Since their invention, jeans have helped mold some of the coolest guys in history, from James Dean to Kendrick Lamar. Today, the best jeans for men follow in that great lineage and can even fold a plebe like you into the annals of style history, as they’ve done for countless fashion greats.
But let’s get this straight: The jeans we know today—rugged, riveted, rendered in inky-blue cotton—were invented way back in the late 1800s in Reno, Nevada by a Latvian immigrant and tailor by the name of Jacob Davis. Davis sold his hard-wearing trousers to tradesmen, factory workers, and gold miners who liked his product so much that he asked his fabric supplier, Levi Strauss, for financial backing and help with applying for the patent for his rivet invention. On May 20, 1872, the two were awarded the patent and the rest, as they say, is menswear history.
Jeans have been barred from hotels, smuggled into countries, and, above all else, remixed and riffed on by every generation discovering them anew—which, in this day and age, makes finding the right pair for you all the more difficult. Add to that having to navigate things like stretch, skinny jeans, light wash, dark wash, and finding the perfect fit may as well be impossible. That’s where we come in.
The Best Jeans for Men, According to GQ
Best Jeans Since Jeans Were Invented: Levi’s 501 Original Fit Jeans
Sometimes, the easy, obvious answer just so happens to be the right one. And when it comes to denim, the easy, obvious, and unquestionably right answer is the Levi’s 501, the most influential silhouette from the most influential denim brand. For first-timers who’ve somehow never owned a pair or dudes returning to the style after a long hiatus, this is where your search should start—and where it’ll probably end, too.
Levi’s invented blue jeans, so you’d expect its flagship silhouette to be halfway decent. More unexpected, though, is how well the 501 has held up decades after it first hit the market. The denim is still substantial and sturdy, the details are still near-perfectly dialed, and the silhouette is still the prototypical straight-leg fit. Plus, the sheer amount of washes and sizes it’s available in means there’s an option for almost everyone.
That being said, 501s have rarely ever worked for this particular writer. My knocked knees and Filipino calves make the iconic jean look more like a tapered fit, so I have to look to wider options for the same effect. But consider me the minority because for countless folks across literal generations, the 501 does the trick just fine. And while we dig the sheer variety of washes, colors, and fabrics it comes in, we’d strongly recommend the all-cotton versions over the stretch-infused joints.
Best yet? At around $80, they’re already a solid value. But with a little patience, you can reliably snag them on sale.
| Fabric | 100% cotton denim |
| Fit | Mid-rise, straight leg |
| Details | Button fly |
| Stretch | No |
| Size Range | 28-44 waist; 29-40 length |
Best Budget Jeans: Wrangler Original Cowboy Cut Jeans
Along with Levi’s and Lee, Wrangler makes up one-third of the denim world Big Three; its pedigree is beyond reproach. So don’t let its affordable prices fool you into thinking its jeans are second rate—they represent some of the best value denim money can buy. Not sure where to start? Go west, young man, to the brand’s bread-and-butter Cowboy Cut line, the official jeans of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. (How’s that for authenticity?)
Yeehaw-certifications aside, the Cowboy Cut line features a slew of heavy-duty denims, some of which tip the scales at over 15 oz. The Original Cowboy Cut jeans boast a high rise that sits at the natural waist, a flattering seat, and enough leg room to wear with a pair of boots. For just about fifty bucks, they’re one of the best-fitting jeans around. Are they selvedge? No. Does that matter? Also no.
Beyond their legitimately beefy feel, Wrangler’s Cowboy Cut jeans looked shockingly good on the GQ staffers across the board. GQ associate commerce editor Tyler Chin especially loved the longer rise and range of inseams, designed to accommodate a broader array of body types. And when they fit this well, that granularity in sizes is the cherry on top. “They’re great at hugging the glutes for a more toned look,” Chin notes. “Maybe Beyoncé should’ve penned an ode to Wrangler instead.”
| Fabric | 14.5 oz cotton denim |
| Fit | Mid-rise, straight, ever-so-slightly tapered |
| Details | Zip fly, extra rear belt loops |
| Stretch | No |
| Size Range | 27-54 waist; 29-40 length |
Best Upgrade Jeans: 3sixteen CS-100x Jeans
In the past 20 years, Japanese denim went from fringe obsession to hot topic (not that Hot Topic). Menswear’s reverence for Japan stems from the country’s surfeit of artisanal makers, who practice their craft with a fastidious approach to quality and detail. Thanks to a glut of specialty denim boutiques stateside, though, you don’t have to book a flight to Tokyo or enlist a proxy service to snag a pair of true-blue Japanese jeans. In fact, one of our favorite riffs on the genre comes from 3sixteen, a brand with ties to denim’s OG home and its modern-day stomping grounds.
