Jeans shopping is the absolute PITS. It is HELL. It is hell and also worse than hell. Some sort of beyond-hell experience where you end up in a change room and some overly-friendly retail assistant is flinging denim over the door with the enthusiasm of a horny Jack Russell.
Every brand has a pair of jeans on offer and there’s 375892 brands in existence, so it basically means you’re fucked. Unless… you cop a great rec from another person who has a similar body type to you. Some guy with giraffe legs knows where to buy jeans that’ll reach your ankles? Lap. That. Shit. Up.
We rounded up a bunch of guys and hounded ’em for their denim recs. These are the pants surgically glued to their bodies.
RECOMMENDED BY: David
SIZE: 31
BODY TYPE: “I have reasonably long legs topped with some frankly impressive hips.”
“There’s just nothing wrong with these. It’s a super-versatile fit, made with quality selvage denim and top-notch attention to detail. For me, these are the go-to jeans for anyone interested in gear that improves over time – legitimately do not get me started on the stuff coming out of Japan, though… You can pick these up at a few places in Australia, too. I like Up There in Melbourne.”
RECOMMENDED BY: Gordy
SIZE: 30
BODY TYPE: Slim and athletic looking, leaning more towards the build of a figure skater.”
“I love the Acne Stay Blacks, because they’ve got a reactive dye denim which retains it’s tone after washing – ideal for someone that wears all black, all the time. Although I do have to take them up a bit, because I’m not a 6’2 Scandinavian model.”
RECOMMENDED BY: Julien
SIZE: 30
BODY TYPE: “6’2″, athletic, meaty calves and a decent-sized butt.”
“I’ve tried heaps of different jeans, with varying degrees of success, but found most put a large hole in my wallet as well as my crotch. I first bought a pair of Levi’s 511 jeans in a clearance bin (they’re normally $119 which is pretty decent, but these were about $50). Since then I’ve bought 5 different pairs. They are super comfortable, with a little bit of stretch, and are the only slim jeans I’ve worn that don’t accentuate my calves and make me look like I could win the Tour de France when I don’t even own a bike…”
RECOMMENDED BY: Connor
SIZE: 32
BODY TYPE: “Lanky with an ass that has taken its bat and its ball and gone home.”
“I am the only person on earth who still wears bootcut jeans. Black ones. I don’t give a fuck! They look good and make me feel marginally like Josh Brolin. On a practical level they obviously sit very easily over my boots, so there’s that. I like the River Island Slim Leg for a bootcut style. You know, on some level, every guy wants to be a Texan ass kicker, I’m just honest enough to embrace it. I’m not defensive, you’re defensive.”
RECOMMENDED BY: Callum
SIZE: 30
BODY TYPE: “I am serving you a head on legs!”
“As a fruity queen, these are just the right amount of sleek and chic with juuust that dash of rugged cowboy.”
RECOMMENDED BY: George
SIZE: 36
BODY TYPE: “Built like an ex-footy front-rower, because I am one.”
“Besides the feel good factor of buying 100% organic cotton, they don’t have any elastane in them so they last forever. I like that Nudie have such a big range, I often find my body is hard to fit as I’m quite stocky. But I found with Nudie they have so many different fits and lengths, most body types are covered. Mine’s Lean Dean, which fit perfectly around my power thighs. Disclaimer – my name’s not Dean, I’m definitely not Lean, and no I don’t work for Nudie!”
RECOMMENDED BY: Aaron
SIZE: 30
BODY TYPE: “I’m a slender man so I wear slender jeans.”
“I wear these almost every day, and they don’t look like shit after like a year and a half so that is why I like them. I always get a size 28 coz they stretch a bit – I’m a size 30 in most jeans.”
RECOMMENDED BY: James
SIZE: 34
BODY TYPE: “Stocky with a high waist.”
These just fit right. I have quite a high waist and feel these fit really well. If I look after them, they tend to keep their shape well. They’re comfortable.”
RECOMMENDED BY: Justin
SIZE: 38-42
BODY TYPE: “The epitome of gluttony and glamour.”
“I only buy Kmart Jean’s because they never ever fade and seem to last longer than any other Jeans I buy at 1/3 the price.”
SAMPSON AND TAYLOR SCOTT SKINNY
RECOMMENDED BY: Declan
SIZE: 32
BODY TYPE: “Lean guy with a round posterior”
“I buy these from The Bronze Snake in Newtown. They’re comfortable yet a slim/skinny fit. Good quality and reasonable price.”
RECOMMENDED BY: Ted
SIZE: 32
BODY TYPE: “Lanky like helvetica. Tall but with a san serif.”
“I’m a fan of these Lee jeans, they’re like a classic black but have a more subtle stitch than other styles do.
RECOMMENDED BY: Greg
SIZE: 34
BODY TYPE: “Legs like tree trunks.”
“I’m a fan of 7 for all mankind, Mavi and Paige jeans – but 7’s look the best in my opinion. They’re pretty expensive, but you can find them on sale all the time.”
RECOMMENDED BY: Harley
SIZE: 33
BODY TYPE: Slim and athletic.
“These are honestly the best cut, a good price, and the forever cool style of Levi’s.”
