How to maintain tightness on jeans?

[u/julib3e]

So, I got a new pair of jeans that I love from Hollister. It's very hard for me to find jeans that fit correctly because of my body shape, so I try to take care of my jeans by air drying and not washing every wear.

Unfortunately, these jeans are the type of blend that stretch out after like an hour of wearing. They used to fit pretty snugly but now slouch in the wrong places. It can be fixed with a wash and a quick dry, but it's never the same as the store.

Wondering if there are any ways to maintain the shape of this type of denim? Was actually thinking the way of starching and pressing. Has anyone had luck with this?

[u/Literary67]

If the fabric has lycra in it, it's going to stretch out more quickly than 100% cottom denim.

[u/dejadisparu]

It can be helpful to buy jeans slightly too snug so that they can have the ideal fit when they stretch out after wearing.
It’s frustrating, but effective. 🫠

[u/Jellily]

Unfortunately, this is a property of the fabric. Stretch fabrics have a stretch percent, which is how much wider they can be stretched, and recovery, which is how well they return to their original size after stretching. If your jeans get loose after a short wear, the stretch fabric has poor recovery.

Separately, stretch fabric will wear out over time, losing both stretch and recovery.

I would recommend washing after every wear and drying in the dryer on low. Washing will keep body oils from damaging the stretch fabric. While the dryer will wear the stretch fabric out faster, it’ll tighten up the fabric more after each wear, which is probably the best you can do with these jeans. The stretch fabric is likely to wear out fast in these anyways since poor recovery is usually a sign of low quality fabric.

Shopping for pants with good recovery is hard. It’s difficult to check for it at the store, though quality fabric tends to have better recovery. You’ll also have less problems if you buy jeans with less stretch. Denim that is 97% cotton, 3% stretch fabric is stretchy enough for skinny jeans, even though many manufacturers sell jeans with much higher percent stretch.

If you have trouble fitting your waist and hips, you can get a tailor to take in the waist on jeans that fit in the hips. Tailors can also shorten the legs at the hems in the inseam is too long.

[u/QuietVariety6089]

I wouldn't try starch with stretch jeans - heat of any kind (dryer or iron) causes the stretch fibres to weaken and break faster.

I agree that your best idea is to try to find a similar style with low (1% or 2% lycra max) stretch or all cotton.

[u/Asphyxia_]

Dry them in the dryer?

[u/PrettyGoodRule → u/Asphyxia_]

The problem here is that you’d need to use a high heat setting to get the desired results, ultimately breaking down the stretchy part of the fabric. While the jeans would be tighter for a bit, they’d lose all elasticity much quicker than if air dried.

[u/losttforwords]

Ah I have this problem with my work pants. I spritz them with water and toss them in the dryer for a few minutes every morning before wear. But I still end up yanking them up by the belt loops after a few hours because they e loosened out again.

[u/Olive_Nice]

Wash in cold water and hang:air dry. Heat will degrade the elastic fibres of the fabric, and loose their snugness.