How to Know if Pants Fit Without Even Trying Them On

How to know if a pair of pants fit without trying them on is a life lesson that, in a perfect world, we would all learn early enough to save us many visits to the fitting room and/or epic battles with kids reluctant to try on last year’s clothes to see if they still fit.

But really, did you know that you can try on a pair of pants at the neck—yes, the neck—without stripping down?

It’s not magic, or even some big fashion secret. It actually comes from a practical application from Leonardo Da Vinci’s studies on anatomical harmony (i.e. The Vitruvian Man). For example, you can measure your foot using your forearm. It’s true! If you’re flexible enough, you can easily check this by resting the sole of your foot on your arm, with the heel against the inside of your elbow, and you’ll see that your thumb fits perfectly at wrist level. In the same way, even though it seems impossible, your waist circumference should coincide with the perimeter of your neck (multiplied by two). Translation? You can check if a pair of pants fits you in the store without having to take off your clothes.

We’ll break that down—along with some other stylist-approved tricks—below.

How to know if pant fit without trying them on: 5 stylist tricks

1. The Cuff Rule

How many times have you taken your usual pant size to the fitting room, only to go back out for a smaller or larger one. Unfortunately, numbers don’t always correspond to reality, which is why it helps to use this simple seamstress trick: If your forearm, from elbow to closed cuff, fits in the waistband of the pants then it is your size.

This only mean that you’ll fit into them and doesn’t factor in oversized looks, of course, so beware! It doesn’t guarantee that you’ll like the way they fit.

2. The Collar Trick

In the same way, you can tell if a pair of pants is your size when, with the button fastened, you can reach around your neck with the waistband of the pants as if it were a cape or bib. What’s more, you can determine how loose or snug it will fit since the neck measurement corresponds exactly to twice the waist measurement. In low-rise pants, on the other hand, it will be too loose.

3. Compare at the Shoulders How It Will Sit on the Hips

To find out if your pants will be looser or tighter in the hip, thigh, and butt area, you can compare the widest point of the pants with the measurement between your shoulders. Take the pant by the ends, at its widest point, and compare it to the width of your shoulders; if the difference between the fabric and your shoulders is too big, the pants are probably too small. The smaller the difference, the more likely they’ll fit.