fit guide

Jeans Measurements:

Picking the right size is very important. We know from selling thousands of pairs of our jeans that the best way to decide which size to order is to measure your best fitting pair of jeans, without any elastic, spandex or elastane, and compare with our size guide. All of our measurements are pre-wear and pre-wash. Expect our waist to stretch as they break in (raw denim stretches more as it breaks in than washed fabric), and shrink minimally when the pants are washed. Some customers find that our 5 pocket styles to fit a bit tighter than our denim because they don’t all relax the same with break in.

Waist: With the waistband buttoned, lay out your pants flat on a hard surface. Pull the front of the waistband to be perfectly straight and level with the back of the waistband. Measure when the waistband is 100% parallel, pushed flat and pulled taut with the ruler/measuring tape. Measure beyond the seams to get the full fabric measurement. Then multiply this number by two.

Front rise: With the pants still buttoned and flat, measured from the crotch seam to the top edge of the front of the pant.

Thigh (2” down): With the pants still buttoned and flat, measure across the thigh, 2” down from the crotch seam. Multiply this number by two.

Knee (15” down): With the pants still buttoned and flat, measure across the knee, 15” down from the crotch seam. Multiply this number by two.

Cuff opening: With the cuff flat, measure the width and multiply by two

Here's an example

You have a pair of jeans labeled size 30 that fit perfectly. You measure the waist of the pants like in the image to the left and find that actually measure 33" in the waist. Why are they a size 30, why is the waist measuring 33"? It's because many brands use "Vanity Sizing" to make you feel better about your waist size. We use it less than most.

So you have the 33" measurement. Now, let's select your Gustin size. Raw denim will ease about an inch in the waist as it breaks in. The stretching of the waist band typically takes a couple weeks of good wear and only achievable if you are able to button the jeans all the way up. If you're between sizes, we recommend going one size up. In this case, you would choose Gustin size 33. Your jeans will be snug the first time you put them on. After a few weeks, the waist will relax and you will have a pair of jeans you can wear with or without a belt. This is where personal preference comes in, if you are looking for a comfortable fit right out of the bag without the break in process, you might opt for the 34.