After the skinny jeans trend, the prevailing wisdom with denim was been pretty simple: go wider. Relaxed became baggy and suddenly everyone’s jeans were pooling around their shoes. But as we lean into fall, the pendulum is starting to swing back. Stylish guys are easing up on the exaggerated proportions and returning to straighter, more familiar silhouettes—the kind of jeans that look like they could’ve been pulled from an old Levi’s ad or a particularly good vintage rack.
But the fit is only part of the appeal. What really makes these jeans feel right now is that they don’t look new. We’re talking faded indigo, whiskered thighs, creases behind the knees and washes that suggest years of wear, even if you just cut the tags off. Some pairs are dark and beautifully broken-in, others have that washed-out, almost dusty blue of truly old denim. And unlike the aggressively distressed jeans of years past, these aren’t about conspicuous rips and tears. They’re meant to look naturally lived-in.
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You can see versions everywhere, from big denim stalwarts to smaller labels and high-end designers. For a little inspiration, look at the old-school Levi’s that designer Aaron Levine has been wearing on Instagram: straight, faded and imperfect in exactly the right ways. That’s essentially the blueprint. Find a pair with a classic shape and plenty of character, maybe even a crease down the legs and then wear the hell out of them. The best part? They’ll only get better from here.
