High end jeans for women

Habitual makes a nice, slim, washed jean, although the Maltese Cross motif ranges from subtle to not so much. Notify, similarly, though I really, really hate their signature stitching.

I think that you wife would be a perfect candidate for the women's APC "Hipster" jean, if you want a stiff, unwashed, unembellished jean. I would also recommend the Nudie Slim Kim, but that has the Nudie back stitching, which may not be to your taste.

5'8 and a size 2 would be a 25/26 waist.
Habitual is very nice. I would bet her inseam is long. If she is going to wear heels buy a jeans with a 34 to 36 inch inseam.

Here are my best sellers at my store-
Rock and republic
Paige
Joe's twiggy
Habitual
kasil
NFY

I choose those because they are long and the fit is on point.
Let me know if you need any help.
Mauro

They ride lower on men for obvious reasons. On women, I would say that they are a mid-low rise.

I would say the hipster still rides high. If you wanna see low try the Lee Rider.
It a great jean but it's low.

Another suggestion for high quality yet minimalist jeans would be Earnest Sewn.

Does your wife have an ass? My GF does, and it's quite nice and round, and she loves the fit of her Rock N Republics because it fits her bootie really well. But then again, she likes her jeans tight. The GF likes her Sevens and Citizens of Humanity (which she has had for quite some time), but they have been way over popularized in the last few years. But they're still basic, decent fitting jeans. But because every girl and her momma wears them now (and even kids sport them, which makes me sick), I wouldn't consider them "High end" at all. With regards to Earnest Sewn - both my friend and my GF tried a pair on, and for some reason, they fit weird. Paper Denim and Cloth wouldn't be a good choice for women because it makes asses look weird and frumpy. I would check out revolveclothing.com for the latest and more fashion forward jeans out there for women.