Putting on a pair of perfectly snug jeans that hit your waist just right is pure bliss. Putting on a pair of jeans that are, uh, *too* snug and start to dig into your sides? Not so much. We’ve all had that same experience of pants getting a tad smaller when you take them fresh out of the dryer—especially if they have some elastane in them.
(If you're interested in .) Making them bigger is a whole other game, but it is doable, and there are lots of ways you can go about it. Some can be more time-intensive than others, but if you don’t want to give up on your jeans just yet, these tips can be worth it! Whether the waistband is too tight or your thighs feel claustrophobic, we talked to some denim experts to help you get some extra breathing room.
And who are the experts you ask? We tapped Jill Guenza, Global VP of Women’s Design at ; Jennifer Kim, Senior Design Director at ; Christine Chung, President of Sales and Marketing at ; Sixuan Li, founder and CEO of . Read on for their advice, and fingers crossed your journey to perfect-fitting jeans is a successful one. “Fill a spray bottle with lukewarm water and spray the area you want to stretch out by either wearing them or gently pulling the area with your hands,” says AG Senior Design Director, Jennifer Kim.
The key here is spraying both sides of the fabric—i.e., the inside and outside—for maximum stretch.
Don’t have a spray bottle handy? Try steaming them. Jill Guenza, Global VP of Women’s Design at Levi’s .
