# Why do Levi Jeans, same brand number, same waist size, same inseam fit so differently? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 27, 2013, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-levi-jeans-same-brand-number-same-waist-size-same-inseam-fit-so-differently/662013 "2013-06-27T06:24:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-levi-jeans-same-brand-number-same-waist-size-same-inseam-fit-so-differently/662013/41 "2013-06-28T22:07:28Z")
Ouch! I’ve learned to keep even the dumbest most trifling receipts. Nothing to do with anything, but years ago there was a little store downtown that stocked nothin’ but pants, you went in and they measured your waist and inseam and gathered what you might want, jeans, or corduroys, and sent you off to the dressing room. It didn’t last long, though. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-levi-jeans-same-brand-number-same-waist-size-same-inseam-fit-so-differently/662013/42 "2013-06-29T00:45:25Z")
> [@GameHat](#): > > It’s a guy thing in that you expect, for a certain brand, a given waist and inseam will fit you. Yes, there are differences - Dockers, for example, fit very differently than Levi’s, because Dockers are typically expected to be worn up to the true waist (at your navel or just a bit below) while Levi’s are typically worn today below the waist (closer to the hips.) But in my case, I’ve gone to a B&M store, tried on a pair of Levi’s, found they fit great. Then I order a few more pairs online, same brand number, same size, and they all fit differently. It’s just sloppy manufacturing. I buy Dockers to wear for work, and I never try them on any more, since they all fit exactly the same. Levis, not so much. I just bought a pair, and the same size was all over the place in different models. And the 505s I bought a few years ago were pretty tight with the same crotch to waist issue mentioned above. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-levi-jeans-same-brand-number-same-waist-size-same-inseam-fit-so-differently/662013/43 "2013-06-29T02:53:23Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > I like(d) the Levis “Authentic Signature” line that Target used to sell. They fit me well and were durable. Alas, the Target stores near me stopped carrying them. So I went online and ordered them from Walmart. I ordered 3 pairs, the same size/style/color that I had before, and every pair was just a little bigger and baggier than the ones from Target. Since I’m a little bigger and baggier myself these days, it worked out okay. But I feel like I’m wearing “mom jeans” now. (not that there’s anything wrong with that) I bought three pairs of Levi’s “Signature” jeans about a year ago. Don’t know if they’re the same as the Target jeans (I got mine at a Canadian Wal-Mart). I tried on one pair in my usual size. That pair fit fine, so, since they were on sale and pretty inexpensive, I grabbed two more off the shelf and bought all three. The other two pairs might as well have been different sizes. They’re not even in the ballpark. Ridiculous. I think I hadn’t realized how much variation there is within a size because for something like twenty years my go-to jeans were Levi’s 501’s, the shrink-to-fit kind. There’s no point in trying them on in the store – you’ve got to buy them a couple of inches over your normal waist/inseam size and wash and dry them a bunch of times before they fit. I think I’m going back to them. They always seemed to end up fitting right, and they lasted for years. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-levi-jeans-same-brand-number-same-waist-size-same-inseam-fit-so-differently/662013/44 "2013-06-29T03:37:32Z")
I switched from Levis to Lee jeans a few years ago and have never looked back. Lee always fit ---
**Author:** ![Sc0undrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Sc0undrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sc0undrel)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-levi-jeans-same-brand-number-same-waist-size-same-inseam-fit-so-differently/662013/45 "2013-06-29T13:49:56Z")
I’ve never had a problem with Levis. But, I’m buy my jeans the old fashioned way; I go to the store and try them on. ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-levi-jeans-same-brand-number-same-waist-size-same-inseam-fit-so-differently/662013/48 "2014-03-13T01:29:41Z")
I ordered two pairs of Levis in the same size but different colors (not black–two shades of lighter blue). One pair was a good two sizes bigger than the other one. I just ordered another pair in the same size, and it was a different size from the other two. I may just have to give up and find a different brand. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-levi-jeans-same-brand-number-same-waist-size-same-inseam-fit-so-differently/662013/49 "2014-03-13T21:08:59Z")
Heavy denim is hard to fold and hard to sew. Add that to the fact that the garment worker is constantly badgered to work faster, and you get variations in size. If you try them on in the store, grabbing 3 consecutive pairs in the same stack, you might find one or two out of three that fits right. It was true 25 years ago, and it’s true today. Today, I get my jeans from Duluth Trading Company. I also learned years ago that _stone-washed_ and _acid-washed_ translate to nearly worn out. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-levi-jeans-same-brand-number-same-waist-size-same-inseam-fit-so-differently/662013/50 "2014-03-15T17:15:24Z")
Mom worked at Levi’s back in the day, and she’s mentioned that they had something like a one-inch allowance either way in their measurements. She only rejected those that were off by more than that. Of course, this was back in the late '70s and early '80s. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-levi-jeans-same-brand-number-same-waist-size-same-inseam-fit-so-differently/662013/51 "2014-03-15T17:26:12Z")
