How to Find the Perfect Pair of Jeans

"You don't need fifty pairs of jeans.  You need four good ones."

I still remember the shame I felt in fifth grade when my flare jeans weren’t long enough to cover my shoes. Instead of dragging on the floor like the cool girls, mine hovered awkwardly at my ankles in a decidedly uncool cut. Tall for my age, I was fighting the constant battle to find pants small enough in the waist and long enough in the leg. At this point in late ’90s/early ’00s fashion, the only acceptable cut of jean was the flare. They could be a reasonable 17” wide at the hem or flirt dangerously with an oversized bell-bottom look, but they absolutely could not be anything less than a boot cut without being relegated to the much maligned, tapered “mom jean.”

Personal style was surprisingly narrow, and changing up your pants was not the way to show your creativity.

Next came the skinny jeans revolution in 2006, which took over the pants world with a vengeance. I eagerly retired my flares, ready to adopt the slimmest of slim jeans, especially given I would no longer have to search high and low for jeans with a long enough inseam. Skinny jeans held us (and our ankles) in a chokehold for the next decade, only releasing their iron grip as the more relaxed silhouettes were ushered in alongside Succession’s “quiet luxury” trouser aesthetic.

Even as pleated trousers and wide-leg jeans came on the scene, many of my generation vowed the only way they would give up their favorite jeans would be if someone pried them from their “cold, dead fingers,” so attached to the style were they. I could appreciate the fierce loyalty, even if I did not share the sentiment.

And then, only a few years after everyone told us skinny jeans were dead, suddenly they were popping up again on the runway and in stores. The style whiplash was unnerving. Were we supposed to wear them or throw them out?

It turns out retailers have finally figured out that by allowing women to choose their silhouette, they can still make money. Fashion has given us some much-needed freedom when it comes to our choice of cut. Love a pleated trouser? Perfect. You’re allowed to wear them. Love a high-waisted wide-leg jean? You can find them everywhere. Still married to your skin-tight skinny jeans? Perf…nah, I can’t do it. I hate jeggings. But regardless of what I think, the good news is you will not be laughed out of the PTA meeting for looking outdated when you throw on your favorite skinny jeans bought in 2016.

Cropped, barrel-leg, straight leg, flared, wide leg, kick-out flare—you can find them everywhere. Better yet, you can wear them everywhere.

I tested this out by checking out Frame Denim’s available denim fits. If you haven’t heard of them, Frame is one of my favorite denim makers committed to keeping their supply chain free from any modern-day slavery, which should be table stakes but sadly makes Frame one of the few denim brands actively committed to humane and safe manufacturing practices. I should write a whole article on this…

Anywho, here’s exactly what Frame offers today in terms of jean silhouettes: cropped, long, wide leg, straight, flare, bootcut, boyfriend, skinny. This is like the Cheesecake Factory for jeans - everything you could want or need is here. I love it.

However, as we have found with nearly everything in our society, the more options we are given, the more difficult it is for us to make a decision.

To save you from a denim-shopping doom spiral, here are my tried-and-true tips for finding the perfect jean. This is the jean you will wear until there are holes in the seat and the belt loops are falling off—a jean you wear when you “want a promotion or want to get laid,” as my entrepreneur idol Ripley Rader says.

1 - Be Willing to Invest in Your Denim

Denim is something I refuse to skimp on. Partially because it is difficult for me to find jeans long enough, and partially because I have seen a significant difference between mid-range ($150-400) and cheap (<$150) denim. Some of you may be choking because I consider $150 jeans “cheap”, and I understand. However, denim is a strong fabric and good quality jeans are made for sustained wear. When I buy a pair of jeans for $220, I am planning on wearing them weekly for the next three to five years, which puts their cost per wear at a reasonable $1 per wear. They are something I feel comfortable in investing because I know a good pair will last years, maybe decades.

Another reason I invest in good denim is because I know they serve a major function in my wardrobe. This does not mean I own fifty pairs of jeans. In fact, I can count the jeans I own on one hand, so while I spend a significant amount per pair, I will only own four to five pairs at any given time. I have seen women with closets stuffed full of jeans, when they only wear two pairs regularly. Had they held off on buying thirty pairs of cheap jeans and instead purchased four pairs of high-quality jeans, the effect on their closet would be the same but with extra space.

