Get a Leg Up on Denim Fashion

Here's how to go beyond the ordinary and get better quality and a better fit.
By Rhonda Markowitz ,

For an item of clothing that is such a staple in most wardrobes, blue jeans cause an inordinate amount of angst.

Once you had the choice of two, maybe three, brands, and now there seem to be hundreds, and most pretty pricey at that. Women may have the patience to try on a few dozen different labels, but many men just want to get into the store and get out again as quickly as possible.

While there's no real substitute for trying on a pair, we do have a few helpful hints to narrow down the range.

Color

As we edge into spring, one thing you have to know about your old blues is that they're old. The latest hues range from pearly washed-out shades to bohemian-influenced brights like grass green, yellow and turquoise (perhaps best left to the bohemians).

According to Timothy Elliott of

Barneys New York

, many jeans this season are a whiter shade of pale. He adds, "You also have a trend towards a bit of a higher waist," which should be welcome news to anyone who has wanted to keep certain parts of their bodies under wraps.

Quantity

You want to have at least two pairs: A dressier, more going-out kind of jean, and the everyday, oh-I-just-threw-these-on-but-happen-to-look-great pair.

For guys on the shorter side, length is crucial. Don't let them pool up around your ankles, and the hem should meet the top of your shoe sole. Also, go for a straight line or boot-cut -- styles that are good choices for the muscular, the most difficult body type to fit (try denim with a bit of stretch).

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:

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.)

Earnest also has a handy fit guide, as Ylvisaker explains: "The Fulton, our best-seller, is the classic five-pocket straight-leg jean, based on American heritage. The fit transcends trends, and is worn by everybody from the hipster to the banker.

"Then we have the Hutch, which is a conservative boot-cut, if you need to even out the proportions a bit. The Hemingway is more relaxed through the entire leg, for the more 'athletic' build. The Kyrre (pronounced 'Keer') is a slim tapered jean of rigid, not stretch, denim; and the Ace is our 'rocker' boot-cut, slim to mid-calf before coming to more of a flare at the very end."

Fit

Yvilsaker advises customers to go with the tightest pair they feel comfortable with, because the denim is going to stretch with wear; they'll go back to the original fit with washing, but that's another no-no for purists. Real denim-lovers will wear those babies until they mold perfectly to the body, which with today's specialized washes and seaming won't take too long.

Then, Yvilsaker recommends either hand-washing and then line-drying, or just spraying with Febreze if they get too stinky. Woolite has made a new detergent just for hand-washing dark clothes, as does a specialty line called

Caldrea

, available at finer stores.

Whatever you do, do

not

throw your jeans in the dryer, and always turn them inside-out before washing.

If you do decide to dry-clean them, which sort of defeats the whole point, never, ever, let them put a crease down the front; Yvilsaker shudders at the very thought: "I wouldn't want to see that."

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