Every six months or so we spend time twirling in front of dressing-room mirrors searching for the perfect pair of jeans. Typically, we leave empty-handed.

Our particular problem? Finding jeans that look decent on a 5’3” petite frame with just a bit around the middle.

Several services say they can help picky shoppers in their denim pursuits. The companies create jeans that are custom-sewn to each person’s specific dimensions and can be easily ordered online.

We put three custom-jean services to the test along with Zafu Inc., which doesn’t actually create the jeans but recommends ready-made options based on a shopper’s dimensions. Many of the services offer several styles for men and women, including straight leg, boot cut or skinny, with some companies even providing options for pockets or buttons. Customers can also pick the rise of their jeans as well as the particular denim.

Picking out jeans at indiDenim.com was enjoyable. The site, owned by Emeryville, Calif.-based Archetype Solutions Inc., had plenty of options for styles, back pockets and even finishing treatment (sanding, whiskering, distressing, for example). Instructions on the site were clear to understand and the online jean-builder tool was simple to use.

The quality of the denim was our favorite but the jeans were slightly too long and fit too low on the waist even when we had requested an average rise. Fit adjustments can be exchanged free of charge, says Ms. Luber, who founded the company less than three years ago. The site allows for easy reordering and customers can slightly alter their measurements to get a more precise fit. “We want it to be spot on,” she says.

While all the jeans were a good fit, it was still difficult to find one pair that was all that we wanted. The indiDenim jeans came close. Our custom jeans did take our trouble spots into account but in a few cases we’d expected shorter lengths and heavier fabrics. To help shoppers get an even more precise fit all of the companies offer free exchanges. Perhaps we’ll find a perfect pair the second time around.

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