It’s not a lie. I love Denim. Exclusively, jeans.
I have dreams about them, not actually dreams, but more future goals as to one day my involvement with something to do with jeans. Who knows? Maybe bring out my own brand or something! However, keeping on the purpose of this lil’ feature, I promised myself that I’d delve into my very narrow perspective in the world of jeans and dig out my top 10 selection that either transcend time, or are generally beautiful ‘garms’ for this new era of 2010 I am privileged to enter into.

Fits I generally go for are slim straight/ or a slim tapered fit and I’m a huge fan of the raw denim scene but i made the effort to slip in some others ranging in the low to mid end price range. I could have included the classics in there…but WHY? Just let this expand your knowledge base a lil so you keep your eyes open for those ‘wonder’ finds like I have and remember, jeans have gotta fit YOU! If they don’t fit well or mold to your shape then you can forget it, they wont work.

In order for masses of people not to bombard our inbox with hate mail towards me on my choices know this.

It’s an opinion, based on fact.

….and I’m bias.

Don’t worry, it’s not a countdown.

(1) Edwin SEN Raw Selvage 10oz Slim Fit Denim Jeans (Bought from ASOS at £38 rrp. £109.99)

One of the most lightweight and beautifully crafted pairs of Raw Selvage jeans I own. Featuring a straight slim fitting leg and high rise, zip fly with contrast orange flash and stitching, cinch back and then the cherry is really the selvage detailing on the coin and rear pockets. mmmmm. Typically there’s the leather patch on the side also with enough showing that if you slapped on a belt, you’d still see the tab…for all those who are truly vain. The denim really does feel lush.

(2) Blue premium raw selvage ‘TOKYO’ slim straight fit jeans by St.George by DUFFER (Bought at Debenhams at £18 rrp. £60)

NOW, these were a FIND! Seriously Debenhams selling Japanese Selvage Denim for £18?! The fit was totally what i was looking for to do some experimenting. Being straight, the leg opening was slightly wide for my liking, so a few adjustments (taking 2″ off the leg opening width and a slight taper from the knee) and they fit and feel like a high quality Raw pair of 501’s! They’ve even been mistaken for a pair. Button fly, rear white duffer leather patch, Selvage detailing on the coin pocket, 5 pockets, purple tartan hemming and pocket linen and I’m laughing! 4 months in and the wear is showing nicely! The photo above is slightly deceiving as the rise is comfortably high and not hugging as it does suggest.

(3) Meltin Pot REDUX Organic Limited Ed. Jeans (Bought from TK MAXX at £8 rrp.120+)

Meltin Pot had a new 15 piece organic collection hitting the shops called Redux in 2009. Each pair of the extremely limited edition jeans are dyed and washed with natural products such as wood, coal, jam, earth and yoghurt. The style of the jeans is inspired by the workwear of the 1930s and also apparently the Bauhaus artistic movement. There’s the ‘gumf’. Another pair of rare beauty. The finish even feels organic due to the most random ingredients used to do so. The thing I love is the super high rise making the crotch sit low (screams ‘ghetto’) AND has original bracer rivets as illustrated above…however i never wear bracers, so they just look cool. The fit is slim with a large taper to the leg so it hugs any hi-top footwear. In fact i doubled the turn ups on them to reveal a nice ’selvage-esque’ light blue edge on the seams. All in all a top 10 favourite find, and I havn’t seen another pair yet.

(4) LEVI’s DNA Seasonal Slim Tapered Hot Road Red Tab Jeans (Bought from End Clothing at £89 rrp. £115.00)

When these first were unveiled I knew I ‘needed’ a pair. Through some strange circumstances I actually got to try on a test pair and loved the feel in them and the pre-worn (GASPS) look worked perfectly. A year passed and I didn’t see them anywhere. Then I moved to the North East and something happened. I don’t know what happened exactly but I found them and I couldn’t let the moment pass without leaving with a pair. There is a few alternatives in the DNA range but the Seasonal Hot Road slim and the straight leg alternative are personal favourites. Denim history is apparently what you’re investing in. Levi’s went the full way to remake the classic Levis Red models with exaggerated features on stitching, oversized pockets and detailing, tags and buttons.

The wash is dark and also slightly fades to your natural contours after extensive wear as the bluevine was highlights fading areas like the knees. Again, definitely a pair to invest in if you admire the unique look and don’t want to be caught wearing the same pair as someone else.

Leg openings on the Seasonal’s are the widest in my top 10 collection, sitting nicely over a pair of all stars (covering the top 2 eyelets on a pair of 9’s) and hug nicely on the calf and side of the thighs when the weight is on the hips and not the waist. If you ever see them definitely have a try.

(5) Humor Santiago Jeans (Bought at £45…can’t remember where.. rrp.£95)

DEFINITELY, a favourite when it comes to the (currently ‘in’) carrot shaped jeans. No one does it better!

