Jeans, day to day wear, who, what, where, etc….

I struggle at times with self justification of cost of items, certainly massively so from back in the day. Once upon a time i’d be happy throwing £90 at a pair of Armani jeans, or £120 at a Versace shirt etc… These days, i’m having issues spending £30 on a pair from Next, despite the fact i wear them every day. But they’re now a bit ‘stiff’ along with having stretched and moved so they don’t really fit in the right places etc.

However, the Next ones look a bit naff after a year, especially as i’ve dumped some weight lately…

So, how much do you spend and what are ‘nice’ jeans ? I’ve got a problem with the fact that i’m somewhat between sizes. I’m about a 35″ waist… but i have BIG thighs from cycling and just being a big bloke overall. So most 34s and especially in the more modern cuts of ‘skinny’ won’t even get over my ankles, let alone my thighs.

I don’t need them to be super expensive, but if expensive fits better and feels nicer, that’s good.

I honestly can’t remember the brand, but i got some stretchy jeans in canada, they are the first jeans ive had for decades that actually fit me properly.

they were about £80 iirc, im going again in October and will look for some more, although I don’t wear them every day.

Also, find a good seamstress, that way you will achieve a better fit.

I wear Levi 501s, but have found that the quality of recent pairs has dropped. The last pair seemed much thinner and wore out quite quickly. However, for the last couple of years I’ve also had some Hebtroco* moleskins and they have been absolutely bullet proof.

*other trouser suppliers are available.

Boot cut Levi’s here. Normally wait for a sale and pick up a couple of pairs. I’ll pay about £50 for a pair and that’ll do me for years. Nothing fancy. They seem to wear well.

I wear Carhartt Double Fronted Logger Jeans – big, baggy, tough as old nails and cool (if you’re a teenage skateboarder, at least). Not ‘fitted’ in any way. When they’re totally f**ked and starting to fall apart I put them on eBay as vintage / pre-worn, and more often than not will get more than I paid for them new.

New Look – as long as your local one actually sells men’s stuff, and isn’t one of the ones they are ditching. Gap outlet at Gretna is good too, half price jeans, and not one of those lined up on rails, set out the same as the shop.

Used to spend loads on clothes too, idiot that I am.

Zara jeans are nice and soft for every day wear

Dickies chinos are indestructible and come in a variety of fits. Topman jeans have plenty of stretch and mine have lasted well for £30

Edwin Ed55 are a good fit for me. They have plenty of thigh room but taper down the leg so you do not look like a rapper.

You can usually pick them up for around £50 in the sale.

No idea on longevity as I wear trousers through the week. I cannot imagine most jeans lasting if worn daily.

I love an STW fashion thread..

£90 on Armani jeans, when was this 1991?

Levi’s, just walk into Levi’s and buy a pair that fit.

Take a look at Spoke – expensive, but good quality, free returns, and 3 different fits so they should accommodate your thighs!

Gap – cheap, lots of styles and last a reasonable while. Not as good as Huit but I can’t afford the posh ones anymore.

another vote for carhartt gear.

just be sure to get their fashion stuff(which is also silly hard wearing) and not their work wear – their work wear is terrible quality and terrible fit hence why its cheap.

Dickies – same thing – their workwear is terrible quality but their fashion stuff is good and very hard wearing

Pretty much all i wear now as it fits – ive always struggled to get jeans that fit proper and also to last – and as bodgy says good quality thick denim and dont have to be skaterboy tastic they do all styles from super skinny to super baggy and everythign in between.

Just dont wash them with anything you dont want to be blue the first time you wash em.

the Carhartt FIP store were doing them half price earlier in the year so i stocked up.

I have been picking mine up from fatface whenever they have a sale as i am an untrendy skinflint. .and there is sale on just now

£90 on Armani jeans, when was this 1991?

Probably not far off mate 🙂 The Armani jeans seem to be a chunk more than that now, hence me having issues throwing that sort of money on them.

I wasn’t looking for a willy waving contest or who spends the most…. Was just after some ideas.

I tried on some Next 34″ this morning i had when i thought optimistically i’d get into them. They’re a tiny bit too snug at the moment, but i’ll see if they’ve got any give in them by wearing for a day or two here and there. The legs fit well… but the waist is a little snug… Need another 7lb off myself to get them comfy. But need something else in the interim.

Levi 504s.  I have big calves, and can’t wear skinny or tapered jeans. Normally happy to pay about £70-£80 for a pair of jeans.

I used to buy loads of Next jeans but their cuts have changed in the slim fit, I can’t stand jeans that are wide at the ankle or too baggy round the knee and calf.

