MTailor Jeans Review: Are Custom Pants For You?9 min read

MTailor started off with custom shirts, and have since branched off into suits, blazers, chinos, shorts, t-shirts and finally jeans, which is what this review is all about.

I bet you’re wondering, are MTailor jeans any good?

Well, let’s find out.

For a little background, I reviewed their custom shirts a little while ago and so I have some experience with them already, but I never tried MTailor jeans until now.

This review is going to touch on the following:

• What I look for in a pair of jeans
• Customization options
• How the jeans fit, look, and feel
• Jeans details and construction
• Pros & cons

MTAILOR CUSTOM JEANS REVIEW

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If you want to learn more about MTailor’s background and the measurement process, head over to my original MTailor review of their custom shirts.

Now on with the custom jeans review.

3 THINGS I LOOK FOR IN A PAIR OF JEANS

Before I talk about my MTailor jeans experience, It’s important that you know what you like about your favorite pair of jeans.

Here are the things that I look out for.

FIRST: Comfort & Fit

For me, first and foremost is comfort and fit of the jeans. If the jeans are uncomfortably restricting with zero stretch with an awkward pants rise then it’s a no-go for me. The beauty of going custom is that more than likely (ideally), you’ll come out with a perfect fitting pair of jeans.

SECOND: Quality & Construction

Secondly, I look for the quality and how the jeans feel. Is the fabric soft to the touch or a rougher material? How does the fabric hold up overtime? Do the jeans fade or do they tear easily? All of these factors determine’s the jean quality ranking.

THIRD: Aesthetics

Finally the aesthetic and look of the jeans matter as well. Are they fitted through the waist and thighs all the way down to the ankle? Is there a generous taper towards the ankle for a ‘just right’ ankle opening?

BEST JEANS BRANDS FOR MEN

Finally, here’s a list of Gentleman Within’s best jeans brands for men.

• Banana Republic Slim Traveler Jean
• Levi’s 511 & 512 Slim Fit Jeans
• Everlane Slim Fit Jeans & Performance Jeans
• American Eagle AirFlex Slim Fit Jean
• Mott & Bow Slim Jeans Collection
• Uniqlo Blue Slim Fit Jeans
• Express Slim Hyper Stretch Jeans
• Gap Selvedge Slim Jeans with GapFlex
• Unbranded Tapered Indigo Selvedge Jean
• Amazon Essentials Slim Fit Stretch Jean
• Bonobos Stretch Lightweight Jeans
• J.Crew 484 Slim Fit Jeans

JEANS CUSTOMIZATION OPTIONS

Since this was my second go-round with MTailor, they already had my measurements saved and ready to go. All I had to do was choose my customization options, add the jeans to cart and purchase. It’s a super simple process.

Options are pretty limited which is perfect for guys who suffer from analysis paralysis when it comes to having too much to choose from.

Jean Thread Color

There are six different thread colors to choose from. I opted for blue stitching over the brown for a more discreet look. I feel that the brown thread would have too much contrast against the blue shade.

Jean Cut

With three options to choose from, there’s a style here for everyone.

• Straight – The safe choice; everyday style for the everyday man
• Tapered – For the more fashion forward; men who like a slim, streamlined aesthetic
• Bootcut – For traditionalists; those who seek a looser, rugged fit

Monogram

I’m not the type to monogram my jeans, but hey, to each his own. If that’s your thing, MTailor offers 1-3 letters — either on the front right pocket or back left — in a blue, gray or white, block or script font.

BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT THE FIT

If you’re like me and you’re very particular about the way that your jeans fit, then you’ll want to reach out to MTailor customer support and specify your measurements, I’m talking exact numbers, so that they can update your measurement profile on the website before placing your order.

I think that they’re so confident with their algorithm (the one that’s supposed to be 20% more accurate than a professional tailor), that they don’t allow for users to update their existing profile which is ridiculous in my opinion.

I don’t care how accurate the algorithm is touted as. To me, custom means that the user is able to customize his measurements. I get that they want to make things easier for the user, but again for those more particular about their fit, there’s a slim chance MTailor is going to nail it on the first pass.

Just to make sure, I reached out to customer support before ordering my jeans and it turns out that the outseam was a good 2 inches longer than my personal preference and the leg opening was also a little wider than I prefer. Doing this in advance, I felt confident MTailor would nail the fit in the first round.

Boy was in for a surprise.

Quick note: If you’re enjoying this MTailor jeans review, then you’ll probably like this Mott & Bow jeans review and Everlane jeans review too.

SO HOW DO MY MTAILOR JEANS FIT?

I probably should have specified measurements beyond my outseam and leg opening, but I trusted the algorithm to work its magic.

And based on the results of my custom shirt a while back, I had a feeling we’d have a second round, while hoping we’d nail it in one pass.

