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I get this question a lot, so, here you go. In order of wearing frequency. All are in the same size (30) except where noted.
I wear the first few nearly exclusively:
1a) Kicking Mule Workshop 1980 (Japanese, new lot). I like the slightly lighter, slightly irregular color of the denim, and the cut is tremendous - slim, but not too skinny, and I like the low placement of the back pockets, which give them a more casual feel. The workmanship is of a very high quality as well. Only complaint is the abuse of selvedge - selvedge on both sides of the fly, exposed at the ticket pocket. And the use of 2 different selvedge lines (blue and red) on the outseam is really too much... But the positives outweigh the negatives by a wide margin
Feel: "Casual urban cowboy". Wear them with a tan or light brown belt to bring out the brown tones in the indigo and to complement the tan and brown stitching.
1b) APC New Standards - the Civic of good denim - inexpensive (check out the Denim Bar price for SF), lightweight but more durable than most heavyweights, and consistent, year after year. The denim is a little coarse, and the color a little *too* red, but I personally love these as a true bang around jean. And cred? APC's were essentially the first modern cut jeans made of Japanese selvedge. Size 29
Feel - Euro guy. I wear my Black-Blue Engineered Garments s Styleforum belt with these.
1c) 5EP LDB rigid - a little more antifit than my other jeans (and truth be told, I am going to a size 29 for my next pair). The workmanship, trims (solid brass burrs), details (wrangler coin pocket (actually, not Wrangler, but I forget where Godmother actually got the inspiration from), red thread on blond leather black patch), ad most importantly, amazing, amazing denim, are what put these at the top of my denim rotation quality wise. I would argue that the denim is as complicated and interesting as the 45RPM Suminandos, easily (though quite different). Easily better than pretty much any jean in the under $300 category, and well above many jeans costing above that.
Feel: Modern cowboy - I invariably wear wear mine with a thick brown belt (light or darl)
1d) Nudie Straight Sven Dry Selvedge - The cut is tremendous for me. The lower rise and straight leg are extremely comfortable. There are so many posts on this jean that I am not going to bother mentioning anything more, but let's just say that I'm wearing mine right now. The only downsides is the fact that bright orange stitching (which I actually sort of like) makes the jeans not match everything that well.\t\t\t\t
Feel: Slacker rocker dude (I wear mine with either a Baltazar Iron Cross belt or a reddish brown handmade deal)
2) Studio D'Artisan D1002 - The only reason I don't wear these more often is because they really need about 2" hemmed off to look really good. As is, they just look really good. I think that I'll ask Gordon of Blue in Green (where they were purchased) to hem them when I'm in NYC for the fitting. Washed once, but te hem shrank from 37" to, 35.5", which is still about 2" too long. The denim is amazing - very soft and comfortable - and the black-blue wrap with the grey weft makes a really spectacular color. I really like the cool yellow stitching as well. The cut is nice and straight through the hips (which I need - I don't wear repros that well), and the slim thigh and subtle bootcut are very flattering. The only problem is that the rise is slightly too high (do Japanese dudes have really long torsos or something?) That throws the design off - the fly is too long for how slim the jean is, and the fly buttons too far apart for the softness of the denim. put a deeper contour into the waistband, decrease the length of the fly, and you'd be off to the races.
Feel: "Chic cowboy". Wear with a red tint, light brown belt for contrast or a blue/black belt to complement.
3) John Bull Sewing Chops SC007 - Great fit for a slim guy - really low slung, slim through the hips with a true straight leg below the knee. Interesting, "hairy" denim due probably to the hemp content. The stitching is a single orange yellow color, and the details are simple. My only reservation: color is nearly electric blue. I just don't have enough stuff to match them with.
Feel - cowboy (I will wear these a fair bit come summer.) Wear with Light or dark brown belt - must be thick!
\t
4) SPURR Classic Raw - Really distinctive jeans - super dark (makes all the other jeans I own look light by comparison) nearly purplish indigo. Thick yellow rope thread used throughout. A true pegleg jean (straight down from hips). The low rise actually fits me very well. These jeans command a high retail ($325), and are arguably worth it. The details (lined back pockets, all lining in fine cotton herringbone, signature yellow selvedge denim, detail at the fly, coin pocket, back belt look, top grain leather patch, all custom, brass rivets) are amazing. The only problem is, as with a distressed teal leather Dries van Noten peatcoat, is that there are a limited number of things you can wear it with. These jeans call for warm colors with lots of red throughout. If you deviate by just a shade, you mess it up. I have about 2 outfits that will work really well with these jeans.
