Sanforized or not

This chart ought to make things simple. Be sure to find out which category your jeans belong to (Image credits: sooziq.com)

But wait – before you plonk your hard-earned cash on the table – there are more factors to consider:

Before all else, try and determine if the jeans in question is sanforized or unsanforized. Sanfor-what, you say? Sanforized denim is one that’s been pre-washed and thus pre-shrunk by the manufacturers. This means that it will not shrink much when you wash it after months of wear. On the other hand, unsanforized denim will shrink significantly (5-10%) and will definitely affect the fit. You don’t want to end up with a pair of jeans that doesn’t fit after a wash, especially after months of hard work wearing them in.

So get your jeans in one or two larger sizes if they’re unsanforized, and smaller if they’re sanforized. Once you’ve got that out of the way, move on to the other important aspects like the type of cut (straight, slim, tapered), weight of the denim and type of rise.