Noob needs help about buying jeans/brands

[imashyboi415]

Ok, first let me start by saying I have searched a few threads in this forum regarding jeans but it didn't help me that much. Part of the reason is because I'm not a big denim fan and I don't know all of the terminology being used in the posts. I am posting here because I want some insights on denims from people/collectors who actually know what they're talking about, and from someone who can probably recommend a good brand for me to buy.

I am trying to find a brand which fits comfortable and not too baggy. All my jeans from the past were all bought from Macys because the mall is just 5mins away from where I live. I hate it when I buy a pair of denims and every time I wear it with my Nikes the bottom part will always hit concrete and eventually get damaged. I should alter it but I'm too lazy to do so. I want a pair of denims which is comfortable, not too tight on my thigh/leg, and a pair which will not hit concrete when I'm wearing a pair of low Nikes. I think the problem with my old denims was I always bought baggy jeans which made the leg too big, hence; why it always hit concrete when I wore it. I usually buy jeans relative to my waist. I won't buy a sz36 when I'm a 32.

Regarding the price, I'm not too fond of spending a lot of money on jeans because it's not a important part of my collection. I don't mind spending $100 once in awhile but I prefer spending less than $100 on each pair. I'm not trying to hunt for jeans either. If I can find one that has a good fade and color then that's good for me. I know there are tons of expensive jeans from japan with very nice quality but I'm just not willing to spend that much for a pair of denims.

What brand can you guys suggest for me? From the post I've seen people tend to buy bootcut jeans, is this what I should start getting or is there another name for it?

[ayn]

I saw a pair of full selvage jeans at Club Monaco for $39, only had one pair in 32W, but I was impressed by the quality and for $40 they definitely couldn't be beat!

You might want to look into Levi's, maybe the STF ones. If you stay away from bootcuts with big flares, they shouldn't rub against the ground. You might wanna get them hemmed, if you buy the STF make sure you do like a cold soak before you hem them, if you get washed jeans, make sure you get the original hems reattached.

If you can still get APC's for $120, I would recommend them too...

[imashyboi415]

I thought bootcut jeans makes them slimmer on the bottom so they won't drag or am I thinking this totally wrong?

What do you mean by hemmed? I am currently looking at 7, True Religion, and LRG too.

[__3xL]

the three brands you named might be in style for da hood , but no one will ever vouch for their quality here ..

I own lrg and such to match some kicks , but after awhile of thinking about it - I got in superfuture mode and realized jeans were meant to last a LONG time so why not buy your regular jeans in the best quality that you can ?

With that in mind , 7 religion and lRG are definately not gonna last . If you are not made of money why not shop wisely for the best quality and not what impresses the hizzoes so much ?

Now besides me carrying on about how you spend YOUR money - bootcuts are BIGGER than straight leg or tapered jeans always . They are called bootcut because they are made to fit OVER boots properly . They have a slight ( or big ) flare at the cuff .

What you want for low top dunks and such is 501's - preferably premium or deadstock raw ones or something with a similar tapered cut .

If you dont like the " slightly baggy " look then go for something else , but 501's one size bigger than you need and washed and dried a few times usually end up being only 1" larger than your size and a belt takes care of that .

Otherwise buy whatever fits you right and dont wash much ( the jeans not you ) and hang dry them so they keep their size .

I own rrl , levi's hudson lrg azzure akademiks , ace jeans , gap 1969's and lots others ... I hardly wear the fashion stuff though because I dont wanna impress no one but me for the occassions when I do go out to a urban club and want to be completley coordinated head to toe ..

I keep clothes ds worse than I keep shoes ds ..

>> side note now that most my jeans fit better than BAGGY - the girls dig it ..

Edited by numero_uno_3xl on May 31, 2006 at 08:43 PM

[obsessis]

get some levi 501's and get them oversized, either raw or dark, dark blue.

[imashyboi415]

I was just talking to a friend of mine about some jeans and he told me I might as well spend good money for a pair of quality jeans because you technically only need about 4-5 pair. As long as it last long and looks good I don't mind spending the money. I just never had proper denim education which is why I bought whatever I saw. Most jeans look real good brand new anyway, it's after washing them which you can tell what brands are better than others.

My direction now is probably to buy some nice highend denims. I don't know that much brands but I have heard of Evisu and Paper Denim before. I'm not familiar with other brands from Japan but I think their prices are an upwards of $200 on some denims which I think is just too much to spend. I'm willing to spend around $150 for a pair of good lookin jeans.

I have some other questions, what is the definition of raw denim? From my understand raw denim is a pair of jeans that has no fade what so ever. You can throw this in the washing machine and eventually the fade should start showing after a few washes. I'm guessing this is what they usually sell at Macys. When buying denim should I ask a clerk if they have tapered jeans or will I know by lookin at it? I thought bootcut was similiar to tapered I guess I was wrong.

Keep schooling me guys cause I need more help understanding this whole denim culture. Thanks

[Guest Berget__]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Yes, raw denim is denim that is completely untreated and unwashed. But its not the washing that brings out the fade, its the wearing. If you wash your jeans too much before you have worn them much they will most likely turn into a really boring blue color. You wont have that nice contrast that you can see on pairs that have been worn to death and then washed. With my raw denim I go by the strategy of wearing them as long as I can take. Only wash them when they are really nasty. And then keep wearing them without washing them. People will tell you different methods but this is the one that works for me. My favorite pair of jeans have been worn (not every day) for almost three years and only been washed twice.

For 150$ you probably wont get any of the best of the best denims talked about here (e.g Evisu, sugarcane, denime, warehouse etc). But you will most likely be able to afford a pair of APC or edwin. Even though they are cheaper than other top brands they are of great quality. I Live in Sweden so I dont know any shops were toy live. But you can order APC's directly from http://www.apc.fr and you can often get Edwins from Ebay.

Hope I've helped.

I aint gotta get money man money get me

[obsessis]

read the 'raw denim for dummies' thread up at the top, there are links with tons of information.

raw denim isn't washed, it is stiff and makes for good contrasting if you don't wash them for awhile and wear them a lot.

for $150 you can get a nice pair of apc's. for $200 you could get a pair of nudies. for about $200 you could get a pair of sugarcanes. sugarcanes are a 'japanese repro', a reproduction, in this case the 1947 Levis 501. They are made exactly the same way.

You should read a lot about all the different types of jeans before you buy any. You can get some in your price range but you'll need to read up on everything.

Be very careful with ebay.

You should prob. call someone and have a 5 minute conversation. or an IM conversation. you would learn a lot A LOT QUICKER than posting here and waiting for replies. you can IM me if you want. PM me for contact info if interested.

[minya]

Do not start threads like this. All of these questions have been answered countless times before. READ THE INFORMATION ALREADY POSTED ON THIS FORUM.

Quote: Part of the reason is because I'm not a big denim fan and I don't know all of the terminology being used in the posts.

This made me laugh. THEN LEARN THEM! It's not like everyone else on this forum came here with an intimate knowledge of denim. Everyone read and learned. I suggest you do the same.

Edited by minya on Jun 1, 2006 at 07:55 AM