CAN a woman wearing skinny jeans be raped? Or are they so tight they can be taken off only with her consent?

These are some of the questions a jury asked before acquitting a Sydney man of sexual assault.

Nicholas Eugenio Gonzalez was accused of raping the 24-year-old as she consoled him about breaking up with one of her friends.

The jury of six men and six women heard Mr Gonzalez, 23, had allegedly pushed the woman on to his bed, ripping off her size six skinny jeans and underpants before the attack.

In his defence, Mr Gonzalez, a navy cook, said the sex was consensual.

During the trial the jury sent a note to the judge asking for more information about ''how exactly Nick took off her jeans''.

''I doubt those kind of jeans can be removed without any sort of collaboration,'' the note read.

Courts in Italy and Korea have also grappled with the skinny jeans issue.

In 2008 a Seoul court overturned the seven-year sentence of a man convicted of raping a woman wearing skinny jeans.

In the same year an Italian court upheld a rape conviction, ruling that "jeans cannot be compared to any type of chastity belt".

The woman had told the Sydney District Court she and Mr Gonzalez had met for drinks in April 2008 before going to his Surry Hills house to listen to music.

She said they had gone upstairs to his room so he could play his drums. He had pushed her on to the bed, placing his torso on top of her.

''I struggled to try to get up for a while and … then he undid my jeans and … he pulled them off,'' she said. The woman alleged he then raped her.

Under cross-examination from defence counsel Paul Hogan, the woman said she weighed 42 kilograms and did not find it hard to squeeze in and out of her jeans.

''I'm suggesting it's difficult for skinny jeans to be taken off by someone else unless the wearer's assisting, collaborating, consenting,'' Mr Hogan said. ''I would disagree,'' she replied.

The chairwoman of the National Association of Services Against Sexual Assault, Veronica Wensing, said a woman's outfit should not be an issue in alleged rapes. ''Any piece of clothing can be removed with force.''