Losing a good pair of jeans is a disaster for even the toughest man. You’ve worn them everywhere, they’ve been with you through the trials and tribulations of life—and, most important of all, they’ve made you look elegant and “just right.” Just because your legendary pair of denims has become a casualty of the washing machine wars, you shouldn’t be afraid of searching out the next pair.
This guide on things to do and not to do in choosing jeans will put you on track for success without all the stresses of the stores’ fitting rooms. Before you start…
Match your purchase to your purpose
This seems obvious, but think about your reason for buying the jeans. If you want dressy jeans for work ,they will be totally different from those you want for Friday night wear. Likewise, for summer you will opt for lighter styles as opposed to heavier denims that are meant for the winter cold.
Check your size
Be sure that you know your size. If you have a cupboard full of jeans, you’ll have a better idea of your size than if you only wear jeans occasionally. It’s useful to remember that jeans stretch over time, so don’t be surprised if a brand new “size 32” seems smaller than your last pair.
Measuring for size
Inside leg:
All leg lengths for jeans are based on the inside leg measurement. Measure from between your legs to the ground.
Waist:
Measure around the narrowest part of your waist, above the hips and under the ribcage—and don’t breathe in while you’re doing it!
Gentlemen, know your shape!
It’s generally true that a good pair of jeans depends on the choice of cut. And that choice depends on your shape. Don’t choose a “legend of rock” cut if you are built like a rugby player. Consider these possibilities…
Straight or regular
Discreet and neither baggy nor slim, this cut is simple, classic, and tends to suit most people.
Good labels for the straight cut are: Armani Jeans, Levi, Diesel, Boss Orange and Paul Smith.
Flared
A good option for most body shapes, this cut balances the body, being straight and tight from the waist to the base of the calf and then flared to the ankle.
The flared style appears to lengthen the leg and goes well over boots and larger shoes.
Good labels for the flared cut are: Levi and Diesel.
Slim
Slim jeans are flattering, trendy and give the rock-star look. They fall straight from hip to ankle and therefore look better on more slender bodies. How do you look in slim jeans? Only you can answer that…or maybe one of your friends!
Good labels for the slim cut are: Levi and PRPS
Conical
Conical jeans are wider around the thighs, but tighter towards the middle to create a slimmer effect in the lower legs. It’s the best cut for smaller, slender bodies and cut to fit the thigh better than slim jeans, making it a more relaxed style.
Good labels for the conical cut are: Diesel, G-Star, and Goi-Goi.
Easy or relaxed fit
These are jeans with a generous fit from waist to hem and are flattering for most bodies because they don’t accentuate awful bumps and curves. Avoid these jeans if you are one of the lucky one with slim legs; you will look better in slim or straight cut.
Good labels for the relaxed cut are: Firetrap, Levi, G-Star and True Religion.
Take a plunge into the world of “washed” jeans:
The “wash” creates the style and character of the jeans, so be aware of the three main types …
Vintage wash
These are specially treated to create the worn look that you would get after several years of hard wear.
Stone wash
This traditional wash is achieved by adding stones to the denim during washing. The stones tenderize the fibers, making them appear soft and worn. A more modern method is to create the same effect using chemicals.
Dirty wash
A method used to make jeans look really worn, the dirty wash often adds touches of yellow or brown.
Advice:
Washed jeans are fine for casual wear, but every man should have in his wardrobe at least one pair of dark blue jeans to achieve a more stylish look for dressier occasions.
Find the right “waist height”
Nearly as important as shape is the waist height, or “rise”—that is, the distance between the crotch and the waistband of the jeans.
Low rise:
This is generally a comfortable cut that sits a few centimeters below the navel.
High rise:
A good option for hiding excess weight, but beware, it doesn’t give you an excuse not to exercise.
Medium rise:
Somewhere between the previous two, this cut is very popular. It neither hides your stomach nor lets it hang out.
Follow your instinct when you buy a pair of jeans; you’ll know, deep down, whether or not a particular style is for you.
And finally…
Keep your new “favorite” pair in good condition for as long as possible with these simple tips:
- Wash your jeans inside out with the zipper firmly closed
- Don’t wash them too often: every two weeks will do and will prevent discoloration and also reduce the impact on the environment
- Set the wash temperature at 30 degrees Celsius (86 F)—again, to slow down discoloration (and climate change)
- Avoid the clothes dryer; dry jeans in the open air
- Read the label inside the jeans for any special directions
Until next time.
Read Next: Here Is What You Should (And Shouldn’t) Do When Buying A New Suit
I “wash” my jeans the old fashioned way: I work in them and wear the piss out of them.
Give me Carhartt Double Front Dungarees instead of jeans any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
This chomp is obviously from Ft. Lauderdale. Raw denim is where it’s at. Straight cut, dark wash. They last longer and you don’t look like a toolbag.
I’m rather athletically built and usually have the biggest trouble finding a pair of jeans that actually fit.
In most cases, either the jeans have an acceptable fit around the upper legs with a half a meter to spare around the waist, or they fit around the waist and I can barely move my legs.
