Mens Jeans Reccomendations

July 14, 2009 12:04 PM

Can you recommend a decent quality and stylish pair of jeans for a 30 year old American man for under $200.00?

I am open to anything, but I tend to prefer strait leg slim fitting jeans - almost a European look. I don't like a boot cut. And I am thinking about a pair that you could wear with a business shirt on Casual Friday or potentially out for a dinner.

What do you like?

TIA
I Love You

posted by I love You to shopping (30 comments total)

makeyourownjeans.com

If you don't mind measuring yourself, the jeans here are high quality. I've got three pairs already and they look great. And they're about $60 per pair
posted by scrutiny at 12:07 PM on July 14 [1 favorite]

Nur. Here's the link to that site.
posted by scrutiny at 12:09 PM on July 14 [3 favorites]

I've actually had luck recently with Banana Republic. They have straight cut jeans these days. At least in NYC.
posted by dfriedman at 12:10 PM on July 14 [1 favorite]

Levi's jeans are a classic choice, especially for Americans. They look good, are of quality, and cost around $50. The 501 is a straight cut, and the 514 is a slimmer straight cut.
posted by espire at 12:10 PM on July 14 [2 favorites]

I buy my jeans from GAP. They have a bunch of trendy styles that make my butt look good for the ladies. low rise, straight leg, etc..
posted by Gravitus at 12:15 PM on July 14

APC New Standards are a high quality slim, straight-legged jean that feels great, looks great, and is under $200. Note, however, that the denim does stretch out some so you will probably want to size down 1 - 2" from your usual size.
posted by dersins at 12:19 PM on July 14 [1 favorite]

Uniqlo makes lovely jeans. The last pair I bought was $80. Raw, selvedge denim and made in japan. Unfortunately, their only US outpost is in NYC and they don't do mail order.
posted by clockwork at 12:25 PM on July 14

I feel like I have answered this question multiple times on AskMeFi.

Go for AG Jeans. You want the Protégé or the Hero.
posted by charlesv at 12:26 PM on July 14

whichever you go with please don't get embellished pocket jeans. i hate that. plain pocket or levis.
posted by violetk at 12:26 PM on July 14

APC New Standards aren't a bad choice (and aside from the stretch, they're vanity sized, so agree on sizing down - I would almost say 3"). You could also look at Acne and maybe some of Nudie's stuff, though maybe the pocket designs on the Nudies wouldn't be your style.

I would check Self Edge and Blue in Green Soho. Both carry a lot of high-end Japanese denim, including some which have a nice slim cut. Most of these will be closer to $250 than $200, but they will last much better than the APCs.

I saw these ones recently, and they're $175; haven't tried them personally
http://www.selfedge.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=82&products_id=437

Skull 5010s are a nice slim cut. PBJ makes slim cut straight leg jeans which are quite nice. I have a pair of Somets which are nice, but a little low in the rise for me.

If you live near somewhere you can try these jeans on in person, you should, but otherwise, I would suggest looking on Superfuture and checking out the fit pictures people post, as well as reading the measurements posted on those sites carefully.
posted by PandaMcBoof at 12:29 PM on July 14 [1 favorite]

Levi's 511 (I wear now, nice fit 99% Cotton/1% Spandex) or 514 (What I used to consider 'tight jeans' are now baggy to me) in solid black.

They also make a 510 that is super skinny but I've never tried on a pair.

I know my measurements and how they fit so I just buy new pairs for $45-55 on Amazon.
posted by wcfields at 12:30 PM on July 14

Mr. Arkham just (re)discovered button-fly 501s...and I think they are pretty sexy. They come in darker washes for casual Friday/dinner wear.
posted by JoanArkham at 12:33 PM on July 14

Seconding Levi's. The 514 (straight, slim legs, slightly lower waist) is exactly what you described, and is very popular at the moment. The classic 501 has a higher waist (and the rear of the waist rises higher than the front) and is slightly more baggy than the 514. Depending on your body type, you may look better in one or the other, so try them both on. If you want to get something a little more "premium," try Levi's Hesher jeans. Same cut as the 514 but with better quality materials.

As for colors and washes, go for something dark with as little fake wear as possible (preferably none).
posted by clorox at 12:37 PM on July 14

APC New Standards are the shit.
posted by jeb at 12:45 PM on July 14

Levi's. With lots of classic clothing items, the original is usually better than anything "fashionable." For instance, Sperry's boat shoes look better, and better-made, and cheaper than most designer rip offs.

