Non-raw denim recommendations
Hello! Looking for some non-raw denim recommendations. I am looking to get some jeans after wearing chinos/slacks for almost 5 years straight haha. I don't want raw denim since it's just a bigger chore than I would like, but I'm not sure what is out there that is still good quality.
My main requirements are:
1. Non-distressed (you'd be surprised how many jeans I've tried/liked and realized they were distressed after I put them on)
2. $150 max (prefer lower)
3. Not raw demin (I don't want my shoes/hands/car-seats to turn blue lol
4. Slim cut, I'm not personally into straight cuts but definitely don't want to get skinny jeans again haha.
For reference, lately I've just been wearing black uniqlo jeans. They're alright, price was okay but they are definitely more on the "stretch" side of things. Black hasn't faded too bad, but I wanted to get some dark blue and some lightwash jeans which uniqlo has a bad selection of lately.
Suggestions/recommendations appreciated!!!
13 Replies
Vintage Wrangler I love and it’s super cheap. Most of their straight cuts are pretty slim (well slimish straight, like a levis 501), and most of the vintage pairs that are around are pretty light wash just from age
oh neat, never thought about that. how accessible are they?
If you just search up “Vintage Wrangler” on Grailed or eBay there are tons of pairs for like sub $30, most of them made in the USA too
Some of them might be like lightly distressed, but that really depends on the specific pair (like some slight fraying at the hem is probably fine right)
light fraying is fine
i just can't personally rock the stuff with mega holes
my hairy legs peeking through ain't the look 😂
Yeahhh I don’t like that sorta thing either, accidentally sticking your foot through a knee hole is not fun lol
Got a pair of 501s recently, and I love them. It's a straight cut, but neither baggy nor skinny. Their advertising pitch says "it's what you see in your head when you imagine a pair of jeans," and they're kinda right about that. The red tag comes in lots of different washes, and is about $120 list price, but I got them on sale for $50, and you can probably do even better on eBay.
Don’t you guys find it hard to buy jeans on eBay without trying on? I feel like there’s tons of variety even within one size of one model just due to factory tolerances.
It takes some knowledge. You have to know your measurements. Good listings have pictures with rulers against the clothes. You can measure clothes you have that fit you well and compare.
it takes practice and even then you'll misfire sometimes
as someone with a lot of denim, i speak from experience when i say even with measurements sometimes it just doesnt work out
i might stop by a levi's later today
absolutely 0 faith in the sizing being accurate
but might be the easiest and most accessible for me
this is the best thing, esp for levis. the sizing can be wildly inconsistent and ive had pairs ranging from size 29 to 32 in the same cut, even though my waist size hasnt changed at all in the last 20 years
yeah i just went today, picked up a 32x32 of the dark wash 512's and they fit nothing like the lightwash pairs
so I had to get 33x32 in the lightwash
wish I could have gotten 30 length on both to avoid hemming but 🤷