DU 203: Types of Fits Explained

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By Eric Steffen
Founder / Maker
FITTED Underground

Walk into any denim shop and you'll find a wall of names. Slim. Skinny. Straight. Tapered. Relaxed. Wide. Regular. Classic. Modern. Athletic. Sometimes all from the same brand, sometimes across a dozen different ones. The names are directionally useful — a brand's slim will reliably be slimmer than their own relaxed, and that internal logic holds. But the moment you step outside a single brand's ecosystem, the language breaks down. One maker's slim is another's straight. One brand's relaxed is another's wide. To buy jeans across brands is to learn a new language every time — and the languages don't translate.

There is a better way to think about fit. And we built it in DU 202: Your Perfect Fit.

Every named fit in the denim world — however a brand chooses to label it — is a specific combination of top block proportions and leg taper choices. Once you can read a fit through those components, the names become less important. You can describe what you want in measurements that mean the same thing at FITTED Underground, at a Japanese mill, at a vintage shop in Tokyo. The number doesn't change. The brand's vocabulary does.

This article walks through the classic fits — what they're made of, who they tend to suit, and what they say. It ends with an argument for leaving the naming system behind entirely.

The Components of Any Fit

A quick recap of the framework from DU 202 before we apply it to specific silhouettes.

Every fit is built from two segments: the top block and the leg taper. The top block — waist, hip, front rise, back rise, thigh — is more science than art. The leg taper — thigh, knee, leg opening, inseam — is more art than science.

Within the top block, three variables determine the character of a fit. The first is rise height: where the waistband sits on the body, defined relative to the natural waist — the narrowest point of the torso, roughly an inch above the navel. Low rise sits at or near the hip bone. Mid rise sits at or near the natural waist. High rise sits above it. Note that "mid rise" in contemporary denim marketing has drifted lower than it once was — we use the anatomical definition here rather than the industry convention.

The second variable is proportion: how the waist relates to hip and thigh. A close proportion means the jeans follow the body throughout — snug at waist, snug at hip and thigh. A relaxed proportion means the jeans anchor at the waist and ease below — firm on top, more generous through the seat and leg.

The third is pitch: how much higher the back rise is relative to the front. Most well-made jeans have some pitch built in for coverage and comfort when seated. More pitch can be added through a custom order for those who want it.

Within the leg taper, two variables govern. Width: how much fabric there is in the leg — loose, relaxed, straight, slim, tapered, or skinny. And shape: the relationship between the knee and leg opening. If the knee is wider than the opening, the leg tapers. If the opening is wider than the knee, the leg flares. If they're equal, it's a true straight leg.

Every named fit is a specific combination of top block proportions and leg taper choices. The name is the shorthand. The measurements are the truth.

Every fit below is a combination of these variables. The name is the shorthand. The measurements are the truth.

The Slim Straight

The archetype. The fit the denim world has returned to repeatedly across decades, regardless of what else was happening in fashion. Mid to high rise, gentle hug through waist, hip, and thigh, leg that runs nearly parallel from knee to ankle with a slight natural taper. For a size 34 on a flat lay: knee approximately 9 inches, leg opening approximately 8 inches.

This is the Dean fit at FITTED Underground — named after Dean Street in Brooklyn, with the James Dean double meaning entirely intentional. He wore this silhouette better than anyone, and it's still the right answer for most people most of the time.

Who it suits: most body types with standard waist-to-hip proportions. The safest and most enduring starting point. Reads as intentional without reading as trend-driven. In a fitting, when a client says "I want something that will still look right in ten years," this is almost always where we land. The slim straight is not the exciting answer. It is the correct one.

The Relaxed Straight

Higher rise, wider through the hip and thigh, true straight leg where the knee and leg opening are equal on a flat lay. The jeans anchor firmly at the waist and then ease below — structured on top, more relaxed through the seat and leg. For a size 34: knee and leg opening both approximately 10 inches. Front and back rise approximately 1.5 inches higher than the slim straight. Hip approximately 2 inches wider, thigh approximately 1 inch wider.

This is the Wythe fit at FITTED Underground — named after Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg. The higher rise is what makes it work. Without it, a relaxed fit through the hip and thigh can read as simply too large. With it, the jeans feel intentional — the waist holds, and everything below has room to breathe.

Who it suits: athletic body types who carry more volume through the hip and thigh relative to their waist. Also suits anyone who simply prefers a more generous relationship between the jeans and the body below the waistband. In a fitting, an athletic client who is fighting to close a slim straight across the thigh while the waist gaps is almost always a Wythe client. The proportions tell us before they do.

The proportions tell us before they do. An athletic client fighting to close a slim straight across the thigh while the waist gaps — that's a Wythe client who hasn't met the Wythe yet.

The Tapered

Mid rise, close proportions through the top block similar to the slim straight, but the leg narrows more deliberately from knee to ankle — the leg opening is meaningfully smaller than the knee. For a size 34: knee approximately 8 inches, leg opening approximately 7 inches or less. Sometimes called a carrot fit in European and Japanese markets.

Who it suits: wearers who want visual interest and a modern line in the leg without going fully slim. Works particularly well with boots — the tapered leg tucks cleanly into a shaft without bunching. Reads as considered and contemporary. The tapered leg has been a consistent presence in Japanese raw denim for decades, partly because it pairs well with the chunky boots and workwear silhouettes that dominate that aesthetic.

The Wide / Relaxed Leg

High rise — this is non-negotiable for the silhouette to work — with a wide, generally straight or slightly flared leg from the knee down. Knee and leg opening equal, or the opening wider than the knee. For a size 34: knee 11 inches or above, leg opening matching or exceeding. The top block is typically relaxed as well, with generous room through the hip and thigh to balance the volume of the leg.

