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I look for three things in a pair of jeans: full length (I’m 1.65m and wear a 81cm leg), high waist and, most importantly, a straight fit. Worn well, they should sculpt the waist, hollow out the bum and hug the legs, offering comfort and coolness with a vintage twist. Here’s our roundup of the season’s best…
Foolproof Finds (If You Can Get Them)
The “most coveted jean” of the Latin brand SLVRLAKE is its London Design (from $269), which has an open-weave construction that creates an authentic-looking patina that also helps the jeans keep their shape. The full length is available in 10 washes, or try the ankle-length cut for those flirting with a cropped fit.
From Agolde 90s fitted waist (from $208) has acquired a similar cult status. “Sales are up 50 percent over last year,” says the brand’s vice president, Jordan Fink. Designed with a high waist and a hip-hugging top block, the jeans are now offered with a 32-inch inseam. In SS25, expect to find a stretchy cropped version.
Red Germain jeans in original blue, £160
From Los Angeles to Paris, Jeanne Damas de Rouje has recently expanded its offering of straight leg styles. Try The Germaina vintage cut, in Original Blue (£160).
Lengths for longer legs
Frame Le Jane Supernova, $288
Kendall Jenner has long professed her love for Danielle de Khaite’s Stretch high-waisted (£430) and reportedly has a pair in every wash, while stylist and creative director Djuna Bel, 6ft 11in, has said Frame’s Jane in Supernova (£280) to be “the perfect jean for a tall girl”.
The unisex cut
Content creator Lizzy Hadfield, who lives in London and New York, has two pairs of Eytys Benz Jeans (£360) on rotation. “They’re very flattering through the waist and bum,” she says, “and loose through the leg, which, to me, is what makes a jean straight-leg.”
Designer Noriko Machida Japanese brand Chimala, based in New York (from £424) complement the body in the same way. They’re made from 13.05 selvedge denim and woven on vintage, pre-WWII shuttle looms, and have a “worn-in” feel. All washes and distressing treatments – from frayed hems to subtle cuts at the pockets and knees – are done by hand, making each pair unique.
Stretching versus structure
Mother fits well on all shapes and sizes; its delightfully stretchy fabric is for the days when pulling on raw denim seems like an impossible feat. Current featured products include Maven’s Stealth and Kick it Styles (from £264) with the distinctive ‘M’ printed on the back pockets. At the opposite end of the spectrum, check out APC’s raw-cut jeans. Beach jeans (£235) for a more structured fit.
Variations on a jean
Saks Potts Salma jeans, €385
Copenhagen-based Saks Potts, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, forayed into denim in 2021 with its Salma mid-rise jeans (€385). They feature contrasting double stitching, construction-style patch pockets and a lambskin coin purse as decoration.
Day to night washes
“Indigo denim is so versatile,” say Tove founders Camille Perry and Holly Wright, whose Linn Jeans (£340), made from recycled cotton, is “easy to wear on a day-to-day basis, but also works well when paired with more sophisticated separates for a more polished look.” For an 80s vibe, Guess straight jeans (£110), made partly from Lyocell, come in a charcoal acid wash with a two-tone hem.
Cheap shopping
Denim Library specializes in secondhand Levi’s (’90s 501 editions that keep you buttoned up with a slightly slimmer leg), Wrangler and Lee; offers limited-edition eyewear and a quick returns process if it doesn’t fit your needs.
With love, Lennyan LA-based platform that offers fully custom jeans made from recycled denim (you can buy them at thrift stores or they have a nice selection of styles to choose from in their showroom). There is the option to have additional details done, from embroidery to distressing. By appointment only, but virtual fittings are also available.