With today’s men’s fashion it seems you’re golden if you have no leg musculature to speak of (huge piles of skinny fit, slim fit jeans everywhere). It’s a similar thing with men’s shirts and knitware.
I have exactly that problem haha! My butt and legs are too big thanks to squats and deadlifts. I’ve only got one pair of jeans that fit me, and they are pretty much torn apart. I use them as pants for chem lab. I’m stuck with shorts.
It’s like fashion designers assume anyone needing leg space has a huge pot belly to match.
The modern man. Fat belly and skinny legs.
I have to wear relaxed fit for the reasons you identified. And even then, they are tight in the ass and thigh region and then loose below the knees and on the waist. I have a bigger issue with shorts. They either require a tight belt or I’m showing off my mooseknuckle.
Look at the Levis 513. slim/Straight cut, and elastic fabric. One of the most comfortable jeans I ever had, jet not baggy and not skinny.
“Levis 513. slim, and elastic fabric. ”
Sounds like a panty for men. Doubt that’s going to work for the more muscular male.
They are not all elastic. 513 is merely the cut and they come in all weights, colours and fabrics. Some do have 1 or 2% elastane but all this does is give it a slight give. And btw, remember to look carefully at the description because the same model may be a different weight if it’s a different colour.
You’re not stuck with shorts. You’re an adult male, wear chinos or trousers. They’re not painted on, like modern blue jeans in the pic above, nor do they make you look like an overgrown 5-year old by wearing shorts.
I am now having the same trouble with slacks and chinos. The current skinny disease effecting jeans appears to be contagious and slacks and chinos are getting skinny. I have to go up two inches on my waist just to get on a pair of slacks.
All of you with the thick thigh problem should try these. New cut.
http://us.levi.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=41316896&cp=3146842.3146854&ab=home_a3_tile3_541_m_090314
Adriano Goldschmied makes high end jeans and chinos that will fit athletic men. Once you find a cut and manufacturer that fits, then start looking for bargains online and at the end of seasons.
Good one. Will try them when I see them.
Nice. I like the way the models seem to have thick muscular legs instead of the waifs you see on the Diesel website.
I got the same issue too with wide hips too. One reason why I prefer shorts.
Wear some stuff that is designed to be baggy, urban streetwear except wear it in the proper size. Those kinds of pants tend to have a little more room in the booty to create a ‘baggy’ look, but might look fitted on you.
In the first world, we worry about finding jeans that fit. Evidently in the third world, they worry about finding condoms that fit. We all have our worries.
http://www.france24.com/en/20140922-uganda-condoms-too-small-aids-hiv/
This is part of what I see as the ongoing femisation of men, where jeans are converting into spandex leggings whereby (as the woman in Diesel said to me) you can show off your figure!
That said, you can find “old man” fits such as Easy fit etc. at Diesel and Paul Smith which may work. Sadly, the variety of colours and styles in these fits is extremely limited.
I did find a store that specializes in Levis which will special order any fit of Levis going back 70 years! Worth a try.
Haha .. I have the same problem. I have to compromise by choosing something that’s comfortable enough around the legs even if loose around the waist, and always wear a belt.
Go to any high end department store and tell your sizing and fit issue to the man or woman working the men’s section. They will know which brands and cuts will work for you. Yes, it will be expensive. But you only need to do it once, then you’ll know.
I did. Knowledgeable people can be hard to find, even in the high end dept stores, and are gradually being replaced by clueless hipsters on temporary contracts.
Sorry to hear that. I’ve always received great recommendations at Nordstrom. They’re very pleasant, patient, well put together folks and aren’t on a commission. Good luck with your search for a store that’s a winner.
What the hell happened to fashion?
I mean everytime I turn on the tv or go out, people are dressed up awful. Men are wearing skinny jeans, ugly coloured chinos, tacky v necks, have the worst hairstyles, wearing awful looking flannel shirts, comical sunglasses and stupid looking snapbacks. And to make this worse, it seems to be considered as “cool and hip.” What the fuck?
I consider myself to be old school. I mean honestly, look back at 2003-2004. Fashion was so cool and NORMAL looking. No one wore any of the above listed clothes. Everyone wore normal looking jeans, loose cargo pants, long sleeves, normal looking baseball caps etc.
What the hell happened? Whenever I go to a store or go online to find
clothes, I can NEVER find anthing that I want. Every jeans or trousers in stores are skinny jeans, chinos or have the gay looking tapered leg effect. I mean EVERY men’s trouser and jeans is now frickin tapered!!! I can never find a trouser with the standard leg cut anymore. Even loose, regular jeans are all tapered.
Or when looking for a hat, everything is a snapback. I hate these goofy
looking hats.
So what the hell happened? Anyone out share the same feelings as me?
What the hell happened, you say? Gays dominate the fashion industry. That’s what happened.
It seems the fashion industry want every man out there to become a hipster or metrosexual. Fuck that shit.
The slim fit disease even managed to spread to men’s business attire not so long ago.
Disgusting. I have noticed that men wearing suits now love wearing skinny leg trousers.
Fucking disgusting. Again, this is another sign of the decline of our society.
Years ago, only women would wear skinny trousers. Now men openly wear these pants with no shame whatsoever.
