Altering jeans... is it really worth it?

[Lysol]

I have a pair of those 5EP straight resin that were on sale at Active recently. I had purchased them in a 32 waist because up until a few months ago, I was wearing a size 34 but have been running, dieting and weight training like crazy so I figured I'd lost about 2"s in my waist (as a universal reference, I have a pair of APC Rescue in a 29" waist that fits me perfect after months of unwashed wear). I got them and they fit absolutely perfect right out of the box but I feel as if after a few weeks of wear they're going to stretch a bit and will be too loose for my liking. By the time I recieved the jeans, the size down was no longer available so an exchange is not an option. I've done some homework on having jeans tailored and have gotten mixed opinions. Would it be worth it to have these taken in a bit in the thighs and in the seat? Is it even possible to have jeans taken in in the waist? I'm just curious. The denim is absolutely beautiful so I would hate for these to have to hit eBay but at the same time you can't get blood from stone and I don't want to be strutting around with something that looks all bent out of shape.

 

[Get Smart]

I'd leave them alone. Other than a hem, I don't think of jeans as a tailor-able garment, unless it's cheap Levis you want to drainpipe

if they fit good now, more n likely they wont stretch SO much that they'll be unwearable. I've never had a pair of jeans stretch that much where it changed the basic shape/fit it originally had. Besides there's the "throw in dryer inside out for 15min to shrink it back" method if it needs to go that far.

 

[Brian SD]

I've never had a pair of jeans stretch that much where it changed the basic shape/fit it originally had.

Me neither. People go way overboard with their stretching claims. They'll stretch out maybe a half-inch or so in the thighs area over the course of a couple months.

 

[LA Guy]

I have a 31 waist and the 32 5EP resins fit me fine, although I tend to like my jeans a little looser and anti-fit than a lot of you guys. For reference, my APC NS are also size 32, and are a little loose even for my tastes (on the plus side, I can take them on and off without undoing any buttons). I shouldn't gone with the 31.

The other thing is that they fit you fine now, right? Only on these forums (both SFs) is it recommended that you buy raw jeans that you can't button up when you first get them. Sure, if the jeans are way too small for you, and you wear them hard, they will eventually stretch out. On the other hand, if the jeans fit you, unless you have some peculiar habits (I tend to hook my thumb into the waistline), the jeans are unlikely to stretch out to the point to which they are unwearable or really loose. Brian is right.

 

[Brian SD]

I think it was just a cycle of rumors. One person said "oh they stretch so much" so the next guy bought jeans a size down. Then he said "oh these jeans were so tight at first, but now they're too loose!" and so people started buying tighter and tighter and tighter.

The reality is that your jeans will pretty much always stretch out to about the same point. For example, my APC new standards measure about 32.5" across the waist after stretching. My 5EPs do as well, and so do my Nudie RRs. My APCs measured about 32" when they were new, and they only stretched a half inch or so. My Nudies measured maybe 30.5" when they were new, and so they stretched 2 inches. if I got APCs in size 26 then they would have stretched about 4".

People go apeshit because they hate the stretching but no matter what size you get they're just going to eventually stretch to accomodate your hips. As for the legs, the fibres will stretch yes, but it will never be so much that they're unwearable or the shape is severely altered. I don't know where people got that idea from. My 5EPs were slim and form-fitting the day I got them, and fully stretched, they are still slim and form-fitting.

Okay, anyway, rant mode off.

 

[minya]

If I buy dry jeans that fit me properly in the waist to begin with, they'll stretch to the point where they are uncomfortably loose (and I think they look too baggy at that point). So, I buy them insanely tight -- but, not so tight that I can't get all the buttons done up -- and then they stretch to a perfect, comfortable fit, where there's a slight bit of looseness in the waist but not enough that my jeans fall off without a belt.

 

[benchan]

I can stand the slight stretching that occurs in the hip and waist area, but can any denim expert here tell me how to reduce tha amount of stretching that occurs around the knee area in the front?

 

[LA Guy]

Originally Posted by benchan

I can stand the slight stretching that occurs in the hip and waist area, but can any denim expert here tell me how to reduce tha amount of stretching that occurs around the knee area in the front?

