Blue jeans (or denim in general) and washing

[fan-of-fans]

What is your favorite brand of jeans, and how do you go about washing your jeans?

For me I like most of the common brands but I've always found Lee jeans do not fit me at all. Arizona jeans from JCPenney I've found fit me well, I used to get buy one get one free when they'd have a coupon in the mail. Too bad the store here is closing. I also really like the American Eagle stretch jeans. They are so comfortable and seem to hold up well.

Levi's I like the look of and styling but I found after a few washes they didn't fit me as well. That said I do have several pairs in beige, tan, etc, that I wear for work especially during the winter months, and these seem to fit nicely and hold up.

Another brand I used to really like a lot are the cowboy Wrangler jeans. I think these are some of the best out there for the price point and fit me very well. I just don't care for how they start off dark and fade so much. You could literally see the water in the wash turn dark blue from the indigo.

That said I recently got some Wrangler jeans after not having any in years. These are more of a stonewash and look very nice. They're very comfortable too, just like the ones I used to have.

One thing I don't like are the blue jeans where the front of the legs looks brown/tan as if they've been in mud or something. I never understood that or jeans that are made with holes or worn spots in them.

Really I only wear jeans mostly in the winter time, or on the weekends. It's been so hot here lately it's mostly chinos for work and shorts on the weekends.

 

[ea56]

I like Wranglers, and since I retired 15 years ago jeans are all I wear.  I wash them in hot water and dry them on high too.  They fade and I don’t care, I like all the stages they go thru in the process of wearing and aging.  I always have 5 pairs that I rotate, so they wear out more or less evenly.  I don’t wash them separately, but with other  dark colors.

 

In the summer and spring I wear colored LL Bean tee shirts with them, in the fall and winter crew neck sweatshirts to keep warm.

 

Eddie

 

 

[warmsecondrinse]

A long time ago I worked in Gap, Wrangler,& Chess King retail stores.......

Those brown/tan, holes, wear spots, etc. are all add-ons. Honestly, neither I nor any of my coworkers ever figured out the attraction. I think many/most of them are popular only in specific areas of the country. None of them ever seemed to catch on in the northeast......

Anyway, when jeans don't fit right it's important to figure out the problem. The simplest way is to put on a pair with the waist size you like placed where it's right for you. The look at the jeans.

When the waist is right...
- are the hips too tight/loose?
- is the rise too short/long? 'Rise' is the distance from the crotch to the waist. Everyone is different. 'Low rise' jeans are 'regular rise' on my body. 'Regular rise' comes up to my navel and the crotch is down by my knees.
- Are they too tapered? Not tapered enough?

RSQ London Skinny are my favorite. Short rise, big hips, and skinny legs in proportion to the waist.

Care:

Always wash jeans before wearing them. IIRC, jeans generally shrink about a half inch in the waist and length after the first wash in hot and dry on high. They don't shrink after that, normally.

Washing jeans inside-out will wear them more evenly so they'll have a longer useful life span. Chlorine bleach will do a major number on the dye. In general, most of the excess dye runs off with the first wash and decreases markedly with each wash after that.

The darker the other clothing you wash the jeans with, the more slowly they'll fade. Denim picks up dye more easily than most other fabric. OTOH, there's no reason to panic if you wash them with light colors. Cheer and Woolite Dark greatly reduce fading, but I'm not fond of how they leave the fabric feeling.

 

[circlew]

Usually buy Levi's, mostly 505 or 550 in stonewash, but have one darker pair. I have a couple Wrangler Riggs insulated jeans that I got at Menard's, and like them very much. They didn't cost near as much as the Levi's, and seem as well made, if not better. In warm weather I usually wear my Levi's Jean shorts. Kohl's has all Levi's on sale this week - 40% off.

 

[DADoES]

 
Levis for many years but switched to Wrangler some years ago.

I wear jeans only during the winter* season or if going somewhere formal like a funeral, LOL.  Cargo or hiking shorts rest of the time ... so have jeans to wash only a couple/three months per year.  Generally back to shorts upon arriving home so wear a pair multiple times before washing, thus may take a month+ to get enough together for load of wash.

Nothing but jeans in the load.  Warm temp.  Started turning them inside-out a couple years ago.  Try to avoid detergent with OBAs.  Usually a light dose of softener.

*Winter such as occurs on the TX coast.

 

[foraloysius]

Replay Anbass is my favourite. When a new one arrives (I buy them online) they get soaked overnight in cold water and cleaning vinegar. After that I was them in very hot water (70 celcius/158 fahrenheit). The color has mostly been set by then.

 

[askolover]

I wore Levis all through school but now I prefer Lee.  I have a few pairs of Levis currently but only wear them when all my Lee's are dirty.  I haven't worn Wrangler jeans since I was little but I do buy Wrangler denim shorts at Walmart and that's all I wear all summer long.  When I'm not in scrubs at work I'm comfortable in jeans and a sweatshirt or shorts and a T shirt.  I hate dressing up except for Church and even then it's pretty casual khaki pants and a button-down shirt.

 

[philcobendixduo]

Levis 505....

....are my favorites. I mostly have "traditional" blue but also have some white, tan and black.
Although washing instructions say to turn them inside out when washing, I have never done that.
I wash with "cotton & sturdy" cycle (normal for most machines) in warm water.
Black jeans have to be washed with other dark colors as the black never seems to stop leaching out of them.
I find a 30/30 size works for me but when actually measured, the waist on the jeans is closer to 34.
This is called "vanity sizing" in the clothing business. You can say you wear a 30 waist when your waist is really 34.
The first thing to "go" on the blue jeans are the knees. I don't crawl around on my knees except to dry the floors after washing them so I don't know why they always seem to wear out after a few years.
I've bought some other brands of jeans at Costco - Lucky brand, etc. but nothing beats Levis for me.
I used to buy them at Kohl's when I had a 30% off coupon but they started excluding Levis from the coupon deal some years ago so now I buy them online.