If you are a regular jean-wearer, I highly encourage you to take the time to invest in a really good quality pair of jeans. You will be surprised at how well they keep their shape and how long they last.

Lastly and most importantly, there are plenty of jean brands who do not care about transparency in their supply chain. They will use the cheapest labor, regardless of the human cost. Yes, a $60 pair of jeans might sound like a great deal, but if it comes the high cost of worker exploitation, I kindly request you do humanity a great favor and put them back on the hanger. There are a few very high quality brands who refuse to allow child labor or worker exploitation into their supply-chain, and they need our support. If you’re reading this, let’s both pinky promise to invest in ethically made jeans. It is one small bit we can do for our fellow human, and it does make a difference.

If you are looking for high-quality, ethically made denim, check out Frame Denim, Neems, MUD Jeans, and Outland Denim, all of whom have made commitments to ethical production. *Aside - I have only purchased from Neems and Frame, but I’m eyeing MUD and Outland for future denim needs. I’ll let you know if I end up buying from either brand and what I think.

2 - Pick Jeans That Will Outlast the Trends

The perfect jeans need to be flattering, timeless, and endlessly versatile. Finding the right rinse is a key part of all three. Listen, I understand the appeal of the patches, loud stitching, and fun denim treatments like coatings or dyes. However, if we’re committed to spending $175+ on the PERFECT pair of ethically made jeans (and we are committed, right? You just pinky-promised me earlier in this article. Remember? We are ethical denim buds now.), we are not looking for trendy finishes or colors or crazy buttons. A little avant-garde is fine, but let’s not go full Comme des Garcons on your first investment jeans.

Trust me. Our goal is to be able to wear this pair for the next ten years, and those metal studs up the side are going to age about as well as your two-pack-a-day, unmarried aunt (which is to say, not well).

Focus on a timeless rinse. You’ll know it’s truly timeless if you have seen it pop-up in every decade. If you are a light wash lady, go for it. If you’re more of a dark wash diva like me, do it. Just stay away from the colored jeans, or jeans with loud details. Buying a pair with a memorable stitch, cuff, pocket, or color, takes away some of its versatility and repeatability, something we do not want in your perfect pair.

3 - Do the Six-Hour Test Before You Commit

If you are one of those lucky, standard height/shape/size/inseam ladies who can go into any store and find a pair of jeans that fit, congratulations! We are no longer friends. Stop reading this article, and move along. I’ll wait.

*insert Jeopardy theme music*

Now that’s over, for those of us weird-fit girlies who can only find jeans online, this is going to be an easy rule to follow: wear your new jeans around the house for at least six hours before (and this is critical) you take the tags off. Sound high maintenance? I understand. However, if you have ever experienced the heartbreak of cutting the tags off a pair of new jeans you thought fit great, only to find they are falling off your waist three hours later, the six-hour test is going to save you money and pain.

Pick a day where you will be around the house for a solid block of time and put on your new pair of jeans. Let your movement and body warmth loosen up those jeans to see if they still fit six hours from now. If over those hours your butt goes from perky to dumpy, these are not your jeans. If instead, they keep their shape and the waistband is still comfortable and you aren’t having to yank them up every five minutes, mazel tov! You have found a good pair of jeans, perhaps, the perfect pair.

4 - Honor the Figure You Have

Listen, I wish I was built like Sofia Vergara, but I need to accept it is not in the cards for me. Acceptance is a critical step if you are like me and have a perfectly normal body you don’t want to change, just make the most of.

If you have been following my series on dressing better, you’ll remember not every cut is made to flatter every figure. While the business of fashion wants us to believe we will look good in everything, therefore we should buy every new trend (while also paradoxically telling us we’ll never look quite as good as the models), it is untrue. Some silhouettes are always going to make you look good and feel confident, while wearing others will make you wonder where all your rizz went, which apparently is kid-speak for “charisma”.

Here’s a quick list of cuts and washes which tend to flatter the different body types:

1. Straight Body Type - balanced bust and hips, less defined waist

   1. Best Cuts: flare, boot cut, wide leg, straight, slim

   2. Best Washes: all types of washes work, just remember to define your waist and balance your top and bottom to create the illusion of the hourglass

      Straight body types have the most options because you are not trying to balance a top half or a bottom half; your ultimate goal is to maintain balance and define your waistline.