> [@mcgato](#): > > Since then, I make sure that I try on every pair that I purchase. There have been times where one pair fits great, and another doesn’t. It must be common. Shopping with my daughter, she finds pants she likes and wants a second pair in a different color. They didn’t have her size in the color she wanted so she bought a size up and hoped for shrinkage. Both pants fit the same. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-levi-jeans-same-brand-number-same-waist-size-same-inseam-fit-so-differently/662013/52 "2014-03-15T19:11:47Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Human error. Machines can only do so much in the manufacturing process, someone still has to sit at a machine and **sow** the things. I want to know when harvest season is. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-levi-jeans-same-brand-number-same-waist-size-same-inseam-fit-so-differently/662013/53 "2014-03-17T20:41:41Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Mom worked at Levi’s back in the day, and she’s mentioned that they had something like a one-inch allowance either way in their measurements. She only rejected those that were off by more than that. Of course, this was back in the late '70s and early '80s. That was back when they were made in the USA. There used to be several Blue Bell factories in nearby small towns that I know made Wrangler jeans, not sure what other brands they made. They are all gone now. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2014, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-levi-jeans-same-brand-number-same-waist-size-same-inseam-fit-so-differently/662013/54 "2014-04-26T23:58:36Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > You certainly have a charming notion if the precision required at a Chinese garment factory. The cut can vary by more than an inch, all around, on every piece that makes up the pants. A whole inch is huge–it can be the difference between too dorkishly short, or just right. I’m not sure there still exists such a thing as “too long”. And this is the inseam we’re talking about–the longest measurement of the entire garment, in most cases. An inch more or less in the waist area, e.g. the front and back rises, or the waist itself, is unacceptable IMHO. For me that would be the difference between uncomfortably tight versus barely-stays-on-me without a belt. I haven’t bought Levi’s in years, but I’ve found Lucky to be very reliable fit-wise, so much so that I’ve bought several pairs on Ebay. The only caveat is that I do have to ask the seller about the true inseam length, because the “R” lengths can run from 29 to 32 inches or more. As long as I do that, though, I can order with confidence. Otherwise I’d never buy jeans without being able to try them on first, though. ---
**Author:** ![Levi\_s\_Owner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Levi\_s\_Owner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Levi_s_Owner)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2016, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-levi-jeans-same-brand-number-same-waist-size-same-inseam-fit-so-differently/662013/55 "2016-06-20T15:22:23Z")
I have been buying these jeans for decades . I am familiar with this problem . I now ordered my size (online) and found out that it is wider in 1 inch then my own . I bought levis 501 0193 33 32 made in Indonesia .My own is made in guatemala . Of course they don’t ever obligate sell you a specific "made in " pair . Nor they don’t have more then one country at a time . Somebody , please do some order , why some countries and maybe different time in the year have different sizes ? Aloso i thought once that it had to do with the curving on the back pocket . Well it don’t. (Some jeans are more curved in the pattern seams of the back pockets ) ---
**Author:** ![Levi\_s\_Owner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Levi\_s\_Owner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Levi_s_Owner)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2016, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-levi-jeans-same-brand-number-same-waist-size-same-inseam-fit-so-differently/662013/56 "2016-07-10T10:30:40Z")
Apparently my older jeans are made from a thicker fabric and they dont look exactly the same … the threads are more visible in the new one and the color is not exactly the same blue . I think it’s hard to tell according to this picture ( new= right , old= left ) P.s : I having a deja vu that they are making different jeans versions throughout the year ??? ( It’s been a long time since i bought one ) [http://pho.to/ADKlI](http://pho.to/ADKlI) ---
**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-levi-jeans-same-brand-number-same-waist-size-same-inseam-fit-so-differently/662013/57 "2016-07-13T20:01:06Z")
I have worked in the garment industry in the US, both in the cutting room and in the pattern making department. 1/4 inch was considered a tight tolerance, but that was on each side of the pattern, 2 edges times 2 panels will give you that inch of variance. And an inch is a huge amount when it comes to the fit of a garment. How the cloth was spread (laid onto the table) and how much tension it was under affect how much the dimensions might change from the time it was cut until it was sewn together. Ideally you don’t want to stretch the material as you are spreading to avoid this. But spreading sucks and the new guys always have to do it. The cutters can of course follow the pattern very closely or …not so much. ---
**Author:** ![GunnarFranz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/da6949/32.png) [@GunnarFranz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GunnarFranz)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-levi-jeans-same-brand-number-same-waist-size-same-inseam-fit-so-differently/662013/58 "2016-07-18T20:00:18Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Is it a guy thing, to buy jeans you’ve never tried on? I would \*\*\*never \*\*\*buy a pair of jeans I hadn’t tried on, much as I wouldn’t buy a bra I hadn’t tried. And if I did, and then found it didn’t fit, I’d return it. As noted a large percentage of people buy clothing nearly exclusively or exclusively online. I have a nice pair of Momotaros ([www.momotarojeans.net](http://www.momotarojeans.net)) that I researched a bit, but living in Connecticut have nowhere to try on… This holds true for a lot of my clothes, mostly just research online (customer reviews incorporated.) As to OP, different factories = different fit, and often slightly different color. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-levi-jeans-same-brand-number-same-waist-size-same-inseam-fit-so-differently/662013.md?page=2)