Relaxed denim earns its name sitting down, not standing in front of a mirror.

A relaxed jean is not simply a bigger jean. It is room placed in particular spots and held back in others. When the room lands in the right places, the pair looks easy and deliberate. When it lands everywhere, it looks borrowed.

The Waist Stays Close

The waistband should sit where the rise puts it without a belt doing all the work. About two fingers of space between the waistband and your body is right. More than that and the back of the waist gapes when you sit, which no amount of room elsewhere can make up for.

The Seat and Thigh Take the Room

This is where a relaxed cut earns its name. Sit down, cross your legs, pull a knee toward your chest. There should be no tight lines pulling across the lap and no pressure at the top of the thigh. If a pair passes that test on a couch, it will pass it everywhere else.

The Knee Is Where Relaxed and Baggy Part Ways

Below the thigh, a relaxed leg continues in a steady line past the knee. A baggy leg collapses into folds there because there is more fabric than the leg can hold up. Stand in front of a mirror and look at the knee from the side: a smooth column is relaxed, rippling fabric is a size or a cut too large.

The Leg Opening Falls to the Shoe

A relaxed straight leg should drop to the top of your shoe without tapering in or flaring out. If the length is a little long, a single neat cuff keeps the hem off the ground and suits the era the cut comes from. A stack of loose folds over the shoe usually means the inseam is too long for you.

Why Sizing Up Is Usually the Wrong Fix

Going up a size to get more room through the thigh also loosens the waist and drops the rise, which moves the whole outline in the wrong direction. Stay in your waist size and choose a cut built with the room already in the right places. Sizing questions we hear often are answered on our FAQs page.

Thank you for shopping with us, and for wearing something you can settle into.