help with choosing chino size
hey everyone, looking to get some chinos. my waist is 33.4 inch/85cm , i'm looking at some second hand RRL chinos, and when looking at the pants' size chart they have 2 charts for body measurement and the actual product measurement itself. while the body measurement chart says size 33 fits for 33 inch/83.8cm waist and size 34 fits for 34 inch/86.3cm waist, the product measurements say that the the pants themselves at size 31 have a 33inch/83.8cm waist and size 32 has a waist of 34inch/86.3 cm, so I don't know what size to choose. sorry for the convoluted way of asking, i have no idea how to phrase this lol
9 Replies
I'd always go with actual measurements of the garment if they provide them
Yeah, definitely ignore the body measurements.
Here's how I do it when buying used from eBay or buying online without trying on:
- Take detailed measurements of your best fitting pairs of pants.
- Recommend measuring the waist, front rise, back rise, thigh, knee, leg opening, and inseam.
- There are guides online of how to take these "standard" measurements, though different retailers / sellers may have measured with a different technique, so recommend also taking photos of the measurements or saving down exactly how you took the measurements / where on the garment you took the measurements.
- Also recommend taking the measurements of several pairs of your pants, particularly if you have good fitting pairs that vary significantly in stretch/weight/fabric/etc.
- Record all the measurements in a note or doc for future reference.
- If you're certain the eBay item matches an online listing from a retailer, start by looking at the garment dimensions of that new item, if available.
- Even if you can get the new item dimensions, I'd still recommend getting the dimensions of the eBay listing, particularly since fabrics can shrink/stretch/deform as they worn and washed.
- Many sellers put the item dimensions in the description, and some show pics with a measuring tape/ruler.
- If the eBay listing doesn't have the garment dimensions, you can and should ask the seller to take the measurements and let you know the dimensions.
This is the way if buying blind or buying used!
thank you, this is some really helpful advice. does measuring a specific type of pants apply to a different type of pants? (i.e. measuring the waist of a well fitted jeans to know what size woolen flannel or twill pants to get)
i am not sure if pants fabrics differ from one another that much that a specific measurement for each fabric would be needed
It can matter a bit I think since some fabrics stretch more than others. I’ve got the measurements of both a pair of chinos and a pair of jeans recorded in my tracker.
I think material thickness/stiffness is probably more important than the specific style of pants or type of fabric. Like I just bought some heavy 16oz denim jeans that I thought would work great based on garment measurements, but they are about an inch too tight. So if the fabric is especially heavy or stiff, will want to go slightly bigger. If the fabric is especially lightweight or has more stretch than the pair you’ve measured, will want to go slightly down.
But realistically the bigger source of error will be how you’ve measured vs how the seller/store has measured. How tightly they got the garment flat, etc. Not an exact science unfortunately.
Advice I’ve gotten for buying used online is to never buy something that you’re unwilling to take a total loss on. Hopefully will only be like 1 out of 10 things you buy that won’t work at all, but it does happen. Alternately can buy from a seller that accepts returns, though you will lose out on shipping costs.
could you please expand on your last point? my english isn't good so i didn't really understand it
Basically, don't buy something if you are scared that it won't work/fit, and you can't return it.
You lose all your money
Correct
Was trying my best to word it without any English nuance lol
i understood it, thank you for clarifying. it's my first time buying clothes online and i only buy second hand so i don't really have a way to return what i get other than sell it again online, something that i have never done (but probably will if something doesn't or will not fit). also, since it's my first time, i'm not sure if something will fit me even if i follow the body measurements, which is something i'll probably learn through trial and error. in terms of what works and what doesn't, i'm mostly trying to start my wardrobe with basic clothes like chinos and knitwear in simple colors, something that will probably work in many fits.
i'm not rushing to develop my style since i barely know how to style a fit and i don't know what is the meaning of well fitted clothes on my body
ah i understand now
until i'm not sure that something is going to work/fit 100% i should either not buy it or get something that its cost will be lower so i could accept a loss on it (and learn what went wrong in case it doesn't work/fit)