3sixteen has been refining its selvedge denim since the early 2000s, crafting its first pair of California-made jeans using custom denim from Kuroki, the storied Japanese mill; two decades later, its jeans continue to sell out. Each pair comes equipped with plenty of details to nerd out over, from the hardware to the leather patches to the top-notch stitch quality and dialed-in silhouettes, which helps explain why they’ve become as revered in Japan as they are in the states.
3sixteen’s take on the perennial straight fit (dubbed the CS, or Classic Straight) features a mid-high rise with a relaxed thigh and an ultra-subtle taper. That might sound like a carrot fit, but the deft patterning resulted in one of our favorite straight-leg jeans ever. The single downside: Specialty denim of this caliber usually comes in one long inseam, so unless you’re 6’4” you’ll probably want to get them hemmed.
| Fabric | 12 oz. Japanese selvedge denim |
| Fit | High rise, slight tapered leg |
| Details | Roughout suede leather patch, button fly |
| Stretch | No |
| Size Range | 28-42 waist; fixed length |
Best Japanese Jeans: OrSlow 105 Straight-Leg Jeans
There are plenty of brands that push denim to its limit, but OrSlow is the brand that tends to stick to the rules. Its painstakingly accurate reproductions of vintage jeans has made them legendary in denimhead circles as well as quiet luxury spheres. The 105 cut is a riff on vintage Levi's jeans and comes in a beautifully rinsed denim that ages like the old stuff and fits like a dream.
Our dutiful model and associate commerce editor Tyler Chin already has a pair of these same jeans and says they’re his favorite pair. We can see why. The silhouette is damn near perfect with its classic true mid-rise and straight leg that reminds us why vintage Levi’s are the gold standard (even if they’re made by another brand). The wash is shockingly convincing, too. If you could pin jean fades to artists, most would fall under Picasso while OrSlow’s are more like Chuck Close.
| Fabric | 13 oz. Japanese selvedge denim |
| Fit | Mid-rise, straight leg |
| Details | Button fly |
| Stretch | No |
| Size Range | 0-5; fixed length |
Best Baggy Jeans: Gap ‘90s Loose Jeans
People forget about Gap’s denim origins, but the Bay Area brand hasn’t lost sight of its roots. And we have to admit that we were among the forgetful because we were genuinely surprised to try Gap’s ‘90s Loose Jeans. The denim is hefty with a tight weave that reminded us of jeans in higher price brackets. The wash of the particular pair we tried was one of the most natural we’ve seen at this price, with realistic fading throughout. Whiskers and honeycombs (those fade lines that occur at the lap and behind the knees) are hard to get right without looking too manufactured. Gap manages to hit the nail on the head with whiskers and honeycombs that are subtle and far from over-the-top.
As for the fit, these had a mid-to-high rise with a full top block and a straight silhouette down to the hem—the ideal baggy fit. Because of the higher rise, these are easy to wear both at the natural waist and sagging near the hips for multiple styling options. And if you’re a denim-obsessed freak like this author, small details like filled belt loops, two-prong buttons, and non-felled inseams will make your indigo-heart pitter patter.
| Fabric | 100% regenerative cotton, 13 oz. |
| Fit | Mid-high rise, full seat and thighs, straight leg |
| Details | Button fly |
| Stretch | No |
| Size Range | 28-42 waist; 28-36 length |
Best Entry-Level Selvedge Jeans: A.P.C. New Standard Jeans
Ask a seasoned denimhead to name their first pair of raw jeans, and they’ll likely point you to one brand: A.P.C. Aside from Levi’s itself, few other denim brands have accrued as much pedigree as fast as the French label, founded by Jean Touitou in the late ‘80s. Remember those stories about folks refusing to wash their jeans, opting to “clean” them in the freezer or soak them in the ocean? A.P.C. probably played a pivotal role in stoking the hoopla. The inspiration behind those, uh, treatments—let alone their validity—is hard to pin down, but the goal was always in the name of sick fades, the denimhead equivalent of brewing your own IPA.
As you might expect, A.P.C.’s jeans are stiff, dense, and fast to fade, thanks to a dye process that prevents the indigo from fully penetrating their yarns. (Buy a pair in the fall and by summertime you’ll be left with the type of patina that makes denimheads drool.) Fair warning, though: they have a nagging tendency to get you hooked. “A.P.C. jeans were my gateway into nice denim,” GQ Style Commerce Writer Gerald Ortiz says. “The design is squeaky clean, the denim fades beautifully, and, unlike a lot of jeans, you can easily dress them up.”