Saw a middle aged man yesterday with a wine red suit, pink shirt and red shoes just casually walking along with his also middle aged wife on his arm. Poor guy, I bet she did this to him.
That is because I am skinny and not insecure as fuck like you seem to be.
I’m guessing you are probably the typical metrosexual hipster faggot that the fashion industry wants all men to be like.
Seriously, build some muscles and dress up like a real man.
Where does a straight guy go then for clothes advice? I never really paired my clothes off too well. Any good places for style tips for guys? And having a woman dress you isn’t bad. I got more attention by other women when I wore the stuff they paired. Fashion doesn’t come naturally to me
Dude, settle down. Go look through some fashions of the last 70 years. Waistlines and hemlines go up and down. Trim suits are actually a throw-back.
At least we’re not wearing powdered wigs and stockings. This too shall pass.
Be prepared to shell out some $$ and head to a Nordstrom. It’s going to hurt… a lot. Think of it as an investment. Make mental notes and use them to develop a style that works for your body/dimensions. Just buy an outfit or two and let the pros take care of it. You can riff off of their style and find much cheaper, look-alike stuff later.
It’s that or find a gf with great taste.
I saw a potential candidate foor the girlfriend role but 5 years to 5 months is surprisingly a raw time to search out a long term thing. Moving past the girlfriend thing, it would be great to have another area taken cared. I’ve grown accustomed to skinny gray pants and body fitting, grey and black jeans. Only don’t get the wow factor that I used to when my ex helped me pair things up. There is a Nordstrom close to me as I live in Illinois that I can check out. Thanks for the tip!
Good luck. For what it’s worth, I hate shopping! I’m all about getting it done quickly and as painlessly as possible.
That’s why men are made to dress like they’re gay, and women are made to dress like they’re prepubescent boys.
That’s why fashion models are so skinny. If straight men ran fashion, there would be some Booty On Duty, and clothes would come in three colors, only.
À bientôt,
Mistral
I fell for some of those “cool” V Necks. They were so pre washed out that they completely lost their form after three washing cycles. Stay away from that garbage.
I stay away from V necks and skinny jeans and chinos. They are like the plague.
Not the ones that end just above the navel, I hope?
No, thank god, my the gf thought they were kool but they never suited me. T-Shirt or Polos for me, thank you very much.
Fashion by its very definition is not utilitarian. It is why clothes go out of style. It explains bell bottoms of the 70’s, pleats in the 80’s, bagginess in the 90’s and skinniness today. Fashion exists only to please women and give men lacking personalities something to try to impress broads with.
Buy for utilitarian purposes – black suits, regular ol’ unbedazzled jeans and dungarees and boots never go out of usefulness.
Fashion is a fad. Style is forever.
But unless you’re an undertaker or a mob hit man, you don’t wear a black suit during the day. Unless you live your life as a Victorian dandy. Working men wear jeans…..for work. Boots never go out of style though.
Men don’t wear cargo pants unless their profession is painting walls for a living. Nor for that matter should grown men make a habit of wearing baseball hats in public. (Kennedy’s greatest folly was killing the mens hat industry)
Nothing wrong with low crown profile baseball hats. Hate snapbacks though. Really strange looking.
I have a few baseball hats myself (mostly for yard work and the like), but honestly, what man, who wasn’t actually running the bases, 50 years ago wore a baseball hat at 30?
What the fuck was that?
Avoid H&M like the plague
For button down shirts check out the mark Anthony collection.Good price and cut well.I get a large and get the sides taken in by a Taylor.Fits good and looks like what a man would wear.I’ve found lucky jeans fit well also but you have to try them on because they all fit different but they have a standard look and fit.As far as hats I just buy plain old two tone baseball caps off eBay.They have the classic look we like.You need to find ataylor though you can’t make it today without a good Taylor.
Lol, l just bought a new 507 on Saturday. I thought I made serious gains on my calves until you reminded me if the stretching…
NEVER, and I mean NEVER, let a woman buy your clothes.
Even this commercial explains this:
“NEVER, and I mean NEVER, let a woman buy your clothes.”
*especially* not on your dime, gents.
Let’s talk colors. Most white guys don’t look too good in red, yellow, pink, turquoise and all the shit colors they try to push on us. Waddaya think?
The only one who ever looked good in turquoise was Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas) in “Miami Vice”.
You are correct sir.
http://freebookspot.es/Comments.aspx?Element_ID=238895
Thing is, when you figure out your color pallete all your clothes match. Sport shirts, oxfords, slacks, shoes, everything compliments you and nothing makes you look cadaverous.
No man looks good in red (women, yes; men, no). Turquoise looks good on rhinestone. Yellow looks good on women and sports cars. Pink, if it’s a very pale pink, can look good as a men’s shirt. Don’t think every color besides black is gay. Don’t let them steal the whole of the color chart. Hot pink looks good on hookers.
I look dashing in my red kung fu shirt, but that is because of the kung fu logo on the front.