Who it suits: wearers who want to make a deliberate statement. The dominant silhouette of the early-to-mid 2020s — a generational pushback against the decade of slim and skinny that preceded it. Younger, less conformist in its associations, comfortable in a way that slim jeans simply are not. When it's done well, with a high rise and the right proportions on top, it's a genuinely beautiful silhouette. When it's done without the rise, it reads as too large rather than intentionally voluminous.

The wide leg is in right now. That's neither a reason to chase it nor a reason to avoid it. If it suits you and you love it, wear it. If you want something that will look right in any decade, the slim straight is still the answer.

The Skinny

Low to mid rise, close through the entire top block, minimal difference between thigh, knee, and leg opening throughout. For a size 34: knee 7 inches or below, leg opening 6 inches or below. The most body-conscious silhouette — it follows the leg closely from hip to ankle and leaves very little to interpretation.

Who it suits: lean frames with minimal difference between waist and hip. Reads as fashion-forward, punk in its origins, resistant to easy classification. The skinny jean has been declared dead with remarkable regularity since approximately 2015 and continues to be worn, with full commitment, by exactly the people who were always going to wear it. It is not for everyone. For the people it is for, it is entirely for them.

The Bootcut

Mid rise, straight through the top block, with a slight flare from the knee down — enough to accommodate a boot shaft comfortably, with the leg opening wider than the knee but not dramatically so. The defining American workwear and Western silhouette, and the dominant fit in mainstream denim from the mid-1990s through the mid-2000s.

Less prominent in raw selvedge culture than in mainstream denim, but worth understanding — particularly for anyone who wears boots regularly. The slight flare at the ankle provides visual balance that a straight or tapered leg worn over a boot cannot replicate. A classic that has its place, even if that place is not at the center of the raw denim world.

Fits and Body Types — The Bell Curve

Every body is different. The fits above are points on a spectrum, not prescriptions — and the spectrum exists precisely because bodies don't conform to a single shape.

In a fitting at FITTED Underground, the top block conversation starts with proportions. This is the science part. An athletic body type — wider hip and thigh relative to waist — typically needs more room below the waistband even at a standard waist size. The Wythe tends to be the right starting point. A body with more standard proportions between waist and hip can usually go straight to the Dean. A leaner frame with a close waist-to-hip ratio has the most options and can wear almost any silhouette well.

The leg taper conversation is different. It starts with how the client wants to feel and what they want to express. This is the art part, and clients usually know more than they think they do. Someone who says "classic, something that'll still work in a decade" is pointing toward a slim or relaxed straight. Someone who says "I don't want to look like everyone else" might be pointing toward wide or skinny. Someone who says "I just want to be comfortable" is probably a Wythe client who hasn't met the Wythe yet.

A loose leg is, in this moment, a generational statement — a signal that you're not bound by the previous decade's rules. A classic tapered or slim leg says that you're making a deliberate and considered choice. A skinny leg is still punk, still its own thing, still resistant to easy categorization. None of these is wrong. All of them say something. The leg is yours to choose.

The Case for Measurements

Here is the fundamental problem with the naming system: it isn't a system. A size 34 slim at one brand is a size 36 straight at another. "Relaxed" at one maker is "wide" at the next. There is no standardization, no shared definition, no governing body that has decided what these words mean. The name on the label is directionally useful within a single brand's range — but the moment you step outside that range, you're learning a new language.

Measurements don't have this problem. A 17-inch waist on a flat lay is a 17-inch waist on a flat lay — at FITTED Underground, at a Japanese mill, at a vintage shop in Tokyo, at any maker anywhere in the world. The measurement doesn't change. Once you know your eight measurements and understand what they do, you are liberated from the naming system entirely. You can describe exactly what you want in numbers that mean the same thing everywhere.

A 17-inch waist on a flat lay is a 17-inch waist anywhere in the world. Once you know your eight measurements, you're liberated from every brand's naming system — permanently.

This is why FITTED Underground builds custom jeans from measurements rather than sizes. When a client comes in for a fitting, we don't ask what size they wear. We ask what they want, and then we build the measurements that produce it. Those measurements go on file. Every future order — custom size or bespoke — starts from that foundation. The size label on the finished garment exists because convention requires it. The measurements are what actually matter.

Every fit described in this article can be built to your exact measurements. The Dean. The Wythe. A tapered leg on a high rise. A relaxed top block with a slim straight leg. Any combination of the variables described above. That's what a custom size order at FITTED Underground is: your fit, in your measurements, built in Brooklyn. Book a fitting or explore custom size options here.

What Comes Next

You now know what you want in a pair of jeans and how to describe it. The next practical question is what it should cost — and what the price of a well-made pair actually reflects. That's DU 204: How Much Should You Spend on Raw Denim?

← Previous: DU 202 — Your Perfect Fit  |  Next: DU 204 — How Much Should You Spend on Raw Denim? →

Further Reading

• Wide Leg Raw Selvedge Denim Jeans: A Buyer's Guide — Heddels
• A Bespoke Tailor Explains How Trousers Should Fit — Put This On
• Men's Jeans Fit Guide: Find Jeans for Your Body Type — Denim Hunters

Eric Steffen is the founder of FITTED Underground, a custom jeans and raw denim workshop at 108 Bayard Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He has been making jeans by hand since 2014. Denim University is his attempt to share everything he's learned — about the history, the craft, and the culture behind the world's most enduring garment.