Vintage denim has been all the rage for multiple seasons – starting with the come-back of Mum Jeans and their butt-hugging qualities. The hunt for the perfect pair is real (and time consuming) but when you find ‘the one’, it’ll be the best long term relationship you’ve ever had.

First and foremost, buying vintage is better for the environment. Fashion is the second most polluting industry – right there behind oil (which I will write a blog post on soon). Buying vintage you’re contributing to sustainable fashion by extending the life of an already produced garment – one less item in the landfill and one less “new” item off the shelf.  

Let’s start first by retracting the term ‘perfect’. The beauty of vintage is that it’s imperfect. Every fit, wash, fade and cut can’t be compared to your new age denim. Over time sizing standards change, brand measurements fluctuate – what once was a 2 is now a 4, a 28 is now 25 – it’s a shit show out there so ignore the size tag all together. It’s lying to you. 

Nothing beats trying on in person. Go to your local vintage store grab a stack and be prepared to break a sweat. My expert advice here is to trust the old eyeball. Hold them up, do they look like potential sausage casing? Vintage is meant to be a relaxed fit so you want some space in there. You can also wrap the waistband around your neck like a necklace and check that the ends overlap. If they don’t they’re def too small. 

If you’re buying online look for the waist and inseam measurements then measure the area of your body where you want them to sit i.e. if you want them higher on your hips you need a long inseam, lower on the hips, you need a larger waist.

Lucky for us there are a number of online sites to help find our match (god, I need to get off the dating apps). As someone who does not particularly enjoy shvitzing in the change room while I grunt my way into 10 different pairs, let me direct you on over to these sites:

RE/DONE

What Goes Around Comes Around

Urban Renewal (Urban Outfitters)

Denim Refinery 

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Vintage Inspired Styles.

I’ve included the below if you just can’t find your size. These pieces are vintage inspired with modern fits.