Which jeans to buy?

[A Harris]

I'm hoping for an opinion on jeans. It's one area of clothing I know nothing about. I wear a size 38 x 32 and I have pretty muscular legs and large (size 12) feet. So jeans that fit tightly or that have a tapered leg look ridiculous on me. Most of the "loose fit" jeans fit me like a standard cut. Probably my best fitting jeans are a pair from Gap - a straight leg cut that is slightly flared at the end of the leg. The quality of the fabric is bad but they look great on. I'd like to get some high quality jeans to wear with some of my better casual shirts and jackets. Any suggestions on lines that would be best for my particular build?

 

[Will Moose]

You could try some Mavi jeans. I think Max is the name of the cut, its a pretty loose fitting jean and they aren'y flared either. The material isn't up their with PDC but its alot better than most jeans.

 

[LA Guy]

Some cuts of PDC jeans tend to be fairly loose around the thighs and widen very slightly below the knee. Mavi jeans are a less expensive option.

 

[Jofaile]

You may also want to try the Kratt cut of Diesel jeans-they have quite a bit of room in the legs and, in most cases, slightly widen to the foot. It has somewhat of a wider range of color/blast combinations than Mavi and Diesel's quality is comparable with it, Replay, and Indigo. Given, it retails a bit more than Mavi but the style range more than makes up for that in the long run. Besides, if you really do some digging, you could probably find them for up to 70% off. Just a thought...

 

[davei]

I'll second the Diesel Kratt idea. They come in a fairly subdued plain wash that would look good with casual shirts/jackets. I don't know what sort of denim you're looking for, but most high end denim these days is on the highly distressed side. Up to you if this looks good/bad with a jacket (naturally, I think it depends on the jacket.) BOSS Hugo Boss jeans would probably work cut-wise as well, their washes aren't too out there either. They're nothing special/amazing in terms of quality/contruction though.

 

[Steve B.]

I prefer when in jeans or anything casual to have soft fabrics up against my skin. I've felt the hand of Diesels and PDC and don't get what all the fuss is about, unless they just have a superior cut for the younger man. IMO the fabric feels like a canvas sail. And I wear 38x32 w/size 11, so I think I'd look ridiculous in a pair of tightly cut jeans. I definitely prefer the Tommy Bahama relaxed fit and Zegnas that I own. The Zegnas are pricey, but I was able to recently purchase a pair at Neiman's Last Call Sale here in SF for around the same price (actually a few bucks lower) than TB's regular retail of $70 or so. I got turned on to the TBs by a great store in LA, Alandale's. E-mail me off list and I'll be happy to provide contact info. Or I can post if others are interested...

 

[A Harris]

Thanks guys. I was away for the weekend so I was quite surprised to see the extensive answers when I got back. I'll look into the brands suggested.

 

[A Harris]

I've been looking for some of the jeans you guys mentioned. My first purchase was three pairs of Mavi jeans at Nordstrom Rack. At $22.95 a pair I thought they were a great deal. Thanks for the tips.