Are jeans trad? I am only joking, of course they are trad or rather can be trad. Either way I am once again attempting to wear jeans. I have tried a few times in the past, but it’s never stuck. I think the last time that I tried was back in 2020. I actually forget why I got rid of the pairs from that endeavor. Whatever the case may have been they are gone now.
You may be asking yourself, why does he want to wear jeans in the first place? That’s a good question. They haven’t really worked out for me in the past and I find them sort of uncomfortable. They are also jarring to the people I know when I do try to wear them (it will wear off over time). Despite all that I still want a pair. I mean, this is America and everyone should have at least 1 pair of jeans, right? Factor in that I am a dad now and it’s a no brainer. I need jeans. For me they will be something to wear on the weekend. At least that’s how it always starts.
I do know what I want in a pair of jeans. I want a lighter faded blue, a decent rise, and leg that is neither too narrow nor too full. Oh, and I want them to be affordable as well which to me is sub-$100 but I would really like them to come in around $50. I don’t care about selvedge. I do care that they are 100% cotton (read, no stretch).
Using the above as my guide I ended up with a pair of Levi 505s. They had the color that I wanted, the fit is pretty good, and they came in around $50. They aren’t perfect. The waist is a touch big, they are a little long, and they could be a bit more narrow below the knee. I am debating having the length hemmed. I don’t love the double roll, but it can be hard to replicate the original hem too so it’s a toss up at this point. All in all these seem to fit the bill.
This is actually the second time that my search for jeans has ended with Levi 505s. I tried Levi 501s but they were too tight in the thigh and loose past the knee for me. I gave the Wrangler Cowboy cut a go which garner a lot of attention due to being 100% cotton, having a high-rise, and being affordable. Plus they have really cool packaging. They were too baggy on me. I also tried the J.Crew Straight Classic-fit jean (see here) which I was excited about based on the way they looked on site. They ended up being comically large in all dimensions. The 505s must be in my cards.
Now that I had my jeans it was time to wear them. I borrowed a few denim looks that I had recently seen. First up, I stole from my internet friend Peter-Rene. I saw his post on IG (see here) which looked great (see below). I thought, I can duplicate that, and I did. Next, I took from Osamu (see here). His drawing looked so cool and again I already owned similar pieces. I think my version of Renee’s fit worked really well. However, the illustration won in the who wore it better contest.
I am going to keep experimenting with jeans. I know a few combinations that work offhand. I know that they work well with a blue OCBD and a Barbour. They look great with a oatmeal colored shetland as well as the navy LL Bean style Norwegian. I also like them paired with a tucked in shirt and a turned engine buckle belt. I know that some find that combination incongruous, but I’ve always liked it. Look out for more denim content in the future. The big question is, will they find a permanent place in my closet?