The Best Jeans for Men Are Juggernauts of American Style

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.

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.”

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.