 

[rolls_rapide]

The longest lasting jeans I've had, were the bog-standard 'Wrangler' blue jeans, standard cut. They seemed to be virtually indestructible, made with tough cotton. They were initially quite a dark blue, faded a little over time, but not too much.

I found that the boot-cut from another manufacturer (soft pliable cotton, with the faded/brown streaks, and manufactured-in wrinkles), were frankly, rubbish. Yes, they looked trendy, but I barely had eighteen months of wear from them, and everything wore at the same time, belt loops, pockets, button holes, hems on the trouser legs. Everything frayed - and it seemed to me that the cotton was either crap - or they'd done something in the processing department. (As I write this, I wonder if they sped up the distressed look, with something like a manganese bleaching catalyst?).

I once had a pair of 'Jet' brand, black jeans with yellow stitching. They looked rather well, but over time they faded to dark brown. I managed to re-dye them back to black, with a 'Dylon' black dye, which also turned the stitching dark. But they looked quite presentable again.

I tend to wash jeans inside out with 40°C water and usually standard biological powder detergent. I find that some/many of the liquids leave a sour odour when actually wearing the garments.

 

[ea56]

I grew up wearing Levi’s, from the time I was a toddler.  My dad bought them for my brother and I and I can remember him crouching down in front of us, with a Chesterfield cigarette hanging off his lip while he rolled up the cuffs to accommodate our short little legs.  When I was in HS, Levi’s 501’s were the only jean to wear and they were only $4.98 a pair!

 

Along about 20 years ago the quality of Levi’s began to deteriorate, the denim they used started to get less durable and they wore out in a year or less.  I had a pair of 501’s that I bought in 1968 for $4.98 31”x29” that lasted me until 1990!

 

I switched to Wranglers because they have the kind of quality that Levi’s used to have.  Denim that is heavier weight that lasts for 3 years instead of one.  And they fit me well and are comfortable.  Plus the price is right at about $19.99 a pair vs about $49.99 a pair for Levi’s.

 

Eddie

[this post was last edited: 9/4/2020-18:52]

 

[lakewebsterkid]

Interesting

I have never owned a pair of Wrangler jeans. Nearly all of mine in the past 10 years have been from American Eagle. Not cheap or of the best quality, but they aren't horrible. I might look into some Wranglers.

 

[agiflow4]

When we had a department store in NJ called Bradlees I was wearing Lee jeans or Wranglers. Wranglers seemed to fit better for me. Now I wear Levi's.

I wash jeans generally in hot or warm water and turn the legs inside out when new. I usually wash jeans by themselves. I try to keep loads seperated. but sometimes when I need to make a full load I will just do a mixed load of different colored cottons.

 

[fan-of-fans]

There are different types of Wrangler jeans - the ones that have the label where the belt loops go are the typical ones that you see sold in department stores and Walmart, etc.

There is another make called Rustler which are mostly sold at Walmart and I think Kmart sold them. These are all dark blue and don't have the rivets on the front pockets. They are very inexpensive - like $10 or $12 dollars a pair. I have never bought these, but I hear they are really good jeans for the price.

The cowboy Wrangler jeans, with the W stitching on the back pockets and leather patch on the back right pocket are the Rodeo style. These seem to be sold only in places like Tractor Supply, maybe Farm and Fleet, feed stores, and other outdoorsy places. I don't believe I've seen them in any department stores.

I really like these cowboy Wranglers, but I don't care for the ultra stiff cheaper ones. The slim fit ones are much softer and fit me well.

I think in the UK the cowboy style Wranglers are part of their Retro line and are sold in department stores and considered a high end item.

 

[mattl]

I only wear Levi's.  I prefer 505's but have found all 505's are not the same - some fit better than others.  I typically buy mine on eBay, little used.  Wash them inside out in warm water to keep the dark color.  Odds are I have 10-12 pairs at the moment in various stages of fading.  I prefer them dark, but as the get lighter they  get put into everyday wear rotation late fall to winter, only shorts in warmish weather.  I go between a 33 x 36 and a 34 x 36 a bit harder to find.

 

Funny story, I did no own any denim until I was 18 or 20.  My mother looked down on it and would not buy any jeans for me or my brother.  Growing up we had various colors of cotton poly twill pants but never true jeans.  I was hard to find pants for since I was tall and most stores did not have a tall line back then, ended up at the big and tall store.  My brother was a bit luckier, he was normal height until about 18 then he shot up to 6' 8", I  was 6'3-6'4 through most of HS.

 

[fisherpaykel]

Favourite jeans

My fav's in Canadian made jeans were Manager Moccasino, Big Blue, and of course all the products of Howick Apparel Co. Of Montreal, starting out in the 70's with their Howick branded jeans and cords, later branded Andre Michel, and finally sold under the Ikeda name. All high quality materials-the pocket linings never wore out- and a bit of style. In American made jeans Lee were my favourite- really liked the way they faded out to a light powder blue and they fit me well. Ikeda had a line of pre-faded, pre-washed t-shirts that suited me to a T! Sorry, had to! Sadly those Canadian jeans are no longer in production. Washing-do up the zip and button and just huck them in the washer, extremely rarely would I turn inside out a pair I wanted to remain dark.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

I use the normal cycle

with cold or warm depending on color and shade.