Urgent Question in Need of Answers!

[juu_b]

The Search Function has been down all week!! but i really need an answer to this question, very sorry if its repetitive and i can find it with the search function : (

Question: Do Rock and Republics shrink in the dryer?

The reason im asking is i bought my sister a pair and they are a size too big, but i cant return them! so i was hoping i could shrink them in the dryer, but before i do so, i want to make sure i can, just in case i decide to sell them.

Question 2: Can i bring them to a tailor to get them taken in at the waist and the thighs? Is this possible?

Rock and Republic noobie here in need of help from the pros!!

TIA!!!

 

[MichelleD]

All denim regardless of the designer will shrink in the dryer. However, I personally wouldn't stick a pair of $200+ jeans in the dryer. If they are that big, they probably wouldn't shrink enough anyway and it would probably only be temporary at best. Even jeans that fit properly loosen up the longer you have them on with all the sitting and standing.

Take the jeans to be professionally altered. Almost every pair of pants I own have been altered in the waist. The thighs I've never had done but I'm sure it's doable.

Good luck!!

 

[mooks]

I wouldn't put jeans in the dryer....TBH in the UK we really don't use dryers much at all

But to answer your question, they may shrink a little but will bounce back once they've been worn and if they are stretch jeans they won't shrink at all

 

[True Religion]

I have been told by denim mavens (or people who have as much experience with denim short of actually being in the industry) that if you intentionally shrink jeans by putting them in the hot dryer the first time you wash them, they'll never stretch out to be as large as they would had you not actually hot-dried them. In other words - they'll shrink a tiny bit permanently.

However, the dryer does damage jeans a little, as the stretch fabric doesn't really enjoy high temperatures too much.

You could do the 'hot-shrink' method - wash the jeans in hot water, transfer directly to dryer and dry using the hottest method possible. This will probably get jeans down .5-1 full size.

Otherwise, a tailor can definitely take a pair of jeans in a full size. It's not that difficult to do but might cost you a bit ($30-40 US?)

 

[quilter]

R&Rs CAN and did in my case shrink a little..and yes, a tailor can easily take in thigh and hips on jeans..if you sew (or your Mum does) it is fairly easy to do it yourself..put them on inside out to pin to your fit.

 

[margaritas]

I have been told by denim mavens (or people who have as much experience with denim short of actually being in the industry) that if you intentionally shrink jeans by putting them in the hot dryer the first time you wash them, they'll never stretch out to be as large as they would had you not actually hot-dried them. In other words - they'll shrink a tiny bit permanently.

However, the dryer does damage jeans a little, as the stretch fabric doesn't really enjoy high temperatures too much.

You could do the 'hot-shrink' method - wash the jeans in hot water, transfer directly to dryer and dry using the hottest method possible. This will probably get jeans down .5-1 full size.

Otherwise, a tailor can definitely take a pair of jeans in a full size. It's not that difficult to do but might cost you a bit ($30-40 US?)

Great tip, thanks for sharing!

 

[loserxstar]

None of my R&R's (I have around 80+ pairs if R&R, 200+ pairs of jeans) have shrank considerably in the dryer. If they shrink, they always stretch back out. I don't really see a problem putting your jeans in the dryer, as long as you are comfortable with it. Over time, heat breaks down the lycra in jeans, making them less elastic and even more likely to stretch out. However, many R&R's are not made with elastic. Check the fabric content on your jeans. Anyways, if you can't exchange them, you can take them to a tailor and alter the waist and thighs. However, the waist alterations (in my opinion) are usually noticeable, and they look really bad if you try to take them in more than 1 size. Also, if you decide to sell your jeans later, any type of alteration decreases their resale value a lot, ESPECIALLY irremovable waist and thigh alterations. If you are lucky, you might be able to find a tailor who will not snip the extra fabric, but instead just leave it hanging on the inside. that way, if you decide to sell them in the future, you can let the alterations out and their resale value will be much better.

As for washing the jeans in hot water to shrink them, using the boiling method has not been known to work very well on R&R's, although many people have been sucessful using it on other brands.

Hope this helps!

 

[juu_b]

thanks alot for the tips!!
im going to stick them in the dryer only once
and hopefully they shrink a little before i actually get them taken in
and i will ask for the extra fabric be left hanging

 

[sonya]

All jeans shrink a little in the dryer (because cotton and lycra all shrink). I've wash my R&Rs and they came out fine.

 

[cakegirl]

My Rock and republics shrunk sooo much=at least 4 inches in length over the course of the year-I had to give them away.
I would suggest not drying them-just alter to fit.

 

[loserxstar]

what cut/wash are they? the super old ones (IMO) are more likely to shrink and not stretch back out