You can look good in any colour. It’s the shade that matters. I wear every one of those colours and they look fine. If you’re talking about shocking pink then no but other shades of pink look good. Back inthr 50’s when the average prole man was wearing white shirts the more elite were wearing yellow, pink, blue etc oxford cloth shirts.
http://www.brooksbrothers.com/Non-Iron-Traditional-Fit-Point-Collar-Dress-Shirt/010E,default,pd.html?dwvar_010E_Color=PINK&contentpos=11&cgid=0203
or a polo
http://www.brooksbrothers.com/Golden-Fleece%C2%AE-Original-Fit-Performance-Polo-Shirt/MP00001,default,pd.html?dwvar_MP00001_Color=PNMD&contentpos=8
http://www.lacoste.com/us/lacoste/men/clothing/polos/l.12.12-original-cotton-pique-polo/L1212-51.html?dwvar_L1212-51_color=UHN
Black men should NEVER wear orange. It looks like a jail outfit on them and you don’t want some trigger happy cop putting 50 bullets in you thinking you’re some escaped convict.
Here’s a simpler tip: Stop wearing skinny jeans.
And if you fit in skinny jeans, that’s a good sign that you need to start squatting and deadlifting!
Meh, Im quite skinny and Im ok with that and can wear “skinny” jeans, not those painted on super tight ones. I have two destroyed knees and am still recovering from from a lower back injury so squats and deadlifts are still not on my list of things I need to be doing. That being said there are people that can wear skinny jeans and it looks normal and then there are folks that wear skinny jeans that have absolutely no business doing so.
“In recent studies, women and men whose thighs calculated at less than 24 inches in diameter had an increased risk of heart disease and death. In other words, the smaller your thighs the more at risk you are for heart problems.”
http://www.healthstatus.com/health_blog/heart-disease-2/thigh-size-indicator-heart-disease/
Destroyed knees? Did you offend the mob?
Bullshit.And stop reading pop science nonsense. A female with 24″ thighs lol
Or a sign that your ass is gone from bad posture (and just wait until the lumbar region gets tired of taking up the slack then the real fun starts)
Real men never went to gyms unless they were pro boxers or athletes or homosexuals. Years ago if you saw a guy reading some muscle man magazine you knew he was queer.Even Swartzenigger was thought gay at first until bodybuilding became more acceptable in the 80’s.Personally I still think it’s a fag hobby always looking at yourself in the mirror and posing.Or taking steroids to build more muscle which of course will also shrink your balls to peanut size.
Real women whine about men that go to gyms being secretly gay inside.
I always wondered what’s the point of body building if you don’t compete.Just lifting to get big is a waste of time and there is only a small group of women that even find that stupid shit attractive.Also the shorter you are the dumber you will look with all that bulk.
I agree about professional bodybuilding being gay. Even though the competitors may be straight, a lot of them do gay4pay and muscle worship to be able to afford their large drug and food bills.
As a hobby, there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to look better, be healthier, and be stronger. If you aren’t into bodybuilding, there are other pursuits within the lifting world that are extremely manly and badass: Powerlifting, Olympic lifting, and Strongman.
To all clothing manufacturers (if you ever read this)
FUCK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. STOP SELLING SKINNY SHIT FAGGOT ASS CHINOS AND BRING BACK REAL CLOTHES, REAL TROUSERS AND REAL JEANS FOR REAL MEN.
You know you dont have to buy them right?
Go tell that to all the other real men out there who are forced to dress up like a faggot since they have no choice.
Forced? There are hundreds of clothing manufactures that create all different styles. If you feel as if you are “forced” to buy a certain style/fitting of clothing you are just being lazy. Brooks Brothers for instance, they make great stuff but on me it looks like I stole my dads clothes to wear to work whereas Theory or Topman on me fits me well and it looks normally and not super fitted and tight which it seems you are getting at.
Styles are now VERY LIMITED. Try looking for a pair of ordinary khakee trousers or something similar with the standard leg cut and you will see it is very difficult or even close to impossible since most or all trousers are tapered.
I am lucky in the sense that I bought most of my clothes prior to the hipster/metrosexual trend, where all my clothes are real men clothing (not metrosexual hipster clothes) and are still in near perfect condition. But for a lot of men, this is not the case.
As a result, they go out shopping only to find more skinny jeans, tapered trousers and skinny chinos. The fashion industry is now forcing this style on men, and when they need to buy clothes urgently, they really have no choice but to buy the shit hipster clothing.
As has been mentioned, I get straight cut Wranglers at Wal-Mart. The straight cuts fit over cavalry boots just fine, not skinny tapered at all, and the hems don’t fray as fast as boot cuts when worn outside the boot, while still allowing comfortable inside the boot when you’re actually riding. I’m from NY, so I get them as black dungaree, not blue denim (dungaree is dyed after, so doesn’t have white weft).*
As for being forced to wear certain clothes, I am, right now, wearing clothes that you cannot buy. Neither can I, for that matter.
I designed and made them.
Stop being a tool of The Man and learn how to take care of your own needs and make your own way in the world, or at least how to hire people to carry out your will.
* And most “khakis” are actually desert tans, which I used to think was really annoying, until a couple of years ago when they started calling olive “khaki.”
