How to Measure Inseam
Even though not the central point, trousers can still make a big difference in your dress attire. You need your pants to fit correctly. A huge part of this is knowing how long they need to be. If you don’t want to look like a dingaling, we recommend you to learn how to measure the inseam.
Regardless of your height, today, we are shedding the light on finding the perfect inseam for your body. Don’t you think it’s about time to give up all that cuffing, pleating, and hemming? Our goal is to help you find an impeccable-fitting pair, so let’s get down to business.
What Is an Inseam?
Bespoke tailors use the inseam measurement to refer to the length of trousers. The inseam is taken essentially on the inside length of your pants – starting from the top inseam point and ending up at the bottom inseam point.
The top inseam point is located directly between the legs, at the crotch stitching, while the bottom inseam reached the bottom side of the ankle.
Why Should You Measure the Inseam?
You might not believe this at first, but the wrong inseam can change your whole look for the worse. As it defines the length of your leg, the incorrectly measured inseam will make you appear a lot taller or much shorter than you are.
The goal here is to get a pair of trousers that will fall against the top of your oxfords, monks, derbies, or loafers naturally. It’s not classy to show off any socks when you are standing up, but it would be absurd for a real gentleman to wear pants that would be touching the floor or come close to it.
How to Measure Your Inseam
You can’t find your perfect pair of pants without your inseam number in hand. In this section, we will guide you step-by-step through this process.
Grab your favorite pair of pants. When we say favorite, we mean – the ones that fit your height perfectly. These trousers will help you measure your inseam most accurately as you already know these suit your body type and your bottom best. Lay them on a flat surface.
To achieve the perfect inseam, you should lay one of the pant legs over another so that you can see the back of your pants easily. Folded like this, the crotch will pop out on the side, and this makes a great intro for the measuring part.
Folds and wrinkles around the crotch will take you the wrong way. You want your trousers to almost be pulled taut. Place a finger between the pant legs and smooth out the inner surface.
Measure the distance between the hem and the crotch by using your measuring tape. As you will certainly notice a gap between the tape and the pant leg, it is important to note the tape should make a straight line. You don’t have to measure the curve following the leg shape. Otherwise, you would get an incorrect, significantly shorter measure.
Bonus Tips
Just imagine you are a tailor. What would a tailor do if you went to their studio to measure your inseam? Right, they would write down your measurements. That’s exactly what should do as well.
Make sure you have a notebook and a ruler near at hand.
Use a ruler to mark the place where the top of the inseam begins (at the crotch) if you are not confident about your tailoring skills.
Once you are done with the measuring part, write the measurements down so you avoid buying pants that get scuffed up on the ground.
If you feel like no trousers in your wardrobe suit you like you expect, you can still use any of these for comparison. Too short? Go for one to two inches up. Too long? Go for one to two inches down – it’s that simple.
Summary
Demystifying your body type and finding appropriate apparel can be a challenge. It is almost impossible to make your silhouette appear balanced if your pants are constantly dragging on the floor. That’s why we decided to decode inseams!
No matter which style you like best – odd trousers, chinos, complete suit, business-casual khakis, our tips on how to measure inseam will help you feel much more confident and comfortable in your perfectly fitted trousers.
