Jeans That Look Classic and Cool for Guys of Any Age
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Shop Now $228, buckmason.com
Welcome to The Esquire Endorsement. Heavily researched. Thoroughly vetted. These picks are the best way to spend your hard-earned cash.
We are living through a Great Pants Upheaval. Circa 2020, the cool kids chucked their skinny trousers and embraced voluminous pants. The trend has trickled into the mainstream, most notably when J.Crew—the ultimate purveyor of super-slim pants—released its giant-fit chinos, which sell out frequently. The shift in how we wear our pants is so significant that even The New York Times Magazine wrote a cover story about it.
Amid this upheaval, the question you are probably asking yourself is, what kind of pants should I wear? Some people might tell you that’s a personal question. Those people are cowards. Here’s the answer: You should wear Buck Mason’s Japanese Loomstate Selvedge Full Saddle Jeans. Here’s why.
Welcome to the Revolution
If you’re already on board with wide-legged pants, skip to the next section. This part isn’t for you. If you’re among the unconvinced—and if you’re a man of a certain age, particularly one who’s fathered a child or two—I have some advice.
You’ve seen the preeminent (or as the Times Magazine put it, the most-epochal) dad-jeans meme, showing side-by-side photos of Barack Obama. On the left, he’s throwing out the first pitch at a White Sox game in 2009, his loose-fitting jeans billowing in the breeze. At the time, people ridiculed him for wearing “mom jeans.” On the right, he’s in a foreign country in 2019, wearing slim-fitting chinos cinched at the ankle, which, I guess, were stylish for a man in his ’50s. The message for today’s audience is: The dad jeans of 2009 are cool now. The pants on the right are not.
Okay, so you don’t want to be Obama in the slim pants. But going full 2009 is too much. Where do you begin? Start with a pair of Levi’s 501’s. They cost less than a hundred bucks. Wear the hell out of them. Then try some Wranglers. Wear the hell out of those. Once you’ve completed those steps, advance to the next level: Buck Mason’s Japanese Loomstate Selvedge Full Saddle Jeans.
Or you can say fuck it, skip the 501’s and Wranglers, and jump into the deep end with 2009 Obama. Try it! The water’s warm.
Shop Now $228, buckmason.com
Look Like Young Marlon Brando
But actually you won’t look like 2009 Obama. The thing about these jeans is that they are classic. Close your eyes and imagine Marlon Brando or James Dean in the 1950s—the epitome of a certain brand of cool. What kind of pants are they wearing? Correct! They are wearing dark jeans cut wide. That’s the Buck Mason Full Saddle. They look like jeans Brando or Dean would’ve worn.
They are high waisted, roomy in the crotch, and cut full from ass to ankle. I recommend keeping them long enough to cuff, then pairing them with a pair of loafers and white socks—though you won’t go wrong with white canvas sneakers, either. Tuck in a T-shirt; throw a gray sweatshirt, wool sweater, or bomber jacket over it (maybe this one).
You won’t look like someone trying to jump on the latest trend in pants. You will look cool and classic. Bonus: You’ll still be on trend, but they won’t go out of style once the pendulum swings back.
Shop Now $228, buckmason.com
Expect Good Quality, Pay a Fair Price
First, these jeans are made in America. Does that mean they’re automatically good? No, but your Fox News Dad will sure like the sound of it. Just don’t tell him how much you spent: $228, which is more than a pair of 501’s, less than designer, and all things considered a pretty good price for denim that’ll last forever.
Second, they’re thick and sturdy. But you can—and should—wear them in the summer, because remember: These aren’t skinny jeans. You won’t feel the squeeze of fabric on your legs. Instead, you’ll have the novel feeling of nakedness beneath your jeans. Your skin will thank you. And the jeans will age well.
Third, these are selvedge jeans. What does that mean? Okay, let’s get nerdy for a moment. They are made on traditional shuttle looms. This machine allows the thread to remain intact at each edge, which is the self-edging that creates selvedge denim.
Understand?
Whatever. Doesn’t matter. They’re good jeans. Buy them. You won’t regret it.
Shop Now $228, buckmason.com
Photographs by Joe Lingeman. Prop styling by Heather Greene.
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