dress denim

[MattC]

Hey everyone, I just have a question! For my normal jeans, I just rock the Levi 511's. They fit perfectly for my build, aren't too expensive, and I probably wear my pair four times a week. All is well. However, the fact that I wear them so much means that they aren't particularly appropriate to be paired with say, a tweed blazer and gingham dress shirt. Does anyone have any recommendations for jeans that would better serve this purpose? Size wise, I'm around 30/30, with legs skinny enough that 'skinny' fit (not super skinny) fits me pretty perfectly, without looking too ridiculous. Cheers.

[shad0w4life]

Depends on price range.

In the deals, penguin posted naked and famous brand for $80 shipped
I have their lower end "unbranded" brand that actually are quite decent
I personally love 7 for all mankind because they are quite soft and women know the brand and I've had a few times where they brought it up as a conversation starter.
The above can't be had for under ~100 without some kind of decent sale.

[MattC]

Depends on price range.

In the deals, penguin posted naked and famous brand for $80 shipped
I have their lower end "unbranded" brand that actually are quite decent
I personally love 7 for all mankind because they are quite soft and women know the brand and I've had a few times where they brought it up as a conversation starter.
The above can't be had for under ~100 without some kind of decent sale.

Thanks shad0w4life. I guess I'm struggling to justify spending that sort of money on jeans that will mostly be worn for casual dress occasions. How often do you wear your 7 for all's?

[shad0w4life]

I don't wear them often now due to the fit I chose ( I was about 200 lb gym rat at the time and cut a buncha weight to 180 so that's why) but before I'd wear them all the time.

Think of it this way, my gap jeans lasted me a year, My sevens that I forced my legs in to are still going (be it I had slight holes in the crotch) but I actually wore out the pocket with my wallet.

The Naked and Famous being japanese selvedged should last you +10 years.

You could go the raw denim route and have customized jeans(google raw denim, not the wash)

But Honestly I have 1 pair of dark jeans I can wear with blazers right now and it sucks so that's why I ordered the N&F you'd be surprised once you start down the dressing up more road. I'd say pull the trigger on a nice pair if you know your size etc and see how it goes. You could always sell them off later on ebay or something if they are bigger brand.

[Lib]

Really, wear whatever you want in a dark rinse. 'Raw' denim, especially as it is currently sold, is supposed to fade naturally and provide high contrast... you don't want that. Levi's 513 in a 'tumbled rigid' or something similar will work. You want them to be dark and, more importantly, to stay dark. If you have to dry clean them to keep them dark then so be it.

Don't assume that denim that fits you well will work with a sport coat that also fits you well. It should match proportions and not look like you're a sport coat perched on two dark blue twigs. I say this as a very skinny man.

The 'selvedge' thing is mostly marketing hype. I'm going to catch flak for making such a broad generalization, but there it is.

[bruschetta]

Don't assume that denim that fits you well will work with a sport coat that also fits you well. It should match proportions and not look like you're a sport coat perched on two dark blue twigs. I say this as a very skinny man.

Lib, Thank you for writing this, it made me chuckle! I fully agree with your statement.

[LesserBlackDog]

When it comes to jeans, you can't do much better than a pair of Levi's 513s or 514s in a simple, dark wash. They may not be built to withstand a nuclear apocalypse, but they're one of the better values for your dollar available in a modern slim fit. Sizing seems to vary somewhat based on the wash and country of origin, so you may want to see if you can try on the wash you want before you order it.

The new-ish US-made jeans from Lands End Canvas have gotten some decent reviews from the main site here, too. They are pricey at full retail but pretty reasonable if you can snag a 35-40% discount. I haven't looked in a while and I'm not sure how they're doing on availability.

[Shomas]

I'll put in a plug here for Uniqlo jeans. They are very inexpensive, their fits tend to be quite slim and their rinses dark. I've got a couple of pairs that I'm going on two years of fairly heavy wear with and they show no signs of letting up.

[goterps]

Im a 30/30 in dress pants (rep of bananas). For jeans i like the slim straight joes brixton (80 at the rack) or hudson bryon slim str both in 29. I had 7 for mankind and it was only slightly nicer material than the 514s i used to have and not worth the price premium like the joes/hudson

[fash1on]

MattC,

you need to try the jcp jeans that were reviewed on dappered.com.

they are 22$ on cyber monday sale now. free shipping no minimum.

i've tried on many many jeans...including the really expensive ones listed above. these are my favorites.

http://dappered.com/2012/10/in-perso...jcpenney-line/

http://www.jcpenney.com/dotcom/men/c...32-198298722-2

[Lib]

Lib, Thank you for writing this, it made me chuckle! I fully agree with your statement.

No problem. As long as SOMEBODY learns from my mistakes!

[Leslie Chow]

JCP has some slim straight jeans for sub $30. Fit is pretty much spot on to 514s

[jace111]

Would love to see a "Top 10 Pants/Jeans To Own" like the dress shirt piece. I don't have a clue on how many types of jeans I should on. Great write up.

[MikeAD91]

Would love to see a "Top 10 Pants/Jeans To Own" like the dress shirt piece. I don't have a clue on how many types of jeans I should on. Great write up.

Old thread... but one type - a dark blue pair that fits.

[LesserBlackDog]

Old thread... but one type - a dark blue pair that fits.

This pretty much sums it up... there is really no reason to buy any kind of denim other than a simple dark rinse in a slim or straight cut and a low or mid rise. Ideal cut will vary based on preference, age, body type, etc., but a dark indigo color with little or no factory distressing is the staple color.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with continuing to wear your jeans after they have developed some fading and wear-and-tear, but these distressed jeans are best reserved for wear with t-shirt and sneakers rather than bluchers and a blazer.