You know your favorite pair of jeans, how comfortable they
are and how good cool they make you feel?
That’s probably because you’ve had them for quite a while. New jeans, on the other hand (or leg), can be
significantly less pleasant to wear: stiff, bunchy, boxy, and rough. Even those trendy jeans that are made to look
old (pre-paint-splattered and coffee-stained) are far from comfortable without
a personalized break-in period. There is
of course nothing like months of wear to make a pair of jeans truly yours, but
here are some tips to speed up the process.
Beat 'em into shape
A really
nice pair of jeans might come with a label warning you to only wash them by
hand, or with cold water if you must use a machine, and to only let them air
dry. These instructions should be taken
seriously only if you are averse to wearing a comfortable pair of pants. Jeans are not meant to be treated
kindly. They are sturdy, and made to be
take abuse. Start by rolling them up as
tightly as possible. Then unroll them
puling on the fabric as you do so. This
will stretch them out and start softening up the denim. Next turn them inside-out and, with a pair of
scissors, scrape (lightly, you aren’t trying to cut through anything) along the
thigh and knee area. Some cotton fluff
will build-up, which you should gather and throw away. Finally, put them in a hot-water wash and
then throw them in the dryer with other pairs of jeans or other rough pieces of
fabric. This will soften them up even
more. Immediately out of the dryer they
will probably feel tighter and a little rougher than expected, but that is only
due to the tightening of the cotton caused by the heat. In a little while they will be at least twice
as comfy as when you bought them.
Don't forget to wear them
The final
and most important step is, of course, to wear them as much as possible. Oh, and to deny having done any of this
should someone ask how your jeans came to look so comfortable.