The Garmentor - The Fashion Manual for Style-Minded Men

When it comes to jeans, nothing is more important than how they fit. It doesn’t matter how much the pants cost or where they were made; if the pants don’t fit right, they’re not going to look good.

Unfortunately, finding the right fit these days can be very difficult, particularly when designers like Diesel and Nudie name their styles not by fit, but with creative, if confusing, monikers like “Safado” and “Grim Tim.” Combine our less than stellar economy with the fact that denim is becoming more and more accepted as stylish evening wear and you’ve got a situation where finding just the right jean—one that’s versatile and will give you a lot of wear for your dollar—is more important than ever.

Tried. Tested.

“I own a pair of Levi’s Capital E Matchstick in Dark Worn and they are fantastic jeans. The denim has a bit of a stretch to it, so they are very comfortable, and they’re the perfect shade of dark blue, so they look good with anything. Match them with a nice pair of shoes and you’re ready for a night out.” Adam Polselli

Enter the slim straight jean.

The slim straight is exactly what it sounds like: a slightly narrower version of a straight leg jean. Also, while a standard straight leg remains straight through the leg opening, a slim straight will often taper ever so slightly from the knee to the ankle. While many men find the transition to a narrower cut to be quite scary, once they get used to the sharper, more fitted look of a slim straight, they wonder how they ever wore the flared bootcuts of yesteryear.

The Garmentor loves the slim straight jean because it is at once trendy and timeless. The slim straight is a less severe take on the ultra-skinny jean that is all the rage among today’s scenester crowd, and because straight leg jeans never go out of style, the slim straight is sure to keep you looking great long after the skinny leg dies its very emo death.

We recommend a dark wash with little or no distressing. It will complement the sleek, sharp lines of the jean and allow you to wear them from day to night. Also, look for a pair with a simple, plain back pocket. It’s time we stop decorating our backsides with ornate embroidery and instead flatter them with flat pockets and a great fit. (More on that in a later issue.)

Like we said earlier, finding the right fit can be difficult these days because a lot of designers arbitrarily name their different cuts and styles. If you’re shopping online, we suggest browsing both the skinny and straight leg sections. Look for jeans that are fitted through the thigh, but not tight. Don’t bother with any that are puckering around the crotch; that is a sure sign that they are too tight!

Also, steer clear of any jeans that hug the ankle tightly. These look like stretch pants and should be avoided. A good slim straight will hug your shoe, not your ankle. If the bottom of the jeans look like they’re drapes for your shoes, you’ve probably got the wrong pair, and if the jeans are wider at the ankle than they are at the knee, then you need to keep looking.

Fortunately for you, our friends at Tobi make finding the perfect pair of slim straights extremely easy by listing the measurements of all their pants and even, get this, labeling which pairs are slim straights. How awesome is that? We chose six of our favorites. Each is a slim straight, each has a dark wash, and each one can be worn at work, on the weekend, and out to the bar.

When your jeans can do this much, it’s worth it to spend a little extra. Happy shopping.