I ALWAYS TAKE CARE OF MY OWN NEEDS. If anything, I am one of the few in this world who has actually WOKEN UP and taken the red pill at an early stage in my life.
I don’t need you to give me a talk on not being a tool. I am simply pointing out the truth about how fashion is limited and many men out there are sick of it.
And I am only pointing out that the only limit on fashion is what you can get away with wearing without getting thrown out/arrested.
You can either make, or have made, anything you can imagine, bound only by natural law.
And that’s, ya know, the truth.
Topman? Yuck!
I have a better idea. You continue making these Real Man Inc clothes and sell them to the rest of us. (I’ll take a 10% royalty for naming your company).
I think people in America think that “khaki” is a type of trouser rather than a colour. They are actually “chinos” named for the Chinese cotton the British Navy had them spun from.
They are a neo-traditional East Asian/Celtic/Maasai mix and match, with maybe a touch of classical Greek.
Those who like them seem to like them a lot. Those that don’t . . . get very confused and puzzled by them. While there is very little outright antagonism toward them, the market would seem to very small and if it grew any they’re painfully easy to knock off.
i think Real Man wouldn’t be an appropriate brand image, except maybe in Cambodia.
Men’s trousers have always been tapered from the knee down and slim clothes were around in the 60’s. In fact, knit shirts eg. Lacoste etc were cut a lot slimmer than today although Lacoste has now expanded their line to some very fitted slim shirts.
Most of you boys were brought up in an era of oversized shirts and baggy pleated pants that looked ridiculous and now the general cuts are more normal but as I and a number of others wrote you can pretty much find any cuts you want today.
Just don’t shop at places intended for 98lb hipster kids.
Give me your height and weight and general build and I’ll tell you where to buy those chinos.
Khaki is a colour made for British troops in dry dusty areas of the empire.It could be cotton or wool depending on the climate. It was made to sort of hide the dust on uniforms.Yes, the lightweight chino fabric was originally made in China and was for hot climates.So you would say it was a khaki coloured chino.
Denim from serge de Nîmes was more of a tough fabric for rough work, like moleskin in England.DUNGarees give you an idea what sort of work they were used for :o)
Jeans refer to a colour made from indigo dye first made in Genoa So a denim jean would be a blue tough trouser.
Yo bro, head to the country, go to a country store. Feed store. Ranch store. You can get working man’s clothes and plain clothes that are not all faggy. You must live in the city. Why do you think people in the city dress like fags? I had to explain this to my son when his grannie bought him a pair of purple skinny jeans for Xmas. I explained to him that people in the city are useless and don’t do real work so they are able to dress like fags because they never have to get dirty, sweaty, or have to actually move around much. They’re just not prepared for anything except sitting at the cafe drinking lattes.
Walmart clothes suck. Jeans tear like construction paper. Wash a shirt once and it’s never the same again.
I also get Dickie’s slacks at Wal-Mart. Neither Wranglers nor Dickies are “Wal-Mart” clothes. The Wranglers dungarees don’t tear, but they do , like all denim, fray from abrasion quite quickly.
Some of my best shirts came from Wal-Mart and are Wal-Mart clothes. There’s a trick to it though. They’re not Chinese, they’re Indian. Nobody does cotton like the Indians and the quality of the Indian shirts is so superior to the Chinese that you can see it from across the isle.
Well at some point you need a new pair of jeans. The choices for a muscular man are extremely limited.
You can go to stores that have more grownup, working class stuff like Marshall’s, Old Navy or Walmart. They seem boring to most people, though, but there’s good stuff to be had there.
Avoid places like H&M, Urban Outfitters, Hollister or other teeny bopper shops. Don’t go to the ‘young man’s’ sections because there’s a lot of fruity clothes there.
Young men are now fruits. Sad.
Also avoid Zara. Nothing they have fits me. Not the pants, not the shirts, not the knitware, not the jackets, nothing. Everything is as tight as a condom even at the largest size they have.
You may also want to stop spending all of your time at some gym getting unnatural thighs that look like treetrunks. If you’re shorter 5’8″ or less you end up looking stubby.
If you aspire to a certain athleticism, your legs will grow. We’re not talking about roided-up bodybuilders here.
What if someone gets hurt and you need to fireman’s carry them to safety? You ain’t prepared son with them skinny little twigs for legs.
That’s nonsense. You have more brands and cuts than ever today and should be able to find anything you want. And btw, on average people were slimmer in prior generations.
You have that top 1% of females today and you had them years ago too. But the real difference is in the average girls which is what most of you would get and in the past even if they weren’t a beauty at least their bodies didn’t have that flabby look so many average girls have today and they were young and firm. Of course, you always had some fat girls around but it seems that there are 5x the rate of them today and at weights that are mind boggling. I don’t know if this is true but I read that the AVERAGE US female today (5’5″) weigh about 160 lbs! A chubby girl in the 80’s at 5’5″ was perhaps maybe 140lb. (I’m just guessing a bit here from what I recall) and from all of the females I recall only a handful were even that and were mostly in the 115-125lb range.
LOL! I can’t believe a man is able to wear skinny without smashing his balls. Skinny is for females (or gays) – they need to expose their butt, not men.