I first noticed Humor on a trip to Holland years ago and then Denmark almost 2 years ago when I saw a trend of brightly coloured tees with the classic headphone symbol slammed on the shoulder. Scene kids with the Santiago’s and Hummel Stadil Kicks and I thought, “this is so gonna catch in the UK”

Oh and it has! Humor have a mega exciting range coming to shops like Ark (Leeds),Yakuza (Sunderland) and UNION (Newcastle) and I salute them for embracing the Danish influx of influence upon the UK fashion scene.
Raw washed denim jeans from Humor with a rounded carrot leg shape. These cool new jeans feature a contrasting seam throughout with a button fly and panel crotch. I love how the button fly is half covered showing part of the contrasting white buttons and the glorious top button logo. The front of the jeans feature two pockets with one hidden coin pocket whilst the back of the jeans feature two large u shaped pockets. The classic Humor logo is embroidered on the rear waistline in the form of a patch. It is also embossed onto the buttons of the fly, eyelets at the back and a logo tag is attached to the rear right pocket. White eyelets also feature at the jean pockets. They’re intended to gather slightly at the top of a pair of hi-tops and for the crotch to sit real low. Nice.

If you’re interested they’re currently on sale at XILE

(6) Nudie Thin Finn Dry Organic Ecru Embo jeans (Bought at £42.50 rrp. £110)

The thing with Nudie jeans however is they really employ the ‘each to his/her own’ philosophy and so my opinion on this matter really is mine…based on fact. For the fit, I prefer these than the silver detailed Nudie Jeans Co Lab Bengt 16 Dry Indigo (avg. £140) or the Nudie 14oz Masa ‘made in Japan’ jeans (avg. £140) as a Nudie style (both currently sold at Oi Polloi). 10.75 oz denim from Turkey is a light but acceptable weight, especially when summer comes round, heavy weights can become a chore rather than a ‘wearing in’ pleasurable experiment. I had some major disappointment in acquiring these from Coggles, but i found it in my heart to forgive them (seeing as how there store is beautiful and their Marketing Director Rob is a quality guy) and got my hand on a pair. Worth it? Always.

Info?
Mid rise anti-fit five pocket organic cotton jeans in dark dry stretch denim (so 2% lycra is in there). Low yoke with skinny leg cut. Contrast stitching and white embroidery at back patch pockets instead of the classic contrast stitching. Signature logo leather patch at back. Zip fly.

(7) DR.DENIM Raw Selvage ‘Terrance’ 14oz Jeans (Bought at JOY Leeds at £18 rrp. £90)

Ok so if you don’t know, nor have ever heard of Dr.Denim firstly go over and check out Darryl de Necker’s Blog.

That should tell you all there is to know about the European gang.

These are most likely to be my most underrated jeans that i own. Premium Selvage denim that molds beautifully to the wearer and keeps some weight behind it. The ‘Terrance’ is my favourite fit, simple in design, ergonomically sound, weighty and bearing a deep indigo shade that many of my others are not close to. And for only £18 at joy, again, sever lol’ing was had as they feel more expensive, look more expensive, boy even taste more expensive than most.

Simple in design, and again not a common pair of jeans. you should also check out their website, it’s pretty boss.

(8) Trousers London ‘Trousers 6′ (rrp. £169)

I like our friends over at Trousers London. I like their vibe. I like their ethos. The important thing however is I like their denim.

One of my favourite and consistent brands has (of course for me) hit the nail on the head again with Trousers 6.

‘A sleek and streamlined skinny jean in organic denim with jaunty check lining’ and jaunty of the highest degree it is indeed.

100% Raw Organic Denim, Silver coloured metal-ware bearing the Trousers London motif, slim fitting, limited edition (so limited, each pair carries a unique ID number) jeans that are REAL high quality, so high, I’m not sure I want to wear them but simply frame them. I mean just look at those front pockets son! Maaaaaan. So much indigo I can smell it through the jpg. Nice taper, Nice slim, contour hugging fit, nice contrast stitching, nice seam curvature…just plain nice.

For funsies, the jeans are presented with their own Trousers London cotton carrier bag.

(9) A.P.C New Standards (donated! rrp.£110)

….They win every time…in context of wear that is, not denim comparison.
APC New Standard, a slim, regular-fitting jean. Standard to low rise, narrow hugging leg, very slightly tapered from the knee, giving a fairly narrow hem.

The Facts: Button-fly, 5 pocket style in dry red selvage denim. First button is engraved A.P.C. Paris pres du Luxembourg.

The common knowledge about these bad boys, is that they stretch….significantly. More in width then length. I mean I’m a size 32″-33″ waist standard, yet I slid into a size 30″ and could move. I prefer these over the other models such as New Cure (just didn’t feel right!) and Petite Standards (suffocated my calf’s). They’re a slightly wider cut yet still slim and fitted on me but again, it depends really on how much you size down.

Most of the Raw enthusiasts boast owning a pair….I can see why. However, still broaden your horizons my children.

(10) The Hundreds ‘Curson Denim’ (donated! r.r.p $138.00)

I guess if you really want  a pair you wont see anywhere else go state side. The Hundreds are one of my favourite collaboration brands, yet this pair of their exclusive jeans is a beauty. Ever seen gold and silver selvage lining? Well you have now! A slim fitting cut with silver hardware and gold trimming, a black jags patch on the left waistband (Americans….) and gold and silver signature jags embroidery over the left back pocket. Really I havn’t seen anywhere else boast the same trimmings…unless you want to go really extreme and shell out on a pair of Red Monkey Jeans. I like simplicity and ‘crispness’. These do just that. The size above is slightly big on the model, i prefer to size one down so they hug a little on the leg yet leave breathing space.

Like you care.

So, who’s happy?

BELIEVE.