How to Measure Yourself For Jeans

Before you start shopping for jeans online, you're going to want to take five crucial measurements. This generally isn't necessary when you're buying jeans in person, since you can just try the jeans on and check yourself out in the mirror, but it's very important for online buying. So grab some measuring tape, and start taking your measurements. As you're doing so, keep the tape a little loose, but not too loose. It definitely helps if you have a friend who can help you.

1. Upper waist: Measure around the smallest portion of your waist. Although it's higher than you're going to wear your jeans, this is the figure that determines most waist measurements. So, be careful not to hold the measuring tape lower, or you may end up with loose-waisted jeans.

2. Lower waist: Think about where high-rise and low-rise jeans fit around your waist, and place the measuring tape exactly in between them. It should be just below the pointy part of your hip.

3. Bottom width: Wrap the measuring tape around the widest portion of your hips. For most women, this portion should be a few inches wider than the lower waist, but it varies.

4. Thigh width: Wrap the measuring tape around the widest portion of one of your thighs.

5. Inseam length: Use a pair of jeans that you feel fits you perfectly, and lay it out on a flat service. Measure between the seam of the crotch and the bottom of the cuff.

When it comes to actually buying your jeans, it's always a good idea to add one inch to each of the measurements offered on jean sites..

Sizing Chart - Most sites offer them

Once you start shopping, you'll notice that different companies and sellers use different types of sizing structures that you may not typically see in your local department stores. It may take a little time to get used to making the conversions between different sizing systems, but here are the basics:

It's usually pretty easy to figure out the type of sizing that a website uses. If it's an American company, then it's probably based on U.S. sizes. The same goes for sizes from the U.K, France, or other European countries. Just look at the site's origin.

Things get a little more complicated when you start dealing with different waist sizes. It's particularly challenging when the descriptions of a pair of jeans doesn't specifically state that they are either high-rise or low-rise, so you may have to make a guess based on the picture and the sizes offered. Just assume that the listed sizes apply to regular the regular waist size unless the website states otherwise. If the lowest size is a 24, then you're most likely looking a pair of regular-waist jeans.