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Finding a pair of pants that fits exactly how you want can be tough, often itโsย a mix of trial and error, guesswork, perseverance, and possibly sorcery. By knowing how to measure your exact waist size, you can take at least some confusion out of it, and by following the advice of our two experts below, youโll be able to do just that.
โThe simplest way to measure your waist is to use a soft measuring tape and place it above your belly button, at the smallest part of your waist,โ says Elizabeth Davey, director of product at DUER. โLay the measuring tape flat against your skin, making sure itโs snug but not tight (you should be able to fit your finger between the tape and your skin), and that itโs parallel to the floor. If you donโt have measuring tape, an easy trick is to use a piece of string, mark it and then measure it along a ruler.โ
โMake sure youโre not holding your breath!โ adds Melony Huber, founder of ethical lifestyle collection La Peony. โBreathe in and out normally and take the measurement on your breath out, to ensure you donโt take too tight of a measurement on your breath in.โ
โThere are two measurements youโre looking for when measuring for pant size: Waist and inseam,โ explains Davey. These are her preferred steps for going about it.
โUsing soft measuring tape, start by measuring your waist. To do this, place the tape above your belly button at the smallest part of your waist, and lay it flat against your skin, parallel to the floor.โ
โWrap the measuring tape around your waist, by holding the end of the end of the tape at your belly button and circling it around your back to the front of your waist (the tape should be snug, but not tight).โ
โNext, measure your inseam by placing the measuring tape at the very top of the inside of the leg (where it joins the torso) and taking it right down to the ankle bone.โ
โFor the most accurate measurements,โ Davey adds, โThe tape should be directly against the skin, with no clothing in between.โ
Note: This advice isnโt just for pants. Inseam even matters when it comes to running shorts for menโthe difference between 4-inch, 5-inch, and 6-inch workout shorts can be striking.
โWhile taking measurements for menโs and womenโs pants is for the most part the same, the main difference is the conversion to pant size,โ says Davey. โFor example, because menโs and womenโs jeans are cut differently, a 30โ waist will convert to sizes 29-31 in womenโs jeans and a size 28 in menโs jeans.โ Follow Daveyโs steps below for an accurate measurement:
โDetermine the rise of your pants and where youโd like them to sit on your body. If youโre taking measurements for high-waisted pants, youโre going to measure the waist, and if theyโre more low-rise youโre going to measure closer to the hip, just above the buttocks.โย
โPlace the tape at your waist or hip and lay it flat against your skin, parallel to the floor. Wrap the measuring tape around your waist or hips (again, the tape should be snug, but not tight).โ
โAs with menโs pants, measure your inseam by placing the measuring tape at the very top of the inside of the leg and taking it down to the ankle bone.โ
Bonus tip for measuring your waist: โAn easy way to ensure youโre giving yourself room, but not too much room, is that you should be able to fit at least one finger in between your waist and the soft measuring tape,โ says Huber.
This is essentially the same thing as measuring your inseam, as described by Davey. Again, this number isnโt only important for dress pants, chinos, and jeans, but also for leggings and even yoga pants.
โUsing soft measuring tape, place the tape at the very top of the inside of the leg (where it joins the torso).โ
โTake the tape down along the leg until it meets the ankle bone and you have your inseam length.โ
โA proper fit is not only flattering, but comfortable,โ says Huber. โIt elevates your look, having clothing fit perfectly and look like it was made for you.โ โPants in general are always the trickiest to nail when it comes to sizing,โ says Davey. โAnd, because so much of our shopping is done online now, knowing your correct pant size can save a lot of time and unnecessary returns and exchanges. It also offers you the best chance at finding a pair of pants thatโs both flattering and comfortable.โ
โGenerally speaking, conversion charts are a great option,โ says Davey. โTheyโre easy to use and find online. But, because sizing and fit vary from brand to brand, I always suggest going directly to a brandโs website and using their fit guide. At DUER, for example, because our jeans are high-stretch, they fit differently than a pair of raw, non-stretch denim. Our fit guide helps our customers determine their most accurate sizing and the style that best suits their body type.โ
โHistorically, the waist size of a pant used to be reflective of your actual waist measurement, but for a variety of reasons, thatโs changed over the years (for example, many brands now use numeric versus waist sizing: 2, 4, 6, etc.),โ explains Davey. โBecause every brand, and even countryโs sizing is different, to find your most accurate pant size, youโre always best off going directly to a brandโs fit guide.โ
This isnโt always the easiest option, but itโs occasionally possible to get it right. โApparel brands have come a long way in providing resources to help customers determine their size without trying on the product, so I think itโs definitely possible,โ says Davey. โIโd also say that generally, products that are high-stretch are easier to purchase without trying on, since they offer more room and flexibility and adapt to the different curves and shapes of our bodies. Of course, if you have the opportunity, I do always suggest trying on pants in-store for the most accuracy.โ
โJean size used to correspond directly to true waist measurement, but as silhouettes have evolved to include high-, mid-, and low-rise, pants arenโt always intended to sit right at the true waist,โ says Davey. โVanity sizingโwhen brands label clothing with sizes that are smaller than the item's actual measurementsโhas also become more common, which means a lot of people end up sizing down in some brands and not in others.โ
โThis depends on a few factors,โ says Davey. โFirst, it depends if youโre wearing high-, mid- or low-rise, or if your pants are rigid or high-stretch. A general rule of thumb is that you always want to be able to fit a few fingers between your pants and skin.โ
This technique gained popularity in 2020 thanks to TikTok. Essentially, the claim is that you can tell whether a pair of pants will fit by putting your arm into the waist opening of the pants: If your elbow touches one side of the waist and your fingers touch the other, the pants will fit. Naturally, though, this isnโt going to work for everyone.ย
โI wouldnโt suggest using this rule because it doesnโt take into account different body types and proportions,โ warns Davey. โWhen it comes to sizing, I donโt think you can use blanket rules, everyoneโs body is different, so itโs all relative.โ
Another hack recently made popular again by TikTok, the idea here is if you can wrap the waist of a pair of pants perfectly around your neck, with no excess material overlapping, theyโll fit around your waist. โThis is actually quite an old-school trick!โ says Davey. โPersonally, Iโve never used it, but Iโve often seen people do it at flea markets. I donโt think itโs particularly effective, but in saying that, if youโre in a pinch and trying to figure out if something fits, my trick is to hold the edges of the pants waist to the edges of your own waist and see how far around it wraps or not.โ
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