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Can I wear denim on denim? Like, a denim jacket + jeans?

Yes, but only if the two styles and washes are distinctly, noticeably different.

For example, an appropriate outfit would be something like a nice indigo washed jacket and white jeans, or a very very light wash jacket and dark wash jeans. Personally, I think any mixture of indigo on indigo asks for trouble — try to avoid matching even acid wash indigo with regular indigo washes. The only exception to the aforementioned indigo on indigo rule may be pairing a chambray shirt with denim jeans, which really isn’t pairing denim with denim anyway.

Should I try out raw denim? Everyone tells me I should and I want sick fades.

If you want to and can put the effort in, sure, go for it, raw denim is amazing. Otherwise, hell no.

For the uninitiated, raw (or “dry”) denim is basically normal jeans that have not been washed after they have been dyed, meaning that they retain a very very dark indigo tint, and are ridiculously stiff. “Pre-washed jeans” have been popular for a long time because of comfort and fit- washed jeans are typically much softer and more comfortable than raw denim, and they additionally do the majority of their shrinking in the first wash, which means the fit is more accurate when the consumer purchases them.

The advantage to raw denim is that it gets what people on the ‘net colloquially call “sick fades”, or just “nice fades”- basically, wear in the denim that comes directly from your everyday wear, giving it a cool, personalized, very realistic look. It’s hard to explain entirely, but the look is pretty damn cool, and you can tell the denim wasn’t washed by a company.

To do this, you have to wear the denim raw for a long time, upwards of 6+ months preferred, with absolutely no washing. Yes, that means no washing your jeans for 6 months, and wearing them as much as possible. To do this, you have to get rid of dirt and smells in other ways- avoiding getting them dirty, hanging them up often, putting them in the freezer, and the like. If you make the mistake of washing them before you’ve worn them adequately, a lot of the fading is lost- they’ll still look nice, but not AS nice.

So basically, raw denim is only valuable to you if you actually bother religiously maintaining it. Raw denim is a pain in the rear, expensive, and it’s hard to maintain over long periods of time, especially in lieu of everyday wear. Still, if you want to do it, go for it- the benefits are pretty cool, and the effect is awesome. If you don’t want to deal with it, though, just go find a really really dark wash pair of jeans (even Levis) and don’t wash them and wear them heavily for a while- you’ll get a similar effect, though not as nice, at a much cheaper price.

First off we have A.P.C. (Atelier Production Creative), a French Company who specializes in minimalist style and modern cuts. Now for sizing, you should size down 1-3 sizes since all of the A.P.C. cuts are vanity sized.
Style: New Standard. Cut: Slimming, but less tapered. Sizing: 1-3 Sizes Down.
Style: New Cure. Cut: Slimming and tapered. Sizing: 1-2 Sizes Down.
Style: Petit Standard. Cut: Super skinny (seriously skinny). Sizing: 1-2 Sizes Down.
Where to buy Online ¬– APC.fr, Tobi, Yoox and Context Clothing.
Brick and Mortar¬ – Various Designer Stores Worldwide.
Price Range: Around  $150 US.

Nudie Jeans Co: A Swedish Company that provides a variety of styles and cuts.
Sizing for Nudies are a uniform 1-2 sizes down for stretching for all styles.
Style: High Kai. Cut: Super skinny and a higher waist.
Style: Slim Jim. Cut: Strait and can be Slim, Tight, or Strait.
Style: Thin Finn. Cut: Super Slim.
Style: Grim Tim. Cut: Super Skinny.
Where to buy Online ¬– NudieJeans.com, Tobi, Revolve Clothing, Context Clothing, and Yoox.
Brick and Mortar – Various Designer Stores Worldwide.
Price Range: Around $200 US

Cheap Monday: A Swedish company who offers affordable jeans that look great and fit great too. As the name implies, this brand offers skinny jeans at an affordable price. These jeans will stretch quite a bit, but the material will go back to the original size easily too. Sizing is uniformly 1 size down.
Almost all Styles are skinny with tapered legs.
Where to buy Online ¬– Urban Outfitters, Yoox, Revolve Clothing, Karmaloop.
Brick and Mortar – Various Designer Stores Worldwide.
Price Range: Around $60 US.

Levis: American denim giant formed in 1853 with a diverse line of jeans and styles and is famous for using copper rivets to reinforce points of strain on the jeans. Sizing is 1-2 sizes down uniformly.
Style: 511 Cut: Slimming and slightly tapered.
Style: 510. Cut: Super skinny
Where to buy Online ¬– Urban Outfitters, Levis.com.
Brick and Mortar – Various Designer Stores Worldwide.
Price Range: Around $50 US.

Helmut Lang: Austrian clothing brand that is famous for their minimalist design and quality fabrics. Styles vary from season to season, but the Fit is skinny and tapered.
Sizing is uniformly 1-3 sizes down.
Where to buy Online ¬– Revolve Clothing, Nordstrom.
Brick and Mortar – Various Designer Stores Worldwide.
Price Range: Around $100 US plus, depending on season.

April 77: French clothing label that focuses on styles inspired by underground music and unisex cuts.
Style: Joey. Cut: Skinny and tapered. Sizing: 1-2 sizes down.
Where to buy Online ¬– Revolve Clothing, April77.fr, Yoox.
Brick and Mortar – Various Designer Stores Worldwide.
Price Range: Around $150 US.

Blank Denim: This is a women’s’ brand, but if you are skinny enough like me, you can easily wear these jeans in the unisex Cuts and Styles they offer. Sizing is uniformly 1-2 sizes down.
Where to buy Online ¬– Karmaloop, Tobi.
Brick and Mortar – Various Designer Stores Worldwide.
Price Range: Around $60 US.

For more information on denim check out www.denimology.co.uk and the superfuture.com fourm.