      Catherine, Princess of Wales is a great example of timeless style. She looks excellent in almost everything, and I adore her fashion choices. However, there are times where pairing dark jeans with a brighter top threw her figure out of balance.

      

      
      

      You can see in the left hand photos where the dark, tight jeans are almost overwhelmed by her top and are less flattering than the outfits on the right, where the pants and top are balanced and her waistline is defined, setting off her figure to best advantage.

      Again, this is a beautiful woman who looks great in all of these photos. We are simply leveraging these as visuals to decide how we too can look our best.

       

2. Pear Body Type - defined waist, hips are wider than bust, think Jennifer Lopez or Adele

   1. Best Cuts: bootcut, flare, or wide-leg jeans

   2. Best Washes: medium, dark, black

      I know it may seem counterintuitive to add the visual weight of a flare to a pear shape versus wearing a skinny jean, which has less fabric, however, dressing for your shape is all about balance.

      Avoid added weight at the ankle, such as a bold cuff or hem detail, as it will bring the eye down and add weight versus take it away

      The flare balances out the width of the hips, whereas skinny jeans that taper very narrowly toward the ankle emphasize the hips

      If you don’t believe me, put on a pair of skinny jeans and take a picture of yourself in the mirror, then take a picture of yourself in a pair of bootcut or flare leg jeans. In which picture do your hips appear more balanced?

       

3. Hourglass Body Type - balanced bust and hips with a very defined waistline, think Marilyn Monroe or Sofia Vergara

   1. Best Cuts: straight, boot, flare, slim, skinny

   2. Best Washes: any wash, but make sure your top half is visually balanced with your bottom half

      Those with hourglass figures already have the curves. The goal is to accentuate them. Believe it or not, hourglasses are the most difficult to dress because most clothing doesn’t lend itself to balance. Take a look at any dresses and you’ll notice they tend to have more detail either at the bust and shoulders or at the hips and thighs, which means it is visually out of balance and therefore will not be the most flattering for an hourglass.

      It is the same with jeans. Many jeans have patch pockets or whiskering or too many details that will tend to make an hourglass figure appear out of balance.

4. Apple Body Type - fuller bust and midsection, slimmer legs

   1. Best Cuts: wide, barrel, flare, boot

   2. Best Washes: light to medium, avoid dark and black

      I can hear the eyes rolling. No dark jeans? Correct. Zero dark jeans for apple shapes. You want to do the exact opposite of what the pear shape does in terms of color and weight. Everything is about bringing balance to your bottom half. I know so many women with the apple body type who want to highlight their killer legs with tight, skinny jeans, and then “camouflage” the top half with a baggy shirt.

      Visually, this adds unnecessary weight to your top half, while the dark washes and skinny cut makes your bottom half look even narrower.

      Instead of trying to camouflage your top half, we need to create balance. A lighter wash jean in a wider cut will help offset a curvier top half.

      I’m going to leverage the legendary Queen Latifah to help prove my point. Now, remember, this is a beautiful woman with great style, so she’s never going to look bad. It becomes a question of which outfit is the most flattering?

The two images on the left are what I consider standard apple body type outfits: flowy, oversized top paired with dark, skinny jeans. The two images on the right are the opposite: bold, wider leg white trousers paired with darker tops. Which outfits look more balanced? Which outfits are most flattering to her figure?

At this point, if you are not shouting at the screen yelling “The outfits on the right! Go right!” Then I have failed, and this is where we part ways. Good luck and Godspeed. There is nothing else I can do for you. If you are still here but have begun crying into the seventy pairs of dark wash skinny jeans you have hanging in your closet right now, I’m sorry. Someone needed to tell you.

Also, have hope, there is a whole new world of clothing which will make you feel and look better than ever, starting with a light wash, wide leg jean.

Fashion will keep changing its mind. It always has, and it always will. It will tell us a certain cut is out of style and the next month shout “It’s baaackkk!”. Finding the perfect pair of jeans is not done by watching trends, but by understanding what you look and feel the best wearing and investing in those things.

I hope my little guide helped you on your denim journey, as I sit here in my well-worn and well-loved pair of black Frame jeans. Don’t be surprised if I am buried in them someday.

Tell me about your jeans journey in the comments, and if you are looking for timeless, ethical women’s outerwear, check out my line at martindaleclothing.com

Until next time,

Elise Martindale