Jeans are the hardest thing to buy online and the easiest thing to get right — once you know the four numbers and two terms that actually matter. This guide covers the fits we stock in the Denim & Jeans collection, how each one is meant to wear, and how to pick your size without a fitting room.

The Four Fits

Skinny / Slim

Skinny jeans hug from hip through ankle with a narrow leg opening (typically 14–15 inches). Our stretch skinny jeans use 1–2% elastane in the weave — that small stretch percentage is what makes a close fit wearable all day instead of a compression experiment. Choose skinny when you want a clean line with sneakers or boots, and size for your true waist: stretch denim should feel snug standing, never cutting.

Straight

The straight leg is the most versatile fit in denim — constant width from knee to hem, a leg opening around 16–17 inches. It works with every shoe ever made and every body, which is why our classic straight fit is the store's best-selling jean. If you own only one pair of jeans, this is the fit to own.

Relaxed

Relaxed fits add room through the thigh and seat with the same or slightly tapered leg. They read casual and are the right call if you have athletic thighs, carry weight in the midsection, or simply hate tight clothes. Pair with a slightly fitted top — an oversized hoodie plus relaxed jeans can swallow your frame.

Athletic Taper

Athletic taper is the fix for the classic problem: thighs that fit but a waist that bags. Room through the thigh, tapered from knee down. If regular straight jeans gap at the back waist and pool at the ankle, this is your fit.

Understand Rise Before You Buy

Rise is the distance from the crotch seam to the top of the waistband, and it determines where jeans sit on your body. Mid-rise (10–11 inches) sits at or just below the navel and suits most people. High-rise (11.5+) sits at the natural waist, elongates legs, and prevents the dreaded back-gap when you sit. Low-rise is a fashion choice — know that going in.

Raw, Selvedge, and Stretch: What the Words Mean

Selvedge refers to the self-finished edge of fabric woven on shuttle looms. It signals a denser, traditionally woven denim that breaks in like leather — stiff for the first week, then molded to you. Our organic selvedge jeans follow that tradition. Expect half an inch of relaxation after a week of wear; buy them snug.

Stretch denim (2% elastane or less) keeps its shape through desk days and commutes and needs no break-in. Vintage-wash refers to the finish, not the fit — a stone-washed indigo that looks worn in from day one.

Getting the Measurements Right

Measure a pair you already love, flat on a table:

  • Waist: across the top of the waistband, doubled
  • Hip: 3 inches below the waistband, doubled
  • Thigh: 2 inches below the crotch seam, doubled
  • Inseam: crotch seam to hem, along the inner seam
  • Leg opening: straight across the hem, doubled

Match those five numbers to the size chart on any product page here and you have removed nearly all the guesswork. When you are between sizes in rigid denim, size down; in stretch denim, size true.

The Break Question

"Break" is how the fabric folds at your shoe. No break (hem at or above the shoe) reads modern and shows off sneakers. Slight break — a single soft fold — is the safest default. Full break stacks on itself and reads relaxed or retro. Unless you are hemming, pick the inseam that gets you slight break with the shoes you wear most: usually 30" inseam for a 5'9"–5'11" frame with sneakers, 32" for boots with a heel.

Care in One Paragraph

Wash jeans inside-out, cold, sparingly — every wash is a little fade and a little fiber loss. Hang dry; the dryer is where denim goes to die. Spot-clean between washes. Follow that and a good pair looks better at year two than at day one. The full routine lives in our fabric care guide.

Stretch vs. Rigid: The Honest Trade-Off

Stretch denim is comfortable from the first wear and keeps its shape through long desk days, but it will never fade the way rigid denim does — the elastane fibers break down over years, and the jeans relax permanently. Rigid selvedge is uncomfortable for a week and then becomes the most personal garment you own, fading to your habits: wallet, phone, bike frame. Neither is better; they are different tools. Commuters and travelers should default to stretch. People who love the break-in ritual should buy rigid and never look back.

One hybrid worth knowing: our athletic taper uses just enough stretch to make the roomier thigh fit work without bagging at the knee — the best of both for muscular builds.

The whole Denim & Jeans collection ships free, tax free, with 30-day exchanges if the fit misses. Measure once, order twice as smart.