Pretty Green mate, they do proper mens jeans as opposed to the more popular gayboy jeans.
I have legs like a minotaur and they fit beautifully and are comfy as fuck!
The founder’s views on skinny jeans might give you a larf.
What, now they want men to “fag up” and dress like this?
Jeans are really boyswear. If you want to stand out from the competition go to your finer men’s boutiques and try a classic pair of men’s slacks in a color that compliments you.
Jeans are also notoriously undurable. A slight snag on anything and they begin to unravel. I have worn a good pair of gabardines for over a decade while jeans will wear out in just a year or two. Fine men’s pants cost about the same as those overrated jeans.
And if you are traveling abroad fine slacks mark you as a pro in contrast to the hordes of tourists in jeans or cargo pants. Your goal in life is to stop being a fucking amateur.
While you are at it, stop listening to “rock and roll”. Program or be programmed.
” . . . “rock and roll” and other children’s records.” – Tom Lehrer
“Jeans are also notoriously undurable.”
I’m not even sure how to respond to this.
Look at the holes and tattered cuffs in your jeans and get back to me.
Look at the holes and tattered cuffs in your jeans and get back to me.
I was just about to say… they’re essentially tent canvas
I’ve been wearing gabardines , worsted wools and anything else you can imagine since I was a kid.I don’t know why you believe though that jeans will somehow unravel or become snagged since I have never had this happen and I wear all different types of fabrics and clothing. The most comfortable suits for a hot climate are actually tropical weight worsted wool, it’s even lighter and more comfortable than lightweight cotton, hangs better and adjusts to the climate.Gabardine is more of a tightly woven wool twill and sometimes cotton like on the old Burberry’s.
But you’re right about the tourist stuff, most of them are dressed like kids and in fact even kids weren’t dressed like that. Cargo pants have to be the dumbest look created. Unless you’re going on a safari or in the army and need the pockets to hold things they just look ridiculous walking around a city in especially if the pockets are full of bulging junk.Don’t wear a “fanny pack” either if you plan on getting laid. No baseball caps on your head either unless you’re 8 years old. Get some decent shoes as well.
Look, maybe it’s wrong to challenge a Frenchman on all things fashion or style related, but blue jeans (as an American creation) are something surely that can be challenged.
Blue jeans were invented for working men, for doing hard physical labor, who needed a tough material that would hold up to the difficult conditions of the working environment. They were later embraced by bikers for the same reason. Then they were embraced by a pathetic rebellious generation, as a sign of rebellion against the established order. You know, that oppressive thing called civilization. They have since been mainstreamed as the de rigueur choice for everyday wear for everyone. Truly, a uniform for the seething masses. More people today probably wear blue jeans, than wear underwear.
But all of this should make us stop and consider whether continuing to do so out of habit, is really all that sensible.
Yes, blue jeans are tough, but most of us won’t need that toughness, anymore than we need 4WD. It’s a costume, make believe, in that regard.
Yes, blue jeans are versatile, in a way, but should a man really make his clothing choices based purely upon how few times he would have to change his pants during his lifetime? What’s more they’re horrendously uncomfortable during the summer, and really aren’t that warm (not like wool) during the winter.
What’s more, as you can see above, while the fashionable jeans are, softer and more varied in color, they also tend to be, shall we say, at least a little bit effeminate? And the unfashionable jeans will tend to be a dark solid blue, tough as all get out, but very stark and not very comfortable, compared to a good pair of cotton chinos or wool trousers (not tweed). The ones in between, at very least have been washed so much that they have a shortened shelf life. And you shouldn’t have to be replacing pants all the time. Buy quality and you buy for life.
Blue jeans make sense for work. They make no sense for a sensible, cultured, and varied gentleman.
We need a return to sensible, timeless style. If only as a thumb in the eye to the rebellious generation that embodied the degenerate, lazy selfishness of the present acceptable choices of slob or fag.
If you want a society that looks like the society of old. Dress like it.
Denim durability is a myth. Just look at how your wallet will eat a hole in a pair of jeans in just a few months. The knees fade and quickly lose their weft then turn into gaping holes. Scape it on some concrete and they’re done for. For work purposes canvas duck is far more rugged and durable.
I think we’re talking about going out clothes, not Dickies. I’ve owned jeans for years that got lots of everyday wear and I’ve never worn a hole with my wallet.
If you really want to keep them around and looking good. Wash (infrequently) in cold water and hang dry.
Now shirts… I waste a lot of money ruining shirts!
I don’t wear distressed jeans unless the very casual look is appropriate for certain venues I may go to.
However, nice, solid, dark jeans can be ok with a blazer or sport coat, if done correctly. Even though technically “casual” it still gains compliments.
I really can’t say I know a ton about jeans but I’ve gotten a lot more compliments when I started wearing more dress shirts and nicer clothes. At first I didn’t really understand the purpose of this article but I think that dressing well is an essential part. It actually makes me more focused on work as well as give me a “I’m not fifteen” look.
As a sidenote, do you know where your novelty t-shirts, your high school jersey, and your incredibly tight clothes belong? Goodwill.
