Finding the right cut of jeans – (Very) well dressed #19

Finding the right cut of jeans is not just a matter of “tight fit” or “wide cut”. In this article we offer you an in-depth analysis of the main differences between the cuts, teaching you how to understand a measurement table.

If you want to see even more episodes, for simple and fun tips, here is the link.

Distinguish between “straight/tapered” and “narrow/wide”

In general, it's the misuse of terms that creates confusion when it comes to cutting . If I tell you “straight jeans”, or “straight cut” what do you think of? A wide rendering that falls a bit like a bag?

In reality it doesn't mean that. “Straight” means that the fit tightens very little from the knee. The opposite of right is “tapered”, therefore a cut which tightens more strongly from the knee, which in English gives “tapered”.

To distinguish the volume of the thigh from the lower leg taper, normally, we are supposed to use two words in a jean cut.

• One for the upper leg, from loosest to narrowest it would be: Loose - Relaxed - Regular - Slim - Tight - Skinny

To give you an idea of ​​size 30 jeans, a “slim” thigh is somewhere around 31cm , measured flat from the crotch. At 35cm you are on very loose, relaxed, and at 28cm you are on very very skinny.

• Two for the lower leg, that goes from: Flared - Wide - Straight, therefore straight - and “Tapered”, tapered.

Here again, to give an order of magnitude, on a size 30 we start to be on “straight” from an opening of 19cm, again measured flat.

At 23cm you are downright “wide”, and at 16cm you are guaranteed to have molded calves. However, it is still necessary to qualify, this is sometimes not entirely the reality.

Cup names are misleading

To begin with, these adjectives designate a “rendering” rather than a measurement , they must be interpreted according to the other adjective.

Example: if I have a very tight thigh of 28cm, an opening of 18 will be downright “straight” compared to the thigh, so it is legitimate for the jeans to be called “skinny straight”, even if it is not than “18cm”.

Conversely, on a mega wide thigh cut, 19cm, normally a “straight” opening, it can make a very “tapered” opening, hyper-tapered in proportion.

This nuance would still be manageable if brands had not decided to adopt different definitions for each type of cut.

So you will sometimes see cuts called “straight tapered” when that is literally an oxymoron. Sometimes one-adjective nouns and terms that come out of nowhere.

Conclusion: EVERYONE does anything .

Tips for getting there

We have two tips for you.

The first, you must take your actual thigh measurement at the place where the crotch of a pair of jeans would stop, at the top of the leg. Divide it by two, and remember that number when you look at a measurement chart.

Results :

• Tell yourself that if the measurement is equal to this figure +0cm, the result will be ultraskinny, even after relaxation.
• When you are +1.5cm, the cut will still be very slim, but not necessarily unbearable.
• At + 3cm, you will start to be more comfortable.
• Finally at + 5cm, you will be very wide.

For the second tip, hold on tight, you must take the measurement of your half thigh as well as the opening one as explained earlier. You divide the flat opening by the thigh (for example, 19cm / 32cm.).

Results :

• If you get a number between 0.59 and 0.61, you are on a rather “straight” cut, which tightens little from the knee.
• If you are below 0.56, the fuselage starts to be very marked.
• Beyond 0.64, you will have fullness at the bottom of your legs.

To tell you the truth, I was not able to test it exhaustively. If you were able to test, let me know in the comments if the results are right on your jeans.

Understanding waist size

It is important to understand that there is a major difference between a “jean size” and a “jean cut”. A cut is more or less wide, narrow, straight or tapered depending on the measurements it has for a given waist size .

A waist size is also quite standardized, let me explain:

Jeans are often in US sizes, and a size “30” is 30 inches, or 76.5cm, it is supposed to fit someone who has a waist of 76.5cm.

Except that this does not mean that the circumference of the jeans will actually be 76.5cm. In order not to suffocate when putting it on, it will perhaps be 1 or 1.5cm longer to accommodate you, depending on the thickness of the canvas and its rigidity for example.

Then, the problem is that this system dates from the time when there was only one way to wear jeans and all pants: at the natural high waist, therefore between the floating ribs and the navel .

You have surely noticed that over the decades, the way of wearing jeans has diversified, notably with the arrival of low and mid-high waists... However, depending on the height at which the jeans are supposed to be worn, you will have a different measurement to fit the same physique.

The lower the jeans are worn, the more the measurement will increase. It's not uncommon to find yourself with a 5cm difference between low-waisted jeans and high-waisted jeans.

Add to this the famous “vanity sizing” which has gradually increased sizes over the decades because customers were happy when they fit into a smaller size… You now understand why it is no longer as standardized as that.

The best thing to do is to first measure a pair of jeans that fit you using the most common method, which is supposed to give a “half waist measurement” lying flat.

Above all, note that this is the measurement that suits you for this wear and this precise waist height.

Also note that the height of the front fork is the most determining factor on where the waist will sit. On the other hand, it is not a measure that brands often provide .

Balancing body shape with cut

Honestly I think the fit of jeans will always be debated. In the end, people wear jeans cuts more for their gender, for the style it gives them than for physical balance.

My personal approach is rather to seek to harmonize the body through clothes, it's not that complicated:

• If you are very short-tempered , choose more high-waisted jeans.
• If you are very slender, choose lower-waisted jeans.
• If you have wide thighs, choose a fuselage that is not too marked or even almost straight, otherwise the narrow opening will accentuate the thighs by comparison.
• If you have thin thighs, choose a slightly more pronounced body, precisely because it suits you to make the shin appear thinner.

Finally, the thickness and appearance of denim means that you can get a tighter fit than you would on pants or chinos.

It's not for nothing that the slim fashion trend started with jeans. Typically, my jeans are 1 to 1.5cm less in the mid-thigh than my dressier pants.

In general, regardless of your body shape, avoid being completely molded into jeans, from a pure “balance” point of view this is not advantageous for any physique.

There you go, you now know the basics of jean cuts, assuming a standard length and a common approach to clothing cuts. I find it more effective than assigning you cut names because you are “fat/tall/small/skinny” when in practice each of these words can designate many different physiques.

Be aware, however, that all this can be nuanced by the length of the pants AND the type of shoes you wear, which I explain to you in a dedicated episode.