I have never bought a pair of jeans by waist size so was really unsure what size to buy.  Needless to say, I bought them a little too big so I washed them and put them in the dryer (which I never do...always air dry my jeans) and they appeared to shrink enough that I should be fine.  I really love the weight of these jeans for summer use.  They do have quite the flair which I had read in other reviews and I have never had a pair like that before.  We'll see how I like them in a couple of months.