I need to hem a couple pairs of jeans and was wondering a couple of things. This is kind of a stupid question, but what does hemming with/without the original hems mean? And where would be a good place to start for looking for a tailor? I don't want to take them just anywhere...How much does it generally cost to get a pair of jeans hemmed? And last but not least, how much shrinking are these gonna do? I don't want to have them hemmed too short and then wash them and have them look stupid. Thanks guys!

Hemming with the original means you keep the extra denim inside the pant leg. Without means the extra denim is just cut off.
Call around for tailors. Yellow pages, etc.
No clue about the cost, I get it done free.
Shrinking depends on how you wash it. Warm water + Hang Dry = No shrinkage.
...Was that warm water or cold water? I don't remember.

Hemming with the original hem means just that...keeping the original hem on the jeans. The excess can be cut (see Nola's guide here), or it can be folded up inside the jeans (this method). They are both referred to as hemming with originals. Hemming without the original hem means cutting the jeans to the desired length, and doing a plain hem. The cost really depends where you live. For original hem, it can run anywhere from around $9 to $30. I usually wash and dry before hemming to avoid any possible shrinkage issues.

Thank you! Once I wrote that about original hems I thought about and figured that's what it was...just thought it made more sense to check! Thanks for the info.

I think for R&R, i would definitely reccommend hemming with originals. The 1/4 inch hem just looks better on the jeans. I've hemmed a couple of pairs without the original hem, and they didn't look quite as good

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SFAM or Paige straight-legged jeans (Kates, Hefners or Melrose, Blue Heights)! Preferably in dark washes or white, but am open to all washes! To fit a TTS 25.