Sounds like a dream, doesn't it? A pair of jeans made according to your individual, precise measurements and preferences. Clothing companies are calling it “mass customization” – and it’s a refreshing change for those of us with trouble finding our exact sizes. Not only will you get a flattering pair of jeans, you’ll get them for cheap. For designer jeans, you could easily find yourself forking over about $250, but you can score a pair of customized jeans starting at thirty-three bucks!
The designers of Harryfashion allow you to personalize your own pair at their website (www.makeyourownjeans.com). You choose from two basic styles – “Classic Heavy Denim” and “Crosshatch” – and then enter your measurements at checkout. It will cost you $33 plus shipping and handling.
With Target to a T, Target stores’ answer to the customization craze, you can design your own pair of Mossimo jeans online. Choose the fit, rise, number of pockets, and leg style, enter your measurements (height, weight, bra band size, bra cup size, waist, inseam, and pants size), then pay $36.99 and you’ve got your dream jeans.
Lands’ End also allows you to customize jeans online at their site. You select the color, fit, rise, pocket style, and leg shape. Then you go on to enter your measurements, which are the same as at the Target to a T website with one extra question – your shoe size. You’ll answer a few more questions about your body type, and then pay for your jeans. They start at $54, and $62 for plus sizes.
IC3D, or the Interactive Custom Clothes Company, gets into a bit more detail (believe it or not!) with their customization process. At their site, you choose the fabric, fit, leg style, ankle shape, waistband, number of belt loops, number and types of pockets, type of fly (button, zipper, exposed button, or lace-up), type of rivet, and color of thread. All in all, a pair of jeans from this company will cost you about $90 (but with free shipping if you're in the United States!). Another neat feature about this company is that if you already have the perfect jeans, and can’t find any more like them, IC3D will duplicate them for you.
At a few upscale department stores in the UK, there is a unique customization system called Bodymetrics. For £180, fashion-conscious Brits can have a pair of jeans that are very specific to their body types. When they step into the “3D-Bodyscanner,” sort of like a roomier phone booth, it takes two hundred measurements in about eight seconds. They are then prompted to choose the fit (“skinny” or “comfort”), rise (where the jeans fall on the waist – low, mid, or high), leg (bootleg, straight leg, or drainpipe), and wash (nine different denim looks to choose from). And in two to four weeks, a pair of jeans that the Bodymetrics people boast will be a “perfect fit first time.” Some stores in the US have such a system in place as well, called Intellifit, which is currently being tested.