Range of Motion for Jeans
An odd title, but recently I've been trying to get a new pair of selvedge denim jeans. For a few years I had a pair of Edwin's Made in Japan range in a tapered fit and really liked the fit, but they're starting to really wear and are developing a lot of holes now. I'd like to try one of the other denim brands for some variety rather than just getting another pair of the same, but I'm having some trouble understanding what the ideal fit is. Obviously I want them to actually be comfortable etc, but what kind of ROM should I be looking for?
I tried on a pair of Freenote Cloth Portolas for example and think they were more or less decent, except it felt like the crotch was being pulled somewhat aggressively when I do things like take a knee to tie my shoelaces. It's hard to give an exact answer to these things but are there any 'tests' you can do when trying on a pair to be sure that they'll actually be comfortable in the long run and you won't blow the crotch or something a few months down the line (e.g. always make sure you can take two stairs at once comfortable or something?).
4 Replies
You're going to want to look for a ISO 501XX certified fit to make sure it meets a standard range of motion criteria determined by a panel of experts to be required for the daily lives of denimheads. These includes taking two stairs at a time and getting up from your desk every two hours to do some light stretches
Jokes aside, this is going to be highly dependent on your lifestyle and preferred pants fit. Trying out things you would normally do in your pants while trying on a new pair sounds like a great idea. That should give you all the info you need. We're currently in an era of less slim fitting pants so I'd say: don't get pants that feel constricting in any way and enjoy your full range of motion
To add to what stmn has said this will be highly dependent on fit around the thighs and hips, having room in the thigh and hips for the jeans to move when you move is the biggest thing I found personally for having good range of motion and not feeling restricted
Thanks for the tips guys. I think my problem has been trying to get stuff that's too small. That sounds obvious but I think I've been a bit taken in by people saying you need to get really tight fitting stuff that will stretch to fit, but whenever I try it's just uncomfortable, not really leaving any room for weight gain either when I think about it.
Yeah do not do that
That’s outdated advice from the slim fit era
Just get pants that feel comfortable and remember that belts are good and beautiful