Best jeans. Do they exist?

[maldivemoment]

I’m in my forties and still haven’t found ‘the ones!’
Surely they are out there somewhere?

5.7” Pear shape.

I just want a good pair of bloody jeans! Ideally dark blue, would like to turn them up & wear with boots (converse in the summer). Not skinny but not mum jeans either (they do nothing fit my mid-riff). Would like them to come up to my actual waist & not low slung (no one needs to see that!) Get better with age.

Point me in the right direction if you’ve found the perfect jeans! Thank you

Agree with these, and I'm only 5ft 4 and a bit apple shaped these days but they are a good all rounder. Very comfortable and flattering.

Chunky bum and thighs here and I've always found Levi's fit best. Bit too pricey though so I scour charity shops for them!

I always scour charity shops for jeans. One reason being that they have been washed many times and won't shrink any more. Not had any success so far though.

I'm going to read this thread leisurely with some crimbo nibbles and take notes! Thank you all

I love the And/or Venice beach jeans from John Lewis. They have some stretch in them and aren't too tight on the leg.

www.johnlewis.com/and-or-venice-beach-boyfriend-jeans-azurite-dark/p4285475

I'm 5ft 6 with long legs but I still find some jeans are too long and get them taken up by a tailor for about £10.

I wear Levi 501 jeans. I like jeans with no stretch and 501’s fit my shape very well. I’m 5’2” and wear Levi size 28 which I think is a size 10 or 12

The crease stays after washing. And after being crumpled on a bedroom floor.

I really struggle with 100% cotton straight jeans due to a big bum and smaller waist and finally found a decent pair (often on sale) from Everlane Here . I want the curvy way high ones next.
For skinny levis mile high or 721 (lower waist) as they don’t lose shape although are thinner than I would like.
7 for all mankind were a waste for me as they were thin and got baggy as did Paige!
Good american in John Lewis also great.

M&S boyfriend are my all time favourite jeans. You can usually get them on Vinted for a good price but £40 in store so not expensive. Not too slim, not too high waisted, keep their shape and look good.

I am 5 ft 11. Size 14-16 and found the Lily jeans at M & S great for me. I searched everywhere. They are stretchy but good enouh quality the knees and bum go baggy after a few hours of wearing. The are not low waisted and love they come up high rise. I am pear shaped, in some respects , my backside is quite big and a little hippy. I love the straight fit, but they still give me shape to my oeg and not too baggy. I turn them hem up in the summer and wear trainers and sandals. I ordered the Harper style from M & S in white for the summer, but the quality was awful, magerial thin, and turn up unfinished. One thing I have found and my friends say the same is I always take as many size 16L to changing rooms as there can be a different around waist , or too tight , or too baggy, and at least 2 I find dont fit, but the others are great. They are £29.50 which is reasonable for jeans I worn for 18 months or so. Good luck!

Levi’s 501 cropped for me. The mid blue is a good thick denim. The black ones however were thin and disappointing!

GAP did an amazingly flattering straight leg cut called ‘cheeky straight’ about 5 years ago (£). They’re incredibly comfortable, have very little, if any, stretch so have held their shape beautifully. Not sure if GAP still do similar, or if they’re still as good as the quality fluctuates according to material prices etc.
Madewell in the US are good (££), also Good American (££), Citizens of Humanity (£££) and Mother (£££).
Worth looking at The Outnet for heavily discounted designer jeans from some of the big name LA denim brands.

Levi's do a pear shaped pair of jeans

Update; so I ordered a pair of Agnes jeans from Hush thinking they would tick every box. They don’t. They’re okay I suppose but not brilliant. Not exactly sure what I can put my finger on, mind you. £79

picked up a pair of M&S Lily from the charity shop. £4 and much more happy with them than the Hush ones. Typical!

Another charity shop find is The vintage cigarette from Next.£3. I’m loving them worn turned up.

Have I learned anything from the extensive search?
Yes. Perfect jeans don’t exist! 😆

Thanks for all the input. 👍🏻

Levis 724 straight leg in dark indigo rinse. Get them in long length.

No stretch is the key, OP. They should be right on the verge of being a bit uncomfortable when you first buy them. Not too tight, but definitely snug. Even if they’re not worn tighter, they look better on and they age in a more pleasing way, going soft rather than saggy.

Also, now I’ve read about and seen this I can’t unsee it. I read that cheaper jeans often don’t have a long enough fly. It needs to come right down the front, not stop mid-pubic bone. I think it draws the eye and makes even jeans that fit nicely look really… gunty. Marks and Spencer do it a lot. Attached Exhibit A: M &S £32.50 fly and Exhibit B: 7 for all Mankind £190 fly. I wouldn’t necessarily spend nearly £200 on jeans unless they were truly wonderful, but I might spend a bit more to get some with a proper zip.

In general if I want to buy less spendy jeans, I avoid the ‘comfort’ brands (supermarket, Marks, Next) and look at the more fashion-led brands (Zara, H and M) where they seem to have retained the old ‘suffer to be beautiful’ mantra and have a wide range of stiff, thick, unstretchy jeans for you to wear until they’re comfy.

If I’m spending more I like Toast, but I appreciate they’re not the shape you’re after and not to everyone’s taste.

Haven't RTFT, OP, so apologies if this has already been mentioned. The Guardian ran an article on jeans over the weekend https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/article/2024/may/12/20-ways-to-get-good-jeans-denim-fashion-special

I haven't been interested in jeans for years, but have just bought a high-waisted pair from Zara, black, a bit cropped with a raw hem, to wear with oversized shirts and chunky sandals, bit of a French tuck. Quite enjoying them, and at £30, it's worth an experiment. I'm also interested in the Zara or Massimo Dutti high waist, straight leg in blue wash - again £30 or £60, so not a massive investment if I find this interest fades, or if the fabric doesn't stand up to frequent use. Trinny is a big fan of Zara jeans!

Unlike others on this thread, I find going up a size and belting in at the waist works better for me.

Next blue or black.
Not too expensive and look smart.
Stretch is good too.

I have the m&s lily's the first pair I brought were the light denim but after 2 years the elastane has broken down and they are stretch out of shape, so I won't recommend them, unless 2 years is how long they are supposed to last.

Interesting article. I had no idea that stretch jeans were the worst for recycling. As for the "high street" shops mentioned, none are in any high street near me.

I started wearing jeans with stretch because I finally found some that fitted my hips and waist (12" difference) without gapig at the waist or the need for a belt.