Jeans too short? Stretch them!
August 4th, 2008I could scarcely believe it, but it’s true. Nordstrom can add an inch or two to the length of your jeans by using a heat stretching process. The alterations department uses heavy duty heat presses to make the elastic component of the denim pliable. The process is continued until the desired vertical stretch is achieved.
The jeans must have an elastic component – the process won’t work on 100% cotton jeans. After lengthening, you can wash, air dry and press as normal. But you’ll undo the stretch if you machine dry.
This might be your answer to perfect pant lengths, especially if you wear heels with bootcuts. Sometimes an extra one or two inches does the trick on a petites, or regular length pair of jeans that’s a tad too short. Tall girls, this trick is fabulous for you.
My friend Stephanie has just had her Seven’s stretched two inches and she’s thrilled. Thanks for sharing this information with us, Stephanie. May this be the end of your “short jeans dilemma”. Brilliant! What would we do without Nordstrom?
August 4th, 2008 at 7:59 am
Gotta LOVE Nordstroms!
August 4th, 2008 at 8:24 am
Angie…between premium denim and this new stretching info, my pants life may have been forever altered!!!
I’ve actually been worrying about sending back my 2″ heel booties from NAS, because the longest inseam I’ve seen on premium denim is 35″ and that just gets me PPL for flats. Send a big thank you to your friend Stephanie from an extremely pleased 6 footer! 
August 4th, 2008 at 8:33 am
Angie…This juicy tidbit had definately started the day off on a positive note! I love all the tips!
August 4th, 2008 at 9:41 am
WOW. What a life-saver! Especially for someone like me who is notorious for accidentally plunking favorite jeans into the dreaded Hot Dryer. Thanks for another amazing tip!
August 4th, 2008 at 9:44 am
You are welcome, Taffy. I was thrilled, myself. I only found out about it because I went to Nordstrom to return that pair of Sevens because once I got home and tried them on with various shoes I realized that they were only PPL in bare feet! The salesperson suggested the stretching and had alterations do the (free) stretching immediately. This definitely has widened my premium denim horizons. I’m 6′2″ and love it when summer comes around so I can wear shorts and not deal with pant lengths!
August 4th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Wonder if this effect could be duplicated at home somehow?
August 4th, 2008 at 10:51 am
I doubt it Pam. I’ve tried!
August 4th, 2008 at 11:14 am
Wow, that sounds amazing. Do they do it to any jeans or only ones purchased at Nordies?
August 4th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
I had to laugh out loud at this “…you can wash, air dry and press as normal.” I moved away from cotten blouses and linen anything because I pull out the iron 2x a year!
August 4th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
This is interesting! Does the heat damage the spandex at all? Where can I find out more about this? I’m long waisted, so I’d love to see if this process can be done to dresses or shirts.
August 5th, 2008 at 6:31 am
Oops! I’ve already given away all my short jeans! But this is good to know. I seem to always find jeans that fit well but that are 2″-3″ too short. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to dry your jeans in the dryer if you have an Air Dry setting on it, so that there is no heat involved. I’ve been drying mine this way since I got my new dryer and so far, no disasters.
August 5th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
At first I thought this might be the miracle I’ve been searching for, but several bothersome questions have been bobbing around in my brain:
1) If we aren’t supposed to wash or dry jeans with heat because it damages the spandex–how can heavy duty heat presses not cause damage?
2) If the fabric is elongated, will the width be compromised?
I called my dry cleaner to see if they do heat press stretching. I’m waiting for an answer.
Stephanie, I’m curious to know more. How are your jeans holding up after the procedure? Was the width smaller?
Thanks!
August 6th, 2008 at 6:27 am
Yesterday I accidentally stretched a pair of new jeans so much that I’ll have to wash them again in order to wear them. I’d tumbled them in the dryer with no heat and hung them wet to dry with a man’s wooden clip pant hanger. As usual, I clipped another hanger to the bottom of each leg to let the weight help pull out the wrinkles. For more wrinkle-free drying I added a very heavy man’s wooden suit hanger to each leg. When dry the jeans are about 4 inches longer but not narrower. I looked at the tag and they are 6% spandex, probably the source of the problem. You might be able to stretch your jeans some at home if the fabric includes spandex.
August 7th, 2008 at 8:06 am
Thanks for the tip! I don’t have any jeans that I need shorter right now, but I can see this problem coming up in the future.
Am I the only person that dries my jeans in the dryer? It helps me shrink them back down to size after wearing them.
August 7th, 2008 at 8:54 am
Do not dry your jeans in the dryer if they contain a spandex content. The elastic fibers relax but do not contract back again causing major “growing”. You’ll ruin your jeans, and virtually everything else in the tumble dryer. I do not encourage tumble drying.
August 7th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Joey,
It doesn’t seem as if the width changed at all. I also wondered about whether the process would negatively affect the denim but there is no way to tell but to wait! I’ve only worn the jeans one day since the stretching since we’ve had 85 degree days here in Seattle and our home is not air-conditioned. I’ll keep you all posted!
Stephanie