The brand’s New Standard silhouette is a riff on classic straight-leg options like the 501, updated with a slight taper for a cleaner silhouette. In other words, it’s a no-frills jean made with nice materials and cut with a nice fit—and whether you want to dip your toes into the selvedge waters or upgrade from the basic stuff there are few better options.
| Fabric | 100% cotton Japanese raw selvedge denim |
| Fit | Mid-rise, straight fit |
| Details | Button fly |
| Stretch | No |
| Size Range | 24-36 waist; fixed length |
Best Jeans for This Particular Writer: Our Legacy Third Cut Jeans
As a reformed denimhead who went from hardcore raw denim to literal ripped jeans strung with pearls, my taste in denim is both very particular and very broad. Ultimately what I want is a pair of jeans that have an interesting denim (something conceptual, even) with a great fit. For me, that’s Our Legacy’s Third Cut Jeans. Capital-F Fashion Guys go nuts for OL's denim for their forward-thinking yet approachable jeans like these semi-viral trompe l’oeil jeans.
If that’s a bit too heady for you, not to worry. Our Legacy’s more conventional denim washes are just as interesting and come in a flattering mid-high rise with a full seat and relaxed straight leg. But they’re not just for guys with knock knees and above average calves. The Third Cut seems to look great on most other dudes who, I assume, have average human legs.
| Fabric | 100% cotton |
| Fit | Mid-high rise, relaxed straight leg |
| Details | Zip fly |
| Stretch | No |
| Size Range | 28-36 waist; fixed length |
More Jeans We Love
Buck Mason
Japanese Denim Ford Standard Jean
You might not think of Buck Mason as a repro label, but everything the American brand does is deeply rooted in vintage workwear and heritage references. And though they're also not the first brand you think of when it comes to jeans, they should definitely be in the top 10. Crafted in Los Angeles using period-accurate details, impeccably handsome silhouettes, and super convincing washes, these jeans are giving the big players a run for their money.
RRL
Vintage 5-Pocket East-West Selvedge Jean
Ralph Lauren's western-inspired sub-label puts out some of the best denim on the market. Every year, they release a limited run of "East-West" jeans which use a combination of custom Japanese selvedge denim fabrics with vintage details and made-in-USA production.
Abercrombie & Fitch
Baggy Jean
You may remember Abercrombie for their knit polos and cargo shorts, but you should also add their denim to your mental list. We've been surprised by The Moose's output in recent seasons and their jeans are perhaps the most underestimated category. The denim is satisfyingly dense yet soft, and the silhouette is properly baggy.
Carhartt WIP
Nash Double Knee Loose Fit Jeans
Carhartt's younger, hipper sibling knows how to speak to the youth and these baggy double-knee jeans are proof. They still use the hardy, durable denim Carhartt's known for, along with the workwear details we've come to love, but with an even larger silhouette.
Levi's
501 Original Shrink-to-fit Jeans
For the dudes that want to fade their own jeans or want an old-school pair, Levi's shrink-to-fit jeans are almost a rite of passage. They're unsanforized and totally raw meaning they're devoid of any sort of wash or distressing. As the name implies, they shrink a lot, so be sure to get a few sizes bigger. Much of the lore/fun is getting in the bathtub with them on and letting them dry and shrink to your body shape for a custom fit, but you totally don't have to do that.
Oni
274-Awa Shoai Regular Straight AWA Natural Denim
If you're ready to make the harrowing leap to the upper echelons of raw denim, you'd land safely with this pair of Oni's. On top of the Japanese label's reputation for high-level construction, its proprietary fabrics are unlike any other. While the vast majority of jean use synthetic indigo—even most fancy Japanese joints—these are made with all-natural plant indigo, a process that takes artisanal care and several days to produce. And that's all before it's even woven (on antique looms, no less).
Carson Wach
The Original 333
This indie darling of small-batch denim making is hip to the creative crowd thanks not only to its dialed-in silhouettes but also its solid denim. The construction quality and distinctive rear pockets make Carson Wach jeans enviable for even the most in-the-know fashion heads.
How Do You Buy a High-Quality Pair of Jeans?
1. Know a brand's strengths. You can break down the denim world into two spheres: brands that specialize in jeans, and brands that make jeans as part of a larger offering. Quality jeans can come from anywhere, but the specialists tend to be unassailable, and they exist at all ends of the price spectrum. According to Andrew Chen, owner and founder of New York-based 3sixteen, one benefit of denim-focused brands is their relentless devotion to making better jeans. "Companies that make the same jeans year-in and year-out are always making tweaks—sometimes imperceptible—to improve the product,” Chen points out.
On the flip side, the sheer ubiquity of big-box brands lets you try their jeans on with ease (and zero shipping fees). “Every Detail matters when crafting a great pair of jeans! Fit and Fabric are at the top of my list followed by trim qualities such as size of the zipper to the metal shanks as well as thread quality and construction details. All these components are essential for a great pair of jeans that will stand the test of time.