Sure, wash the jeans on a regular basis.

 

[Lysol]

Originally Posted by Brian SD

I think it was just a cycle of rumors. One person said "oh they stretch so much" so the next guy bought jeans a size down. Then he said "oh these jeans were so tight at first, but now they're too loose!" and so people started buying tighter and tighter and tighter.

The reality is that your jeans will pretty much always stretch out to about the same point. For example, my APC new standards measure about 32.5" across the waist after stretching. My 5EPs do as well, and so do my Nudie RRs. My APCs measured about 32" when they were new, and they only stretched a half inch or so. My Nudies measured maybe 30.5" when they were new, and so they stretched 2 inches. if I got APCs in size 26 then they would have stretched about 4".

People go apeshit because they hate the stretching but no matter what size you get they're just going to eventually stretch to accomodate your hips. As for the legs, the fibres will stretch yes, but it will never be so much that they're unwearable or the shape is severely altered. I don't know where people got that idea from. My 5EPs were slim and form-fitting the day I got them, and fully stretched, they are still slim and form-fitting.

Okay, anyway, rant mode off.

brian, while i can certainly appreciate a good rant (just ask my girlfriend after i've had a few glasses of wine) i think you might be understating how much denim can actually stretch to counter a lot of the ridiculous stretching claims that stem from the popularity of dry denim and brands with mysterious sizing such as APC. i don't know of any cotton product that doesn't stretch a noticable amount with wear. i don't think i've had a pair of jeans since i was 16 that haven't been a perfect fit brand new and then after a few weeks of unwashed wear (i'm talking about normal dinner and a movie wear, not breaking in dry jeans wear) stretched to the point where i'm no longer comfortable with the fit. i'm speaking from experience, not from messageboard chatter. that's not to say that part of it just isn't me being borderline obsessive over "the perfect fit" of my jeans and that's not to say that they won't shrink back down to size when washed but as i wash my jeans as little as possible, i usually buy my jeans so they're tight in the waist and snug in the thighs and after a short while they stretch enough that i can easily slip a finger in between the waistband (please pardon how sleazy that sounds) and i can pull about an inch of denim in the leg.

not saying your rant wouldn't have been justified as a general post or in a thread on buying dry sugarcanes where someone with a 34 waist is asking if they should get a 28 but i was merely talking about the normal stretching that occurs with almost any pair of jeans.

 

[Brian SD]

No, theres no disagreement - jeans stretch. They ALL stretch. I even made a sticky about it awhile back. My rant is just focused on the general frustration I get from people who say things like "I want to get APCs so badly, but I heard they stretch too much."

 

[LA Guy]

Originally Posted by Lysol

on buying dry sugarcanes where someone with a 34 waist is asking if they should get a 28 but i was merely talking about the normal stretching that occurs with almost any pair of jeans.

I recommend this for my amusement. Someone do this and post pics.

 

[tiger02]

Question for the jean-stretch savvy: I've got a pair of RRDS in 34 that fit well enough in the store, but stretched to 'shitkicking' bagginess. Which is fine, but I'm also looking for a pair of closer fitting jeans. So I have another pair of RRDS, in 32, which I had been planning to sell. Would they be likely to stretch enough to fit a 33W with large thighs?

Thx
Tom

 

[whoopee]

The waist should be fine as long as you wear them normally (ie not on the hips). I sized down one for a good fit and could have gone two for a tight but still reasonable fit. As for the thighs, if they aren't uncomfortably tight now, they should be okay.

 

[tiger02]

I don't think my uncomfortably tight is the same as superfuture uncomfortably tight...

 

[Brian SD]

Originally Posted by tiger02

I don't think my uncomfortably tight is the same as superfuture uncomfortably tight...

Tiger, if youre a 33, a 32 will be just fine. It will stretch to accomodate, absolutely. Just make sure the buttons arent pulling apart and your package isnt bulging. Even if its uncomfortably tight on the thighs now, if theyre really tight they'll stretch a good amount to a more regular, but still slim, fit. Most of the stretching that I've had in jeans is **********.