Agreed. And no longer wear graphic T-shirts.
A distinguished man dresses accordingly and stands out from the lesser man.
Although I do wear polos that are tailored and fit my build very closely.
(Non-Baggy)+(Non-Skinny)= Relaxed (my style). With clothes in general( shirt, shoes , pants, hat , etc), you want it to complement your SKIN TONE, which is either warm(think Beyoncé in a yellow dress) or cold. When you know your skin tone you can then know what color scheme to use. Also, something that looks good on someone else most likely won’t look good on you because we all are different shapes, so go find what looks good. This might sound queerish, but it’s just how it works when you want to stand out in a crowd full lames.
Levi’s 501 shrink to fit motherbitches. Sit high enough to properly rock with a cafe racer jacket and boots. Sneakers with jeans scream dumbass.
Great article. Thanks
I have very slender legs and wear relaxed fit to hide it. Does anyone really like the skinny hipster look of a guy with slender legs wearing skin tight jeans.
This is off topic but, the reason young kids pull their pants down is because they have very long legs and a short torso due to puberty. Wearing pants lower helps to make their bodies look less freakishly out of proportion for all you fashion police out there.
Apparently RoK has run out of topics, but hey, I’m a “zero” on the Kinsey scale, and I see in only ten colors, so maybe I can learn something. Then again, maybe not.
So I looked up the three “Easy or Relaxed Fit” recommendations that I didn’t know already, because I’m pretty relaxed and easy, these days, and all I can say is “No, no, and no”.
I’m a “Big Ugly”, which is actually liberating, b/c I am not confounded by the Tyranny of Choice. I can stick to classics, solid colors and, when necessary, a well-tailored suit or two, and be fine. I pretty much piss confidence, and that trumps everything else.
Ok, so jean and trousers
1. Blue Jeans:
Levi’s quality has gone to shit. I get either Carhartt or BCC Blues lately. The roomy kind, because My Boys Need a House. I’m sure Lee and Wrangler, or whatever, are fine, too, but since the other two fit me just fine, I haven’t bothered with trying them out.
2. Chinos:
Brooks Brothers, Hudson cut (same reason I get the “roomy” jeans), plain front, no cuffs. (They have different ones that come with pleats and/or cuffs, but I’m a tall guy and we don’t need that shit. I give the “illusion” of being tall by actually being tall. If you’re short, tough luck on that, I didn’t get to pick, either, but get the cuffs. Apparently, those help. Own your shortness. If someone tells you you’re short, point out that so were Napoleon and Julius Caesar (no idea how tall he was, but everyone was short back then), and to fuck off.)
3. Suits:
If you see me in a suit, it means that I’m either interviewing (not for the last 7 years) or going to a funeral (not for the last 5 years). I have a couple nice ones hanging in the closet (one was off the rack from Brooks Brothers, and the other one I got in London.)
And that’s that. Happy slaying.
À bientôt,
Mistral
Good advice in this comment!
Thanks for the tips. Very useful. Cheers x
N/P. What works for you and what works for me are going to be 2 vastly different things. If I was a young and handsome guy like you, I’d be more into fashion, I’m sure. As it is, I project a more “rough hewn” masculinity, which means, when it comes to clothes, I don’t need to push the envelope, I just need To Not Fuck Up.
BTW, I checked out your pocket square site. Good stuff. It makes me wish I had more occasion to wear a suit.
À bientôt,
Mistral
I’ve been noticing men walking with girlfriends who are fit, not thunderthighed, and the men have thinner legs than the female gym rats.
Funny sight.
But a funnier sight is that the skinny jeans are so tight, they make moving the lupper legs impossible, so the step has to be taken by rotating the hip, not by moving the femur. Gives kind of a strutting way to the walk, now that left and right swing on skinny jeans and the oversized hipster sweatshirts are….
Yea yea.. don’t hate on the hipster…
A lot of those hipsters look like they spent several years in a low gravity environment, hence the totally atrophied leg musculature.
I wear bonobos chinos , they taper down. I have a pretty big lower body frame as well due to working out but very narrow waist. Their normal line is great , slim fit will not fit though .
Good advice on jeans care.To many people wash there jeans to often and use the dryer.I wear American eagle and its considered lower end denim but they have a good look to them and they fit well.I can get at least 2 or 3 years out of a pare just with proper care.No pair of jeans will last long with out proper care.
Sorry, but this article (and a lot of the comments) is a load of bullshit. First off, NEVER buy distressed or prewashed denim unless you’re pairing it with frosted tips, Ed Hardy tees, and the rest of the Jersey Shore look.
Buy raw denim – pay more for one good quality pair of jeans, wear hard and daily, and they’ll look better and better over time – not to mention they’ll feel amazing. Most raw denim brands have a classic aesthetic without the tacky, ugly branding of stuff like True Religion or 7 For All Mankind. They’re much better made than mall brands, and often are made from selvedge denim, which has a lot more character and heft than the flat, lifeless fabrics of off-the-shelf stuff. If you’re on a budget, the slim-fit Levis 511 in a one wash or raw are a good choice.
Brands to avoid: True Religion, 7 For All Mankind, Diesel, Lucky, other stupid mall brands.
