judy blue math - how do i know my jeans size?

have you ever been confused by boutique jeans sizing? this post is to help you find your usual odd number size. 

so you may have noticed when you shop for jeans here at rivers & roads boutique that the jeans are sized in odd numbers, like 1, 3, 5 etc. and usually department store jeans come in even numbers like 2, 4, 6. so it can be confusing to know what size to get! well we're here to help. you just need to know a little "judy blue math" as we call it!

here's what you do - if you know your usual women's size for jeans then you would just subtract 1. so if your women's size is usually 4 then your odd number size is 3! if you typically wear a 10 then your odd size is 9! if you are sometimes an 8 and sometimes a 10 then your odd number size would be a 7! easy, right?

now you know your odd number size. BUT wait! you may have heard that you should size down for judy blue! yep, that's right. for lots of judy blue styles, we recommend sizing down (we'll tell you in the description). so if you've determined that your usual odd size is 9 but for a particular style we recommend to size down 1 then you would get a 7 for best fit. sometimes, we'll hedge and say, you can size down 1 if you like them fitted but if you prefer them more relaxed or carry weight in your midsection, stay with your true size. in that case, you will know better how you like your jeans to fit!

and this isn't just for judy blue. whether it's kancan, risen, cello or another brand, you always want to start with your usual odd size and then read our sizing recommendation! sometimes, we may even suggest to size up! but don't worry about the number, we want you to have the best fit possible!

now what about denim plus sizes, you might be thinking! for plus sizes in judy blue, they come in 14w-24w. so if you know your usual department store size is 18 then your boutique size will be 16w. from there you will follow our fit advice. so if we recommend to size down, you'll want to go with 14w. 

but what about size 15 in judy blue? how is it smaller than a 14w? well the answer is - it's judy blue math! a size 15 is not considered plus, so it is smaller than a 14w. the 14w will be curvier and roomier particularly in the hips and thighs even if the waist measurement is similar to the 14w.

now what do you do if you don't know your starting size because you haven't shopped for jeans in a while? well, we provide measurements for lots of our jeans. and if you don't see measurements for a particular style you're interested in - hit us up in the chat down here and let us know what size(s) you think are and we can send those measurements over for you. this would be helpful if you know how to measure yourself for jeans or have a go-to pair that you love that you can compare to.

as always, we're here to help you find the best fit for your next favorite pair of jeans! if you have questions you can leave them below or drop us a note in the chat! we'd love to help you!