The average man is five-foot-nine and wears a size medium or large. If this sounds like you, then congratulations – you’ve hit the jackpot in denim shopping, and all jeans are essentially made for you.

Brands and designers base their sizing on a man of average dimensions, then scale up or down. Of course, for those that don’t fit these exact specifications, shopping for jeans can be just as tricky as buying tailoring.

Fortunately, there is a checklist for different shapes that, if followed, means you can update your denim rotation with ease and tailor your purchase to your body. This is the FashionBeans guide to buying jeans that suit, whatever your size.

The Basics

For all body types, the four corners of nailing denim purchases are: rise, color, shape and break.

Before even stepping foot into a shop, it’s important to do some homework. Getting the right inseam measurement forms the basis for all jean choices thereon.

Unless you’re a yoga master, however, it’s a difficult measurement to take yourself. For around £10, dry cleaners or high-street tailors should be able to help, allowing you to tackle the rails knowing you’re not going to end up with flipper feet or pedal pushers.

While shopping, pay attention to the rise (the distance from the crotch seam to the top of the waistband) as much as the length. Both are equally important in getting denim that fits well, but length can be altered easily – the rise cannot.

Ensure that the original hem is kept; otherwise, it will look as though the jeans have just ended abruptly. Not doing so can also change the overall fit. Shortening denim results in a wider leg opening, so learn the terminology and request an original hem rather than a tucked hem.

Shorter Men

If you’re below average height, the perfect pair of jeans will make your frame appear taller than it is. However, thanks to brands’ generic one-shape-fits-all attitude, a shortening effect can just as easily occur.