24. Wardrobe essential - indigo jeans

Every man needs at least one pair of jeans in their wardrobe. This is a given, no exceptions. Let's get right into it.

Finance

Given that jeans are the backbone of your wardrobe, you've got to get a good pair. There's no point getting three pairs of jeans in different colours if they all look like shite. This means you will have to shell out a few hundred. On the flip side, don't let a massive price tag convince you that it's a good purchase. *cough G-Star cough* A good benchmark is $200-300 for your first 'serious' pair of jeans.

Fit

Unless you've lived under a rock, you should know what skinny jeans are. Skinny jeans have a less extreme and more fashionable cousin - the slim fitting jean. The difference is in how they fit. Unless you're a rapper*, you're not allowed to wear baggy jeans, ever. Straight cut, boot cut and so on are boring and should be avoided when you can.

In my opinion, skinny jeans are only ok in a casual setting and only if you have skinny legs. Slim fitting jeans are more versatile as you can dress them up and down. Automatic Emil is all about getting the most wear out of each piece of your wardrobe.

Skinny jeans are tight all over and taper in a linear, more constant way. Note at the bottom that they are really quite narrow. See below:

You're too comfortable here, Brad.

Slim jeans on the other hand, still follow the figure of your leg but there's some leeway. So they will 'frame' your legs loosely, instead of tightly hugging them. Note how they bunch up a little, and how they aren't so narrow at the bottom:

Also note how the bag matches the beer; totally on purpose.

Fabric, wash and colour

Comfort is a huge factor when it comes to denim and fabric has a lot to do with it. With a lot of the more fitted/tighter styles of jeans, they will be mostly denim with a small percentage (around 2%) of elastane to help them stretch. Go for fabric which feels strong, thick and almost sturdy. Anything thin and flimsy probably means you're in K-Mart.

With regards to 'washes',  avoid these and go for raw denim. This will mean they have not been washed during manufacturing. This is a good thing, as it allows the denim to fade in its own unique way, similar to aging leather. 

Try not to be lured with jeans that are already faded and have tears in them. You just want a basic pair of neat, dark blue jeans that we can at the pub, casual Friday at the office or with a blazer at a nice 

For a brand recommendation, I can only say Nudie Jeans. I'm a massive fan boy. Unlike most denim brands, they focus heavily on getting the right fit.

My pretties...

-Loic

*I'm allowed to wear baggy jeans if I want: