After a traumatic experience machine drying jeans to shrink them about an inch, I will never dare to repeat my mistake. I know Angie doesn't condone it either. But, Shiny does it and doesn't seem to have any problems. I guess it depends whether you're willing to take the risk or not! In my experience, drying does 2 things:

-Shrinks the length (sometimes too much)
-Makes the jeans too tight initially, and too loose after they have been worn for a few hours. In my experience, once you dry jeans once, you have to continue doing so to shrink them back with each wash. There is no such thing as "drying once or twice." I also couldn't wear my jeans several times between washes because they would just get too saggy.

Mine were not premium though, which on one hand explains the quality, but OTOH, it's not like I invested a lot of money either.

I have some J Brand jeans and I've never tried putting them in a dryer. They have a lot of stretch to them, and I wouldn't want to risk it. The heat can potentially break down the stretch component and ruin the shape.
Have you tried the next size down? They are supposed to be quite snug.

Is anyone else bothered by the stiffness of the denim if you don't put the jeans in the dryer? I know they soften, but I find them so outrageously uncomfortable to put back on at first! Is this something that only happens with non-premium jeans? Or am I just batty?

Marianne- I got them at TJ Maxx, and they didn't have the next size down. They fit really nice in the dressing room and then of course after a day of wearing they have loosened up-- they are still fine, but I can see now how a smaller size would have probably been perfect.
so, just how snug am I supposed to buy jeans? like, can't breathe snug?

I definitely buy my jeans snug these days. Not necessarily can't breathe snug but a slightly uncomfortable, small muffin top snug. I also try to never machine dry my jeans - like the others, I am afraid that once I dry this way, it might have a tendency to bag out too much.

Michelle, I usually iron on jeans and this helps to soften them up so you don't get that dry, crackly feel when you put them on after air-drying.

I put my jeans in the dryer for first 5 minutes on cool air ,this helps to fluff them a bit and than hang them to dry.

I put mine in the dryer when I first buy them and before hemming, because since all four of us do laundry, it is a distinct probability that sometime, someone is going to accidentally throw my jeans in the dryer. I would much rather get all the shrink out before hemming, because once you hem them, there's only so much material you can let out again later. Also by shrinking them right away, if they do shrink too much, I'm not "attached" to them so while it's sad, it's not devastating. I have even been able to return jeans that shrunk too much. But the place I get my premiums at, which does free hemming, stipulates you MUST run them through the dryer at least twice before they will hem them.

I do not think this has ruined the COH fabric at all. They do not bag any more or less, and I don't need to always throw them in the dryer. (Although if I am in a rush and need clean jeans faster than waiting around for them to air dry, I know I can safely throw them in the dyer). I worry more about the dryer fading them, than ruining the stretch.

My UO jeans - non-premium- I do put in the dryer rather frequently. The stretch has not been ruined, but they have faded.

As for the dryer ruining stretch, any stretch fabric will eventually deteriorate - even if you never wear it and just leave it in the drawer! I have had this happen with running gear. I tuck it away in storage, and the next year when I bring it out, the stretch is all gone.

Nobody can predict how much your Jbrands will shrink, or how they will shrink. Particularly hard to say how much will shrink on the length. I have had jeans shrink several inches. As for snugging them up (horizontally), my best guess is that they will snug up, but then stretch out again to right where they are at now.

I hate that feeling too Michelle. There are a few ways of getting around it. First thing is to spray them down with water (not so they're soaking wet, but just a tiny bit damp) and put them on. The water will relax the jeans a bit and when it dries, they will conform to your body. This works best for jeans that are already a tad snug.

The other thing I do is to soften them up a bit by crumpling them and running my arm through each leg hole to open them up a bit. This is good for jeans that are already a good fit but just need some softening without loosening.

These methods definitely work better on premium jeans, which are softer by nature, but they work on other jeans too. The only problem with non-premium is that they may expand a little too much.

Jeans are tough. There is just no way to predict how they will fit after washing and wearing and it can be so frustrating. I try to buy my jeans on the snug side and if all else fails I can always stretch them out a bit. Even so, some jeans are such good quality that they won't stretch at all.

Thanks ladies for the advice. I ended up popping them in the dryer for 15 minutes after they had been hanging for several hours (they were still quite damp) and while they snugged up a tad, I don't think they shrunk in the length at all (which is fine, but it wouldn't have hurt for them to shrink and inch or 2- they are quite long)
I guess I just have to really pay attention to the snugness of jeans when I try them on. I'm always afraid of buying them too small though to the point that they cut and bind in the crotch. I"ve worn jeans that are too small, and it's no fun!
Shiny, I tried on a pair of COH at Nordstrom rack and loved them. I didn't buy them though. I was in too much of a hurry. I did like the way they fit though, so when I have an afternoon, I may go try on every pair there is.

BTW, the stiffness could be caused by the detergent. Try using half the detergent you normally use and see if it helps. I think we typically use too much detergent for most loads. Also, if you have a washer with an extra rinse option, try that.