's boot cut, and if you're into skinny or slim fits then it really isn't necessary as the leg opening is more than enough information.
Leg Opening: This is the bottom of the pant leg where the hem is, make sure your jeans are always laying flat when you take measurements, it will be from one seam to the other. This measurement is usually a single number any where between 5-10" give or take some. A skinny cut will have a smaller leg opening than a straight leg, this measurement will always tell you how the jeans will fit from the knee down, if you're going for that super skinny cut, then you'll be able to know how skinny the jeans are just by the leg opening size.
Inseam: This the measurement from the inside of the crotch seam straight down to the hem, not all jeans will measure what they say on the inseam just like with the waist. Sometimes the inseams are 1" more than tagged and that's only because the jeans were measured before they were distressed or before they were rinsed/washed, so you'll want to keep that in mind. If the jeans are too long for you then you can cuff them (so they are still intact) or have a tailor alter them for you while keeping the original hem (although it only works with non-selvage jeans but selvage too if they're a good tailor.)
Now that you have all of your measurements, you know what to look for when buying jeans online, if there is a table of measurements then you can guess at which pair you'll need, and if there isn't a table then send them a message with your measurements and see if they can help you. But always remember that not all jeans are made the same way and double check your measurements because it's better to be safe before you end up with a pair of jeans that are the wrong length or wrong waist size. You don't want to be disappointed because of a slight miscalculation on your part so double check your measurements and you're well on your way to choosing the right size of jeans for you. Next time we'll discuss the other heated debate: Selvage and Non-Selvage denim.
Waist: The waist is the most common measurement and one of the easiest to do. First you want to make sure your button/zip fly is closed. Make sure all of your rivets are through their eye holes and that your zipper is up, then make sure the waist band is buttoned as well. Once that's finished, take your jeans and lay them on a flat surface, flatten them out to get rid of as much crinkling as possible. Then you'll want to make sure there is a slight "dip" in the front waistband, the back should be straight, and now take your tape measure, grab one end of the jeans, and drag it along to the other side. Tug on the jeans a little bit, you'll want some slight tension to mimic how the jeans fit on your actual body, and then take that measurement. It will be double digits such as 17, then you take that number and double it: 34, that is your waist measurement of your jeans.
Front Rise: This is from the crotch seam up to the front button of your jeans. Take your tape measure, grab it from the top of the jeans (with the button) and pull it towards the crotch seam. This will be your front rise measurement, depending on the type of jeans will depend on your front rise. Most classic styles should be about 12" while slimmer fits would be about 10" but very rarely do they ever go below that but it does occur. So now you have two measurements, if you're still not comfortable with a pair of jeans then continue on so that you can get the proper measurements for your perfect pair of raw jeans.
Thigh: It's measured from the crotch seam straight out to the outer seam of the jeans of one pant leg, this will be measured the same as the waist, a double digit number that you can multiply but it's not necessary to multiply since most sites that offer measurement information won't list it that way. This number will let you know how snug or how loose you want your jeans, if the thigh measures 11" and it's too snug for you then you can size up so that the thigh is 12", it will be a bit roomier for you if you want that comfort or you can figure out to size down if you want a snugger fit. But remember that if you size down on one measurement, everything get's sized down so you'll want to keep that in mind.
Knee: The knee measurement really isn't necessary unless you're searching for a pair of boot cut so that you can compare it to the leg opening. But you'll want to measure 12" down from the crotch seam then measure from seam to seam. This is your knee but again, it's really not necessary for many jeans unless it's boot cut, and if you're into skinny or slim fits then it really isn't necessary as the leg opening is more than enough information.
Leg Opening: This is the bottom of the pant leg where the hem is, make sure your jeans are always laying flat when you take measurements, it will be from one seam to the other. This measurement is usually a single number any where between 5-10" give or take some. A skinny cut will have a smaller leg opening than a straight leg, this measurement will always tell you how the jeans will fit from the knee down, if you're going for that super skinny cut, then you'll be able to know how skinny the jeans are just by the leg opening size.
Inseam: This the measurement from the inside of the crotch seam straight down to the hem, not all jeans will measure what they say on the inseam just like with the waist. Sometimes the inseams are 1" more than tagged and that's only because the jeans were measured before they were distressed or before they were rinsed/washed, so you'll want to keep that in mind. If the jeans are too long for you then you can cuff them (so they are still intact) or have a tailor alter them for you while keeping the original hem (although it only works with non-selvage jeans but selvage too if they're a good tailor.)
Now that you have all of your measurements, you know what to look for when buying jeans online, if there is a table of measurements then you can guess at which pair you'll need, and if there isn't a table then send them a message with your measurements and see if they can help you. But always remember that not all jeans are made the same way and double check your measurements because it's better to be safe before you end up with a pair of jeans that are the wrong length or wrong waist size. You don't want to be disappointed because of a slight miscalculation on your part so double check your measurements and you're well on your way to choosing the right size of jeans for you. Next time we'll discuss the other heated debate: Selvage and Non-Selvage denim.