You have to keep in mind that lots of designer clothes are just that: poorly made copies of original items that, instead of selling for less, sell for more. Screw that noise.

Sometimes there's a non-original company making good stuff, of course. I'm all for small, nearly artesianal stuff. You'll find lots of good, classic choices here:

http://acontinuouslean.com/the-american-list/
posted by yesno at 12:58 PM on July 14

I recommend Seven for all Mankind jeans. I think the "Flynt" style has a European look...thin through the thigh and a little bit looser after the knee. They fit very well (they are not 100% cotton so they have some stretch in them) and wear well for me.

They do typically have more decorative pockets so if that's not your thing you might look someplace else.

The price range for their jeans is $155 - $215.

They also offer free alterations.
posted by rmtravis at 1:04 PM on July 14

I also think you should get a pair of ACP New Standards. They are very simple, with no embelishments at all. The denim is really nice. My only beef with them is that they stretch out a fair bit. You need to size down 2" i'm guessing for them to fit properly. My pair are pretty baggy now.

Julian Red California's are another pair of jeans I own that I think are awesome.
posted by chunking express at 1:09 PM on July 14

honestly, most of the jeans post so far [at least to me] seem kind of big/baggy.

I'd really suggest WESC for a younger, european look.
posted by mattsweaters at 1:13 PM on July 14

Check out G-Star denim.
posted by milarepa at 1:23 PM on July 14

Marithe + Francois Girbaud
posted by goml at 1:25 PM on July 14

Chiming in with Lucky Brand Jeans.
Lucky

IMO, their quality is vey good, and you can certainly find your own style.
posted by theKik at 1:42 PM on July 14

Tenthing APC New Standards, although if you want something slightly looser - but still slimmer than 90% of what guys on the street are wearing - check out APC Rescues.
posted by brozek at 3:33 PM on July 14

I really like Agave jeans, which often show up cheap at Sierra Trading Post.
posted by larsks at 5:16 PM on July 14

Agree with Larsks on Agave for your needs. I'm happy with mine.
posted by objdoc at 5:43 PM on July 14

Naked and Famous, wearing a pair of weird guys right now.

Otherwise: Rag & Bone, Paper Denim & Cloth, & Dior (don't own any Dior yet)
posted by senseigmg at 5:57 PM on July 14

APC.

I also highly recommend Ralph Lauren Double RL's.
posted by Zambrano at 6:49 PM on July 14

APC. They definitely have some slimmer options and the jeans are certainly fashionable and of high quality.

Banana Republic does make a good pair of straight leg jeans for around $80.
posted by comatose at 8:38 PM on July 14

re: wcfields / chlorox: I am a skinny guy (6', 140ish), and I've tried all the newer "slim fit" Levis like 511s and 514s, and to me, they're not a good fit. I can't explain why, but they don't look or feel good on me at all, nor do they even seem that slim. Wranglers might have something that works if you can find some that aren't boot cut.

Regarding the comment "honestly, most of the jeans post so far [at least to me] seem kind of big/baggy", which ones are you referring to? The APC New Standards and all the Japanese ones I mentioned are quite slim, and I think the Julian Red Californias are as well. If you size the APCs down the right amount, in fact, they will be quite tight, and if you really want them tighter, you can always go for the New Cures. I could barely even get them on, and as I mentioned, I'm pretty skinny. Not recommended unless you're a 16 year old emo boy.

Anyway, some pics in case that gives you an idea of fit:
APCs at 1 week (I think these are a 26!!)
http://soulrebels.com/wby/apc_front_1w.jpg

PBJs pretty soon after purchase (forget which model, but they're 28s)
http://soulrebels.com/wby/pbjs_front.jpg

Skull 5010s at 8 months (29)
http://soulrebels.com/wby/skull_front_8m.jpg
posted by PandaMcBoof at 11:12 PM on July 14

If you're willing to put in the effort for raw denim, APCs are a good choice. That means not washing them (not at all for 6 months, minimum) and wearing them a ton so that they conform to your body, loosen and soften up - that's why you size down quite a bit for raw denim.

Besides that, if you're looking for a slim fit but not skin tight, I don't hesitate to recommend Earnest Sewn. Love their fit.
posted by sub-culture at 11:49 AM on July 15

Levis. Bought a nice pair recently in Costco for $20. My wife likes my bum in them so they must be good.
posted by arcticseal at 8:31 PM on July 17