2. Consider the construction. Janine Chilton-Faust, Vice President of Men’s Design says that every detail matters, but there are a couple standouts. “Fit and Fabric are at the top of my list,” she says, “followed by trim qualities such as size of the zipper to the metal shanks as well as thread quality and construction details. All these components are essential for a great pair of jeans that will stand the test of time.” Jeans’ long-term quality mostly comes down to their fabric, stitching, and hardware. Jeans from the big names tend to be made from mid-weight denim (generally “12 oz.” denim, calculated as weight-per-yard of fabric).
Speciality denim retailers usually start there and carry heavier artisanal selvedge denim, probably woven in Japan, the last bastion of high-end raw denim manufacturing. Heavier denim is meant to last longer (or so the theory goes), but isn't necessarily better. Lighter denim (9 to 11 oz.) is nice in the summer, but also more delicate. Chen reminds us to pay attention to details that are often glossed over. “For construction, look at pocketbag material, look at whether the finishing is clean.” While denim is the main focus, it’s the finer details like these that are often a better indicator of a jean’s quality.
You might have heard of Japanese denim. There’s a great deal of reverence for the stuff and for good reason. Chilton-Faust says it’s one of the highest quality denims you can get, since they’re made on shuttle looms with ring-spun cotton yarns.”These yarns are softer, stronger and more durable, giving the fabric an authentic look with natural slubs. This denim molds to your body, and the less you wash the better it becomes.
3. Explore your fits. Jeans, like snowflakes and Haribo candy, come in a mind-melting array of seemingly-minute variations: high-rise vs. low-rise; flares vs. straight vs. taper; and so many more. So take a deep breath. Ultimately, it comes down to two things for Chilton-Faust. “The right fit in a pair of jeans can enhance comfort and confidence.” Remember that big-box brands like J.Crew and Uniqlo—and the affordable OGs like Levi's, Lee, and Wrangler—usually offer a much wider range of sizes than their indie counterparts. (We'll spare you a lesson on the economies of scale.) Those brands also tend to have plenty of brick-and-mortar outposts to try on different styles IRL if you're wondering about the recent relaxed-fit revolution or find yourself high-rise-curious.
On the flip side, smaller companies experiment more, and aren't afraid to roll out new silhouettes. “Buy them from a brand or a retailer that can give you good feedback on how they will break in, how much they will stretch, how much they might shrink on their first wash,” Chen says. He also mentions that the amount of details a brand’s website dishes out or how knowledgeable a sales associate is are good indicators.
One thing to keep in mind? Jeans should get better with age…if they’re any good. Chen keeps it simple: “The good stuff looks better the more you wear it and the bad stuff looks worse.”
How We Test and Review Products
Style is subjective, we know—that’s the fun of it. But we’re serious about helping our audience get dressed. Whether it’s the best white sneakers, the flyest affordable suits, or the need-to-know menswear drops of the week, GQ Recommends’ perspective is built on years of hands-on experience, an insider awareness of what’s in and what’s next, and a mission to find the best version of everything out there, at every price point.
Our staffers aren’t able to try on every single piece of clothing you read about on GQ.com (fashion moves fast these days), but we have an intimate knowledge of each brand’s strengths and know the hallmarks of quality clothing—from materials and sourcing, to craftsmanship, to sustainability efforts that aren’t just greenwashing. GQ Recommends heavily emphasizes our own editorial experience with those brands, how they make their clothes, and how those clothes have been reviewed by customers. Bottom line: GQ wouldn’t tell you to wear it if we wouldn’t.
How We Make These Picks
We make every effort to cast as wide of a net as possible, with an eye on identifying the best options across three key categories: quality, fit, and price.
To kick off the process, we enlist the GQ Recommends braintrust to vote on our contenders. Some of the folks involved have worked in retail, slinging clothes to the masses; others have toiled for small-batch menswear labels; all spend way too much time thinking about what hangs in their closets.
We lean on that collective experience to guide our search, culling a mix of household names, indie favorites, and the artisanal imprints on the bleeding-edge of the genre. Then we narrow down the assortment to the picks that scored the highest across quality, fit, and price.
Across the majority of our buying guides, our team boasts firsthand experience with the bulk of our selects, but a handful are totally new to us. So after several months of intense debate, we tally the votes, collate the anecdotal evidence, and emerge with a list of what we believe to be the absolute best of the category right now, from the tried-and-true stalwarts to the modern disruptors, the affordable beaters to the wildly expensive (but wildly worth-it) designer riffs.
Whatever your preferences, whatever your style, there's bound to be a superlative version on this list for you. (Read more about GQ's testing process here.)