While we might scour multiple stores in search of the perfect pair of boots or pledge our allegiance to a number of different It bag brands, when it comes to jeans, we tend to couple up for life. Despite the fact that no one likes shopping for them (how do they manage to spark insecurity like no other item of clothing?), it’s worth the hunt, as once you’ve found The One(s), there’s no turning back.
The holy grail of good jeans lies somewhere in the middle of a Venn diagram covering fit, silhouette, comfort and, inevitably, cost. Recognising the needs of the masses by creating timeless yet fashion-forward fits in technical, figure-flattering fabrics has only been achieved by a handful of brands. It’s rare to tick all the boxes, but when it comes to the best denim brands on the market, our editors and fashion friends know who’s who.
As a team of prolific shoppers, here at Who What Wear UK, we’ve developed a pretty good sense of where to find the best denim. So to get the intel, we grilled members of the team along with a few of our favourite fashion influencers to find out what brands they return to again and again for the best denim buys. Scroll down to see what they said.
“When it comes to finding affordable denim jeans of good quality and fit, Weekday is definitely a step ahead for me. A particular style from its collection of denim I have loved wearing for a few years now is its Rowe style. I own it in a few washes and find that the high waist and straight leg of this style complement my shape very well. They’re also available in a variety of lengths and are made from organic cotton material.”
These are honestly amazing.
I love them in white, too.
“No exaggeration, the Levi’s Ribcage jeans are my favourite pair of jeans EVER and the only pair I don’t need to wear a belt with because they fit so perfectly on my shape. Such a great fit for so many shapes, particularly if you have a smaller waist and bigger hips/bum.”
“Trust me when I say I’ve tried a hell of a lot of pairs of jeans on in my decade of working in fashion (not to mention over the other 22 years of my life). From high street pairs to luxury designer styles. These days, though, I buy 99% of my denim from Arket. I love the fits which are usually true to size, and for someone who’s 5’2″ the lengths aren’t too long. I also really appreciate that there’s a stretch and non-stretch options for most of their hero styles, because sometimes you need a comfy pair of jeans, and sometimes you want a style that fits in a more rigid, vintage-style way. Classics are, of course, what Arket does best so it’s unsurprising I find all my most-worn straight-legs here. For SS23, though, the brand is broadening its collection and starting to branch out into some fresher shapes like these wide-legs, which I can’t wait to try.”
“Jeans are hard to get right (in my opinion) and even more so for wide-legged styles. I found these & Other Stories fit me in the right places without being skin tight, which is exactly what I look for in jeans. I usually play it safe with straight-cut jeans but love the idea of other styles like boyfriend and a wide leg. They’re perfect for the summer with slides and a crop top but also great for layering in the winter. I particularly love the look of styling these with a huge oversized jumper to balance out the bottom.”
“Zara is one of my favourite places to get jeans, as it has a good selection for petites. This pair I’m wearing I’ve had for quite a while. I love that they are fitted at the top and quite flared at the bottom. It’s nice to pair with boots or trainers, which is nice for a smart or casual look.”
“After a desperate call for help on Instagram Stories, some kind denim experts and fellow short-and-hourglass girls DM’d me with recommendations for high-waisted, straight-leg jeans. Petite jean offerings across the board are pretty basic and usually include skinnies, skinnies and some more skinnies. And even if I liked skinny jeans, which I never have (sorry not sorry), the length would be right but the waist will bag, and I’ll be sure to have those lines of denim cutting into my thighs. Boyish came up as the brand with the highest number of votes for my specific requirements and… they fit! I had to lop the hem off, but apart from that, it was the first time in a long time that I’d picked up a pair of jeans I wanted, in my normal size, and they just worked. My Tommy Straight-Leg jeans have a little bit of elastane, which makes the cut a more flexible one whilst still looking like a vintage, stiff denim. The waist was just the right height for my smaller stature, and the washes are nice and simple.”
