Alright lads, listen up: 2011 is the year of timeless denim, which means you can forget about trendy grey jeans with elasticated bottoms (also known as “jeggings”) and over-stylised True Religion monstrosities.  It also means it’s time to pick a fit.  We at Shopaholic are advocating for what most designers are calling “slim straight” – trim jeans that sit just below your waist and gather only slightly at the ankle for a look that’s both of-the-moment and classically cool.  With this in mind, we set out to find the five best jeans for men currently available in the UK.  Here are the results:

BEST CLASSIC JEANS

It used to be that you were either a Levi’s guy or a Wrangler guy, but nowadays the market is flooded with reputable (and not-so-reputable) brands.  Luckily, Levi’s has withstood the test of time to produce jeans that feel just as comfortable now as they did 25 years ago.  While we feel the Levi 512 bootcut jeans are a thing of the past, our team has fallen in love with the Levi 514.  The slim straight fit is available in a large variety of sizes and finishes, and with a look that’s as timeless as the brand itself, these are jeans that you just might find yourself wearing for years to come.

BEST JEANS FOR WORK

Years ago the thought of wearing jeans to work was far-fetched at best, but in today’s working world more and more businesses are starting to strip away their fussy dress codes.  The perfect work denim is dark, well-constructed, and free of embellishment – kind of like the current line of GAP 1969 slim fit jeans.  These jeans are made of premium imported denim, come devoid of all that fancy whiskering and fraying we’ve grown tired of, and look absolutely fantastic with a suit jacket and a pair of wingtips.

BEST DESIGNER JEANS

Designer jeans range from the reliable (Diesel, Paper Denim & Cloth) to the ridiculous (Ed Hardy) and everything in between.  We at Shopaholic feel that Seven jeans represent the best that designer denim has to offer.  The Los Angeles-based company is known for making comfy and casual jeans with great mass appeal, and we dig them for the way they just feel right when we wear them.  Not the cheapest option, but certainly worth the money.

BEST NO-FRILLS JEANS

Raw denim is a term that you hear thrown around a lot these days, and for good reason.  When you wear raw denim, the fabric generally fades over time and begins to gently wear in areas that receive the most stress, thus giving you the chance to “break in” your own jeans.  H&M Sliq jeans are among the cheapest raw varieties available, though you wouldn’t know it by looking at them.  With no whiskers or fading to be found, these jeans provide the perfect blank canvas for creating your own custom look.  Buy ‘em, wear ‘em, and wash ‘em only when you must.

BEST JEANS UNDER £50

When I lived in Japan, I swore by Uniqlo jeans.  Not that I’ve moved back the States, little has changed.  Uniqlo UJ slim fit jeans are soon to be the worst-kept secret in denim – easy to wear, stretchable jeans made of the highest quality Japanese denim and an absolute steal at only £29.99.  Our team recommends picking up several pairs in different washes, and when you find yourself coming back for more, don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Did you know?

The association with blue jeans and American Western culture is more than just superficial. In fact, the Chinese word for jeans, niuzaiku, translates literally to “cowboy trousers”.

-Jeff O.

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