Brands like 3Sixteen, Left Field, and Railcar are great choices for jeans in the $150-$230 range. If you want to roll with the big boys, go for the Japanese brands like Flat Head, Samurai, and Iron Heart – made with denim that ages beautifully and will last you for years, not to mention the tasteful, classic branding. It will cost you, but if you’re ready to become a denim nerd it’s well worth the expenditure.
Here’s the thing about fit. BUY FOR YOUR BODY TYPE. If you’re slim, wear slim-fitting jeans. If you’re beefier, go for straight cuts or slightly tapered models with more room in the thighs.
First: Baggy fits are BAD. Do not wear them, ever. You will look like a fool, child, or hoodlum. Don’t wear cargo pants if you aren’t painting a house. Don’t wear boot cut jeans UNLESS you’re wearing them with engineer boots or cowboy boots.
I define “Skinny Jeans” as jeans that are basically skin tight. These are bad. Don’t wear them. However, some of you fools seem to think that any properly fitting pair of pants are “skinny jeans.” A correct fit will follow the shape of your leg but not be tight in any one place – you should be able to pinch .5-1″ at any spot through the leg. Get a tapered leg if you wear with sneakers like Converse or Vans. Otherwise, a slim straight fit is extremely versatile and looks good with lots of different footwear and outfits.
As an added bonus, I’ll give you advice on shirts: check the shoulders. If the seams are hanging down over your shoulders, it’s too big and looks stupid. The shoulder seams should be about 1″ away from the top of your shoulders, and the chest should be neither tight nor loose. Chances are, years of wearing hand-me-downs and sized-up kids clothes has made you accustomed to wearing too-big clothes. Wear the right size and fit, and you’ll be amazed by how much better you look – and you’ll feel more confident, which is the best part of all.
Look, all you guys whining about how “gays dominate the fashion industry!” as an excuse to dress like a slob: get over yourselves. I’ve known plenty of gay guys and they dress more like the Ed Hardy look than stereotypical hipsters. IMO, Express is the gayest-looking brand. But in the end, who the hell cares? If I think something looks good then I’m going to wear it and I don’t give a damn if some Coca-Cola-chugging dork disapproves. Wearing slim, properly fitting clothes doesn’t make you look “gay,” it makes you look sharp. Look at how guys in the 1960s or 1980s dressed – particularly their jeans (Fig. 1: Eric Clapton in Cream.) Marty McFly looked like an ordinary eighties kid, but if you saw him on the street today you’d be screeching about how he’s a “hipster!” or “gay!” The idea that slim fitting clothes are gay is a completely subjective construct, mostly from insecure guys who don’t care about how they look in the first place.
Why don’t you bitch at Louis XIV for his tights and high heels? Or George Washington for his powdered wig? I don’t think anybody would argue that these men were anything less than complete badasses in spite of their supposedly “gay” fashion. Bottom line: wear stuff that fits you well and matches the style you want without worrying about whether it looks “gay,” “metrosexual,” or “hipster.”
For what it’s worth, I take most of my style inspiration from mid-century American casual style – the sort of thing motorcyclists, cowboys, and rock musicians would wear, like engineer and cowboy boots, snap-button shirts, leather and denim jackets, and so on. Check out the What Are You Wearing Today? thread on Superdenim or the Raw Denim Reddit for further inspiration.
This is the post feminist world of men. Obsessing over different variations of of jean styles and “washes”. WTF. This used to be the fodder of women competing for attention from men. Now men have to dress up and put on a dog and pony show just to vie for their attention. What’s next male makeup? Oh wait that already exists.
Whatever it is, just make sure it’s “environmentally correct” because how you wash the jeans will change the WORLD. Global Warming concerns are right there with feministas the concerns of transgender faggots. You can always depend on Sammy to keep you up to date on the liberal agenda
Three words for the perfect Jeans – “Marks & Spencer”. Their ‘Luxury’ version are a true jean investments – buy a few pairs:
Stay dark yarn dyed (not cloth dyed)
A little Lycra to give superb drape, maintain cloth longevity and shape retention (circa 1-5%)
Removable discreet leather waist patch (use a stitch unpicker)
Flat rivets that wont damage or scratch chairs.
hand finishing.
Taped inner seam on the waistband.
No fashion victim ‘features’ such as pre-damage (holes scuffs et al)
They will last a long time, and become buttery soft, though the pockets will wear out eventually before anything else so I commend strengthening them.
There’s a difference between slim and skinny. Slim is slim, and skinny is for women.
shitty brand examples
author unawares of brands that are actually good, namely
APC
Acne
Studio d’artisan
Dior MIJ
Diet butcher slim skin
Momotaro
sugar cane
45 rpm
Samurai
Pure Blue
etc
protip: if you don’t fit in skinny jeans, try one size bigger
Climate change, the environment, Jeez, Samseau, where do you get off? Soon as I started seeing that shit I just KNEW it was you. It’s a pair of jeans. How about you go sleep with Al Gore? Sorry to singe you, but do tell, are fucking gay or WHAT? Swallowed the blue pill on the environment, did you?