Feel: Bluegrass. Wear with plaid shirt.
I wear the first few nearly exclusively:
1a) Kicking Mule Workshop 1980 (Japanese, new lot). I like the slightly lighter, slightly irregular color of the denim, and the cut is tremendous - slim, but not too skinny, and I like the low placement of the back pockets, which give them a more casual feel. The workmanship is of a very high quality as well. Only complaint is the abuse of selvedge - selvedge on both sides of the fly, exposed at the ticket pocket. And the use of 2 different selvedge lines (blue and red) on the outseam is really too much... But the positives outweigh the negatives by a wide margin
Feel: "Casual urban cowboy". Wear them with a tan or light brown belt to bring out the brown tones in the indigo and to complement the tan and brown stitching.
1b) APC New Standards - the Civic of good denim - inexpensive (check out the Denim Bar price for SF), lightweight but more durable than most heavyweights, and consistent, year after year. The denim is a little coarse, and the color a little *too* red, but I personally love these as a true bang around jean. And cred? APC's were essentially the first modern cut jeans made of Japanese selvedge. Size 29
Feel - Euro guy. I wear my Black-Blue Engineered Garments s Styleforum belt with these.
1c) 5EP LDB rigid - a little more antifit than my other jeans (and truth be told, I am going to a size 29 for my next pair). The workmanship, trims (solid brass burrs), details (wrangler coin pocket (actually, not Wrangler, but I forget where Godmother actually got the inspiration from), red thread on blond leather black patch), ad most importantly, amazing, amazing denim, are what put these at the top of my denim rotation quality wise. I would argue that the denim is as complicated and interesting as the 45RPM Suminandos, easily (though quite different). Easily better than pretty much any jean in the under $300 category, and well above many jeans costing above that.
Feel: Modern cowboy - I invariably wear wear mine with a thick brown belt (light or darl)
1d) Nudie Straight Sven Dry Selvedge - The cut is tremendous for me. The lower rise and straight leg are extremely comfortable. There are so many posts on this jean that I am not going to bother mentioning anything more, but let's just say that I'm wearing mine right now. The only downsides is the fact that bright orange stitching (which I actually sort of like) makes the jeans not match everything that well.\t\t\t\t
Feel: Slacker rocker dude (I wear mine with either a Baltazar Iron Cross belt or a reddish brown handmade deal)
2) Studio D'Artisan D1002 - The only reason I don't wear these more often is because they really need about 2" hemmed off to look really good. As is, they just look really good. I think that I'll ask Gordon of Blue in Green (where they were purchased) to hem them when I'm in NYC for the fitting. Washed once, but te hem shrank from 37" to, 35.5", which is still about 2" too long. The denim is amazing - very soft and comfortable - and the black-blue wrap with the grey weft makes a really spectacular color. I really like the cool yellow stitching as well. The cut is nice and straight through the hips (which I need - I don't wear repros that well), and the slim thigh and subtle bootcut are very flattering. The only problem is that the rise is slightly too high (do Japanese dudes have really long torsos or something?) That throws the design off - the fly is too long for how slim the jean is, and the fly buttons too far apart for the softness of the denim. put a deeper contour into the waistband, decrease the length of the fly, and you'd be off to the races.
Feel: "Chic cowboy". Wear with a red tint, light brown belt for contrast or a blue/black belt to complement.
3) John Bull Sewing Chops SC007 - Great fit for a slim guy - really low slung, slim through the hips with a true straight leg below the knee. Interesting, "hairy" denim due probably to the hemp content. The stitching is a single orange yellow color, and the details are simple. My only reservation: color is nearly electric blue. I just don't have enough stuff to match them with.
Feel - cowboy (I will wear these a fair bit come summer.) Wear with Light or dark brown belt - must be thick!
\t
4) SPURR Classic Raw - Really distinctive jeans - super dark (makes all the other jeans I own look light by comparison) nearly purplish indigo. Thick yellow rope thread used throughout. A true pegleg jean (straight down from hips). The low rise actually fits me very well. These jeans command a high retail ($325), and are arguably worth it. The details (lined back pockets, all lining in fine cotton herringbone, signature yellow selvedge denim, detail at the fly, coin pocket, back belt look, top grain leather patch, all custom, brass rivets) are amazing. The only problem is, as with a distressed teal leather Dries van Noten peatcoat, is that there are a limited number of things you can wear it with. These jeans call for warm colors with lots of red throughout. If you deviate by just a shade, you mess it up. I have about 2 outfits that will work really well with these jeans.
Feel: Bluegrass. Wear with plaid shirt.
