Internet Jeans: Find Your Fit
Finding that perfect pair of jeans might just be a simple mouse click away!
Many online retailers are catering to customers who don't have time to spend in a fitting room trying on dozens of jeans. Some of these sites have created online jean advice guides and, in one instance, the ability to design a pair of jeans from scratch.
The Early Show's Debbye Turner decided to give online jean shopping a try, visiting Web sites: Levis.com, Leefit.com, Shopbop.com, and Mejeans.com.
Turner first chose "sit below waist, less slim fit." She chose the size that she normally wears and chose "long" for length. Levis has a size chart to help determine your size if you are really stuck. She chose boot cut 515, which sits right below the waist and has a 9-and-7/8-inch front rise. There were 15 colors to choose from, and these jeans were on sale for $19.98.
Turner loves those jeans. They fit her perfectly.
A second pair of jeans from Levis.com didn't fit; they were too tight. Turner ordered them because she wasn't sure which jean style would work best on her body, so she chose a low-rise, less slim option. Seven options came up for this search, and Turner chose the low flare 542 jeans. She also ordered theml in a size larger than she normally wears, and tried the non-stretch option.
TIP: Consider stretch! Stretch always helps, even if it is one percent Lycra.
The size jean Turner normally wears fit perfectly. The size bigger was too big. She didn't love the color she chose, but was more than satisfied with the fit and price: $34.99.
Again, stretch makes a big difference!
Turner chose the trendy brand "Seven for All Mankind." She had never tried on a pair, so she was curious to see if this brand was worth all the hype. There is a very detailed description of each pair in terms of the rise, inseam, and pockets, but not much on how to figure out your size.
The stretch boot cut and flare jeans came up as three stars, so Turner decided to search for stretch boot cut jeans by pressing the "shop Seven for All Mankind" link. A total of 25 pair of jeans appeared, and Turner had to search through them all. (Some were stretch boot cut; some were not.)
Once Turner had found a pair she liked, she scrolled down in sizes and saw they weren't the typical 2, 3, 6, 8 ,10; they were 26, 27, 28, 29, etc. Confused about what exactly she should be measuring, Turner called customer service. A representative gave Turner a comparison by saying she "is a size 6 and normally orders a 29."
Turner decided to order the site's recommended jeans in three sizes. She ordered the long boot cut stretch in two different sizes. The smaller of the two sizes didn't fit. The larger of the two sizes fit, but was a little long ($132). She ordered regular boot cut stretch in a third size and that fit perfectly ($176). Those are Turner's favorite.
TIP: Turner loved her jeans and got lucky, but for this price, it would be nice to have a size chart to see if the jeans run small or big, and to understand what the number is equal to -- waist or hips. Keep calling customer service until you find someone who can really help you understand the fit.
It took Turner around 45 minutes to collect all the data she needed to order. These jeans normally take four to six weeks to design and send out. Because they wanted to make it on time for Turner's report on The Early Show, Mejeans took her measurements over the phone.
Turner wanted a classic fit, but once the design team saw all of her measurements, they thought slim fit would be better. Turner didn't think that she was a slim fit. The design team sent both options. When the jeans came, Turner was surprised to find that the slim fit was much better. The classic fit was almost falling off. Both fits were a little too big, but Turner thinks that was because her measurements were off a little.
TIP: The designers at this Web site will work with you. Listen to the designers if they have a concern about your measurements, or a design you have chosen. Don't just assume you are specific fit or cut. Turner was very surprised to see that a "slim" fit her better. If you're not certain, call customer service.
If possible, have someone in the room while you're measuring. This Web site is very hands-on, and you have your choice of just about every aspect of the jeans. It's unfortunate that one mistake in measurement could make the jeans too big or small. Having another person to help measure could be very helpful. Mejeans will work with the customer until you find the best fit. Turner is going to stick with the slim fit and send it back to have some alterations made around the waist, and have them shortened, as well.