The Skinny on Kramer's Jeans

Hello Seinfeld Lovers!

Aside from the puffy shirt and George’s puffy coat, Kramer’s skinny jeans seem to be a favorite wardrobe topic so let’s get down to it.

The week we got The Wait Out script by Peter Mehlman we knew we had some work to do. Michael was extremely particular about his wardrobe and we’d have to find the exact right thing.

The jeans would need to be more than just tight. They would need to be stiff. They would need to be long because Michael is really tall. They would also need to be dark so they would really stand out on camera.

Charmaine (our costume designer) and I went out searching for options. Don’t forget, this was the 90’s and we didn’t have the internet to search so we had to do it the old fashioned way: Get in the car and drive around Los Angeles in search of the perfect skinny jeans for Kramer!

We love our denim out West so there was a lot to choose from. From Wrangler to Levis to smaller independent dungaree brands. We gathered a selection of choices for him in a range of sizes and headed back to the studio for a fitting.

Even though we knew Michael’s waist size of course, we weren’t sure how tight he’d want to go. He tried on a few different styles but he really liked the feel and the stiffness of the classic Wranglers. These were rigid, unwashed denim and he kept going down sizes, tighter and tighter AND TIGHTER! As you can see when you watch the episode, the fit is uncomfortably tight. It took both Charmaine and me on either side of Michael to help him get in and out of the jeans. We literally had to pull them off of him.

He wore them to rehearse and everyone was hysterical. Jerry and Julia couldn't keep a straight face. The whole thing worked perfectly. Michael was a genius at physical humor and played the whole thing up in his inimitable Kramer style.

I just watched the episode again and it’s as hilarious now as it ever was. Next time you watch I hope this information adds a bit of fun for you-

x Steph