Get a Leg Up on Denim Fashion

For work, or for evenings out, favor the darker wash you may already have in your closet (for example, both Diesel and the line Chip & Pepper make more trouser-like jeans).

Brand

The manufacturers stocked by Barneys New York include:

• Rogan
• Rag & Bone
• Prada
• Superfine
• Dolce & Gabbana
• Acne
• Tsubi
• Loomstate (organic cotton)
• Earnest Sewn

Of all these, Elliott refers to the last as having "the most in common with a Levi's aesthetic" -- ironic, since Levi's have stopped producing jeans in the U.S., whereas all of Earnest Sewn's jeans are made here.

Earnest Sewn

If owning a brand worn by the likes of Kiefer Sutherland, Bruce Springsteen and Jake Gyllenhaal sounds appealing, be prepared to fork over anywhere from $178 to $800 for the privilege. But for that top price, you can choose from denim loomed in America, Italy or Japan; consult on the silhouette you want (more on that later); pick the color thread you want, choose the button on the fly (including vintage Japanese or 14K gold) and the rivets, the design on the back pockets (hint: guys'-guys don't advertise), and have the autograph you use to sign off on your collaborative effort embroidered into the pocket linings.

Eleanor Ylvisaker, public relations director and a partner in Earnest Sewn, said: "Everything that can be done to a pair of jeans is done to these. They are hand-repaired, the washes are beautiful, they're all made of selvedge denim."

(Selvedge -- also spelled "selvage," and derived from the term "self-edge" -- specifies a higher-quality, tighter-weave denim made on old-style shuttle looms, which weave the fabric with a continuous cross thread for the length of the bolt. This creates a clean, natural edge that will not unravel, and fabric that lasts for many years.)