It turns out that the first round was atrocious. If I’m being honest, the algorithm completely botched the fit of these jeans. It was like they were crafted for someone with twig legs and tree trunk thighs.

Here’s how the jeans fare both before and after the initial round.

Waist Before & After

In the first round, the jeans waist was a good 2-3 sizes too large. I felt like I was in an “after” ad for weight watchers.

In the second round, however, the waist was pretty much a perfect fit. They are fitted enough that they don’t begin to sag when I wear them without a belt.

Seat Before & After

The seat which is the area around your butt is entirely too baggy in the first round. It looks as if I’m wearing grandpa jeans. Not only is there too much room in the seat, but it extends down through the thighs. There’s entirely too much fabric. I haven’t worn jeans like this since elementary-middle school when baggy jeans were on trend.

In the second round, the jeans are fitted and snug, yet not butt hugging either, just the way I prefer. It’s noticeably slim fit now or even skinny fit as there’s no excess fabric remaining. It looks the way some of my better fitting jeans do.

Outseam Before & After

The inseam or outseam (the measurement MTailor uses) was spot on with the first pass. I’d be surprised if it wasn’t considering I provided them the exact number by measuring the outseam of my ideal jeans.

Leg Opening Before & After

Again the leg opening was just about right the first time around, although it could probably go in an eighth or quarter of an inch. I provided the exact leg opening measurement and so it’s hard to get it wrong.

Notice the slight taper from the thighs all the way down to the leg opening which makes for a clean and streamlined silhouette.

Quick note: If you’re enjoying this article in review of MTailor custom jeans, then you’ll probably find my other writing on all things men’s style useful. Each week, I share updates, style tips and other things not shared on the blog through my free email newsletter.

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A FEW CLOSING WORDS ON THE FIT

All in all, MTailor nailed the fit with the second round. As bad as it was after the first, it’s that much better with the final result.

Communication is important and for the second round I was vocal about what I didn’t like about the first round fit and what needed to be done to fix it. I know what I like and how I like it and so if I heard something I didn’t like, I pushed back.

In the end, if you know what you want, don’t be afraid to give instruction because you know your body best and how you like your clothing to fit. If, however, you aren’t really sure, trust in their guidance and hope that they can deliver.

AND HOW DO THE JEANS LOOK & FEEL?

First round aside, the jeans look and feel great.

The classic blue wash is as advertised and look in real life like they do in pictures. The reason I chose this lighter shade of blue is because I already have so many pairs of dark wash, mid-wash, light wash and even white jeans. I’ve been gravitating towards this dad jean aesthetic of late except I still prefer a slim fit most of the time.

For the feel, what makes certain jeans so comfortable is the amount of stretch. The more the better, well as long as they’re not jeggings. MTailor jeans have more than enough stretch with 2% elastane which I’ve found to be the most comfortable. The fabric isn’t soft nor is it rough, it’s somewhere in the middle.

JEANS DETAILS & CONSTRUCTION

On the MTailor website, there isn’t much detail on the jeans except that they’re 98% cotton, 2% elastane with a weight of 11.5 oz. The lower the number the softer and more flexible the denim is. 10.5 oz-12.5 oz is considered mid-weight. According to Levi’s Denim Dictionary, denim is typically woven in weights ranging from 4 to 15 oz.

The jeans aren’t thick by any means, in fact they’re on the thinner side compared to other jeans I own. And the 2% elastane is an ideal number for a jeans stretch in my opinion. It’s not overly stretchy like jeggings and provides more than enough allowance for moving around comfortably.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Coming in at $79-$119, I’d say MTailor prices are on the pricey side and a bit more than the average guy is willing to spend. But since it’s custom and there’s promise of a perfect fit makes it more worthwhile.

The website says that jeans get delivered in 2 weeks to the US with free shipping. Not sure what happened with my order, it took well over a month.

In the end, I’d say MTailor jeans are worth checking out, especially if you have trouble finding the right fit off the rack.

Finally, if you’re a curious about how to make jeans waist smaller, this guide may help.

Here are a list of pros and cons as you make your decision whether or not MTailor jeans are for you:

PROS:

• MTailor works with you until the fit is perfect
• Customer support responsive and helpful
• Quality finished product with a solid fit
• Free shipping, you keep what doesn’t fit
• Plethora of color options to choose from

CONS:

• Lengthy shipping process (40 days, another 2 weeks for remake)
• First round jeans fit was embarrassingly off
• Doesn’t allow for the user to customize measurements
• Pricey at $79-$119 (though they are custom)

ON TO YOU, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON MTAILOR JEANS?

Let’s continue the discussion over in the Gentlemen Within Private Facebook Community.

Looking forward to seeing you in there.