You are thin, on a budget and you buy jeans. Where do you shop?

August 19, 2014 8:44 AM

School is approaching and once again I have to find jeans to fit my son. He needs a 28x32. It is possible to find 28" waists at Old Navy and Target, but they are more often than not closer to 30 or 31 inches when you measure them. Where are the the denim trousers that are true to size and are very reasonably priced?
posted by Requiax to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (22 answers total)

Uniqlo?

They're pretty affordable and have the added benefit of being incredibly awesome.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 8:46 AM on August 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

Is he a kid or a teenager? If the latter, do you have a Uniqlo around? I've picked up 28" jeans there for $25 more than once. They were on sale, but they always have jeans on sale.
posted by griphus at 8:47 AM on August 19, 2014

Response by poster: I should have specified, I'm looking for brands I can find in outer suburbia. We are 4 hours away from any major metropolitan city, and he needs to try them on in person. He is 14 and not fashion forward at all. The more boring the better.
posted by Requiax at 8:49 AM on August 19, 2014

Also here's a helpful article on vanity sizing in men's clothes that will save you some time.
posted by griphus at 8:50 AM on August 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

Do you have a Kohl's in your area? They have a large selection of jeans.
posted by sacrifix at 8:57 AM on August 19, 2014 [2 favorites]

H&M if there's one nearby. On the more expensive end of the spectrum, FCUK and Banana Republic tend to cater to more tall and or slender sizes.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 9:00 AM on August 19, 2014

Seconding Kohls. My 30X32 husband can find jeans there; Look out for 2 for 1 sales, which they tend to have. Here's a link with their 28x32s; Levi's tend to be pretty close to true to size, says this board.
posted by damayanti at 9:01 AM on August 19, 2014

Kohl's/Sears/JCPenney should have Levi's in a 28 waist. My brother topped out at a 30x36 in high school and always wore Levi's, and I think before that he was either a 28x34 or 29x34, and it was always a nightmare to find pants long enough to fit him. 32" inseams are a breeze to find in small waists!
posted by jabes at 9:04 AM on August 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

Uniqlo does mail order - they often have free shipping for orders of $50 or more promotions (you usually get free shipping for $75 or more orders).

The key to ordering Uniqlo clothes is to pay attention to the measurements of the garment - click on 'Fit Guide', then scroll down to the 'Clothing Guide' section, which gives you the measurements of the garment itself. For example, the jeans linked to by Admiral Haddock above, the size 28 has a waist that measures 30 inches.

The other option is to hit outlet malls, and just try on all the jeans until you find something that fits your son and also fits your budget. Try out brands such as J. Crew or Banana Republic, which tend to be cut slimmer than brands at lower price points such as Old Navy. Which reminds me, have you checked out the regular (and not outlet) Gap stores? Their clothes are sized a bit less generously than Old Navy.
posted by needled at 9:05 AM on August 19, 2014

Here's what the Gap has in 28x32.
posted by jabes at 9:06 AM on August 19, 2014

Levis!
posted by heathrowga at 9:19 AM on August 19, 2014

Seconding Levis. You can get them on Zappos with free shipping and returns for $40ish. That way you can order several styles to see which works best with his body type/preference.
posted by melissasaurus at 9:27 AM on August 19, 2014 [2 favorites]

Kohls is my joint! (also Boscov's if you happen to be in SE PA or South JErsey)
posted by WeekendJen at 10:04 AM on August 19, 2014

Levis were my go to for this. Sears reliably has the smaller sizes.
posted by fshgrl at 10:15 AM on August 19, 2014

I finally have pants that fit (waist 29 or 30) after my wife got me Levis 518s.
posted by RedOrGreen at 1:33 PM on August 19, 2014

Yes, Levis! My son is similarly sized and we've always, always been able to find Levis at JC Penney, Kohl's, Macy's, etc.
posted by cooker girl at 1:41 PM on August 19, 2014

I always add two inches to the hem for Old Navy and it works like a charm. Every place else, I'm 32X32, and at Old Navy, I buy 32X34.
posted by xingcat at 2:51 PM on August 19, 2014

All the skinny guys i know, including myself when i was really skinny(i'm finally wearing a 33! which feels huge to me, still) loved levis. The slimmer fit ones like 511s and 513s tend to be truer to being actually skinny. 510s are really, really skinny if that doesn't work out. All of those are regularly $30 at pennys if you google some coupons, or even just on random sales.

H&M is a good suggestion too. The gap 1969 "skinny" ones that came in fancy selvedge denim are also properly to size and skinny, and only like $38 online.

I've also had very good luck with j brand, which were the most comfortable skinny-dude jeans i ever owned... but shits expensive, yo. Barneys and other upscale mall stores seem to carry those. Also in that echelon is naked and famous, which actually ended up being too skinny for me by the time i found their awesomeness.
posted by emptythought at 4:20 PM on August 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

Yup, that's skinny, and I know from experience with my son that it's hard to find. You might want to try Lands' End. They have a "skinny" fit and all their jeans have those great interior elastic things that let you size down the waist even more.

$30, and returns are super-easy.

http://www.landsend.com/products/boys-slim-fit-iron-knee-jeans/id_256411#
posted by CruiseSavvy at 4:34 PM on August 19, 2014

Old Navy has jeans with adjustable waistbands and the boys' sizes go up to 18. The pair I linked to is a super skinny fit, but I believe they also have other styles and khakis as well.
posted by Dr. Zira at 6:58 PM on August 19, 2014

If they fit in the waist, but are too long or need to be tapered, take the clothes to a tailor.
posted by oceanjesse at 4:00 AM on August 20, 2014

Response by poster: The boy's size 18s at the Gap and Old Navy are all way too short, he was wearing 18 slims when he was 3" shorter. Kohl's did not have a single pair of 28s in any brand. H&M was interesting. They only had skinnys in 28 and they were baggy in the stomach area and tight on the legs, and required me to go in and rescue the boyo because his feet got stuck when he tried to get them off. Here's hoping Sears has some Levi's in a 28.
posted by Requiax at 3:28 PM on August 24, 2014