I’ve swapped over to Levi’s now, can’t recall the exact model but they’re slim fit and fit really well, also got a really goof pair of G-Star in a similar cut, that are getting on for 10 years old and look almost new.

agree about Levi’s

go try some Levi’s tapered jeans and maybe the ones that have a bit of stretch in ’em

I’m using 512s

last ages

yes! I love jeans threads on singletrack!  ‘man’ thighs, willy waving, top gear, brand snobbery , brilliant!!!!

I’m a fan of Levi Commuters. Bit of stretch for cyclist legs, reflective strips on the turn ups.

Only thing that killed my first pair was a Brooks Cambium.

Just waiting for TJ to crash the mood with his “if you’re over 25 you shouldn’t wear denim” bullshit.

I recently had great success at TK Maxx  (3 pairs for much cheapness) but you are very much at the mercy of what they have in at any given time. If you are a little generous in the thigh and calf area, boot cut will probably be your best option.

Usually Edwin ed-55 in unwashed selvage for about £100-£120

a decent cut for cyclists and a high enough rise not to show your underwear.

they do them in cheaper denim with various washes/fades beloved of teenagers and those who like to fight in pubs and use tanning products.

Just to buck the trend, i got two pairs of jeans from Tesco for £5 each in the sale (50% off!!!).

Bootcut. oh god I forgot that.  The horror. The unrelenting horror.

Holy shit! You’d think a man with his money could buy a pair that fitted properly.

Another vote for checking out TK Maxx. As coyote it can be very hit and miss as to what they have at any given time but I’ve recently picked up some very nice French Connection and Replay jeans for much cheapness

weeksy – yeah same here. £30 at next is about my limit. But the fit is never the same each year. And they only last a year too before the left knee gives out.

Question for all the posh-jeans folk – do the expensive ones last longer. Eg daily wear 7 days a week. How many years will a huit etc last?

Currently Gap and some older Uniqlo ones from when they did a decent cut that fit me.

Gap do “athletic” cut (bit roomier in the thigh, small taper lower down) which fit me great. Little bit of a stretch to them so comfy to sit in or quickly ride down to the shops. £50 normal price but frequent sales or sometimes in the outlets.

Question for all the posh-jeans folk – do the expensive ones last longer?

Carhartt Logger Jeans, £45 online – will last two years of daily use, work & workshop, gardening, dog walking, out and about.

daily wear 7 days a week

nothing will last very long if you wear them daily with frequent washing.

i usually have 5-6 pairs on the go at various stages of wear/fade, the newest pair are obviously not going to be worn doing gardening and the oldest pair worn ‘going out’

i usally get a fair few years out of a pair, I still have some Edwin Nashville and a pair of ED-80 that are over 10 years old that are fine for doing diy/getting dirty, they have a few holes in them but it was the wider cut and very faded look that stopped me spending money on getting the denim doctor to repair them.

Debenhams is good too for Duffer, John Roscha and Jasper Conran or Levis. All decent quality, nicely fitting kit without being too expensive. If its something that you’re going to wear all the time then surely you shouldn’t begrudge spending upwards of 30 quid you tight git!! 😉

The idea of setting foot in Next or M&S to buy clothes is just a step too far towards just giving up and ordering some with an elasticated waist from an advert in the back of the Daily Mail Sunday Supplement 😀

Them above just look a LONG way from what i want in jeans… .they look ridiculous IMO, too long, too baggy, turn ups ! stupid looking pockets…. Sheesh no

these from uniqlo

Cheap, long lasting, fit well. Etc etc

I remember when Arsenal signed Jose Antonio Reyes and the joke was he will bring some flair to the attack

Fair enough, buddy. I likes ’em, they suit my physique and the pockets are useful for stuff.

John Rocha & MantaRay in debenhams have reasonably priced nice fitting jeans in a variety of styles and colours. often pick pairs up on EBay for under a tenner with a few years left in them. The only issue is fit – even identical numbers often aren’t identical fits, I have so many 34W from comfiest trousers I own to OMYGODITHURTZ that are identical brands and numbers, you never know till they are on, so buying new in the shop may actually be more economic.

weeksy – those do look a bit rediculous to be fair.

i prefer have the  texas and some klondikes

https://www.carhartt-wip.com/en/men-denim-relaxed/texas-pant-blue-rigid-2421_1

down to 30 quid atm as well 😀

I pick up Howies jeans in their sales. 32L slim fit fits me perfectly and they last well enough, given that I wear them all day every day.

Levi 511 are slim enough to look good but not too slim for my cyclists legs.

H&M are a pretty good fit, albeit they don’t wear as well.

And, if you can find them, the Matalan (yes, Matalan) Selvedge jeans are really, really good for pittance.