Jeans by fabric type
Been looking more closely at my favorite pairs of jeans and realizing I have some pretty specific preferences for fabric (98% cotton 2% stretchy stuff is the sweet spot). Is there a good way to find jeans with a specific fabric blend, other than looking up a specific pair and then looking at the product details? I don't suppose there's a guide or a spreadsheet or anything like that?
9 Replies
I’d find the jeans you like and then look for material composition
jeans with stretch will usually be marketed as flex, performance, or just stretch
The thing is, I hate too much stretch, would prefer too stiff to too stretchy
so it's a very narrow window I'm looking for
98/2 is pretty common
100% cotton also is naturally stretchy, just takes some time to break in and soften up
Agree with raisin, 98% cotton with some stretch has become pretty standard. Other than just searching for "98% cotton" jeans, there's not really a name to classify denim with that exact cotton/spandex composition.
an awful lot of what I'm finding is more on the order of like 91% cotton 7% polyester 2% spandex/elastane/etc. sometimes cotton as low as 78%
maybe I should be looking for no polyester
but it seems like that mostly gets me results for 100% cotton no-stretch (an improvement, but not what I'm shooting for)
I don’t know what your budget is, but Madewell 1991 straight leg are probably my favorite stretch jeans. Shockoe Atelier is another more premium option. Both are more of a 501 fit with slightly roomier thighs. More relaxed fits don’t really benefit from stretch imo.
From experience, the thickness of the denim will impact stretchiness too. Old Navy sells jeans in the "athletic fit" that are 99% cotton 1% spandex, but they bag out really quickly because the fabric is thin. I find that current Levi's premium fits in 98/2 seem hold up a little better, but still not perfect.
Stretch jeans of any kind will not hold their shape over time as well as non-stretch. That's why most people here prefer non-stretch
Wrangler's flex line is 98% cotton/2% elastane.