Always List - Jeans

Jeans - It is certainly not revolutionary that a man should have jeans. But specifically, a man should have various types of jeans.

The Destroyed Pair - This is for the jeans that have the torn up knees, the thrashed cuff, the stains on the legs, the worn out back pocket. One of two ways to get this pair of jeans: buy it or earn it. If you are going to earn it, go the A.P.C. way. If you are going to buy it, think about the Abercrombie & Fitch. Their Remsen slim straight destroyed jeans have a great fit and nice level of destruction. (Typically I hate A&F, but I do have to say they have great jeans).

These jeans are best worn with a button down shirt or nice polo shirt. Capitalize on the sartorial contradiction of wearing worn out jeans with a nice clean shirt and shoes. These also work great with a blazer and converse. Utilize the jeans to add extra casualness to the outfit. Save the tshirt and jeans look for your other jeans.

The Favorite Pair - Do I really have to explain what makes a pair of jeans your favorite? This pair is not as torn up as the one above. It looks worn in, but is not destroyed, hopefully only has one or two small holes.
Wear this pair of jeans to the bar, to the ballgame, for kicking it with the girl. This pair of jeans are perfect for your favorite t-shirt. You could sleep in these jeans and probably have. Just make sure they are vintage slim fit.

The Nice Pair - Lastly, every guy needs a pair of crisp clean jeans that are for casual Friday at work, the important date, the dinner date or for meeting her parents. These are the jeans that you wear when slacks are too dressy, but you still have to look good. These jeans go better with a suit than a shirt, but hell they are jeans, they can be worn with anything. The Nice Pair of jeans are dark wash, non-faded, no distressing, no whiskering, no holes. We at DF recommend Selvage denim (also called selvedge denim) as it has cleaner lines. J Crew and the Gap have nice selvage denim jeans.
Remember, to dress the jeans up properly. Wear them with nice shoes and a well tailored jacket. Respect this pair of jeans as they are to be worn when you need to look nice. These are the jeans that work with any jacket and tie combination you own. Wear them only with dress shoes or casual shoes with good lines, like converse (save the skate shoes for the 90s flashbacks).

Raw Denim - A.P.C. Jeans

A.P.C. is a french company that actually sells something worth talking about, raw denim jeans. Raw denim jeans are completely unwashed and untreated denim. The denim is like a blank canvas awaiting your masterpiece of style. The more you wear the jeans the more they get broken in, distressed, faded and become a secondary skin. A.P.C. by all regards make the best raw denim around. You can certainly find other companies, like Nudie & G-Star, that make good raw denim jeans, but judging by the pictures above I will stick with A.P.C.

Even though you aren't supposed to wash A.P.C. Jeans for a year (minimum of 6 months). During that time you are supposed to just wear them. Letting the denim breathe, distress and mold to your body. Raw Denim jeans are supposed to be bought a size too small and then as you wear them they will gain an inch in the waist. At first they are very stiff and uncomfortable, but over time they will break-in and easier to wear. Eventually they will be the softest, most comfortable pair of jeans, but you have to have patience to get there and ignore the fact that they need to be washed. I only wish that I had found these jeans in college, then I would have had an excuse not to wash them and a pair of jeans that were so uniquely broken in. I also want to hire someone with exact body type to break them in for me (but I guess that would take away part of the fun).

In the picture above you can see the brand new pair of A.P.C. jeans next to a pair that has been broken in for a year. I think the look is very cool and natural looking, unlike so many pair of "distressed" or "destroyed" jeans that are sold today.

The proper way to dress up a pair of jeans

To continue on the theme of jeans, dressing up a pair of jeans is a critical element to being a dandy fashionier.



Think of your jeans as a pair of neutral slacks, they go with any outfit and color combination. The picture is courtesy of The Sartorialist (thesartorialist.blogspot.com. I hope he doesn't mind). Notice the slim straight cut to the jeans, they add personality to the outfit. The jeans add a rebellious casual element to the classic tie, shirt and sport coat combination. Jeans are an easy way to add sprezzatura to an outfit.



We here at DF love his elegant use of no socks, sometimes the best accessory is the absence of one. This is another subtle element to add sprezzatura to his style. (It looks like he accidentally left the house without socks, but he meant to, and man he looks good.)



Also got to love the blue Ray Ban Wayfarers. Nice tie-in to the jeans and tie. Note that the blues don't match they are just in the same color family.