Wellcultured - Well Cultured is a men’s online magazine with advice and reviews on fashion, dating, finances, health, music, movies and many other topics, as well as a robust message board and the Well Cultured Guide, a freely editable community wiki.

Are bootcut jeans OK? I have a lot of pairs of boots that just won’t fit into straight leg jeans.

Well, yes, generally. The generally accepted rule is that you try to wear jeans as slim as you can without looking ridiculous, but obviously, if you plan to wear boots, you’ll need jeans that work well.

To be more specific, you probably want to go for something along the lines of Levi’s 507 jeans — that is, slim boot cut jeans. The reason for the seemingly universal hate fashion websites have for boot cut jeans is that they are typically somewhat bulky and baggy, two things you never want in a good pair of jeans. Whatever brand/style you do go for, the best thing you can do is ensure that, independent of the bottom of the jeans, the jeans fit well overall.

Also, while I’m on this topic, let me be clear about the general policy on boots: cowboy boots always stay under jeans, military boots and other mid-thigh boots can be under the jeans or bloused depending on the style, and hiking boots generally stay underneath by virtue of being too short to really be blouse-able. In simpler terms, never ever “tuck in” your jeans on a pair of cowboy boots, no matter how skinny your jeans are — get a pair of bootcut jeans, or at least jeans that will accommodate the boot, or don’t wear them. You will look like a gay pornstar otherwise. That being said, military boots, or other types of boots with high uppers, can sometimes be bloused (meaning you tuck your pants into the boot), just be careful.

Either way, long story short, go for slim bootcut jeans for cowboy boots or certain types of boots, or otherwise go without or blouse your pants. Hope this helps!

If you live in the United States, chances are you have purchased or know someone who have purchased Levi’s jeans. As one of the staple jean brands in the US, Levi’s seems like a relatively boring choice to be pro-fashion — but on the contrary, they are some of the best purchases you can make. Though they may not be as expensively branded as other jean brands, Levi’s are an absolutely wonderful start to any wardrobe — they are cheap, are available in a wide variety of fits, and best of all, are available in virtually any city and all over the place online.

With that being said, here is a quick and dirty Levi’s sizing guide, so you know what to look for if you ever feel like purchasing a pair.

The Basic Sizing Guide

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Levi’s 501 (Original Jean)

Sometimes jokingly called the “Obama Jean” nowadays, 501s are the very classic Levi’s jean offering that has been around for virtually forever. 501s are as baggy as a fashionable person would ever want to go — they are relatively loose and relaxed and perfect for a look trying to exploit that, but really often too loose for most guys otherwise. Unless you have huge legs or are trying to pull off something retro (or just have no other choice), 501s are probably not an ideal choice.

Levi’s 514 (Slim Straight Jean)

These are pretty much the perfect balance between straight and skinny — 514s are neither skinny nor baggy straight, making them a “slim straight” that works fairly well for most people, particularly those with bigger thighs (i.e. weightlifters). 514s don’t work very well for those with super thin legs (they just manage to look baggy), but for those with muscle tone, 514s are a godsend.

Levi’s 511 (Skinny Jean)

The canonical “skinny jean”, though admittedly they are really only skinny in name. 511s differ from 514s in that they have a more drastic taper and try to achieve a more skin-tight look without trying to be too skin tight, making them a good choice for most guys with relatively thin legs. You can find a ton of variations on 511s, from ones with wild colors (like hot purple) to material additions (like spandex to make the jean material less constricting). These allegedly have a wider seat than the 514s (which is really not something I’ve personally seen), so be wary.

Levi’s 510 (Super Skinny Jean)

510s are the honest-to-god Levi’s skinny jean. These can look amazing on guys with very thin legs, or very horrible on guys with anything but slim legs — if you don’t know if you could wear these, chances are you shouldn’t wear them. 510s are skinny to the point where they look ridiculous unless you are skinny all throughout to the point of looking emaciated, so be careful — these are wonderful jeans only in the right hands.

Some General Tips

• If you live in the United States, Levi’s can be purchased at a huge number of department stores. However, I personally feel one of the best options is the Amazon.com Levi store, which sells virtually all types of Levi’s for around $30/pair, which is an incredible steal.
• Consequently, if you live in Europe or outside of the US, Levi’s will be much, much more expensive, and you may find a better brand. Be wary — this guide is really meant for American users, as Levi’s business model intentionally cuts the price of the jeans stateside.
• As with virtually every other jean brand, waist size is directly correlated with the bagginess (or slimness) in the legs. Thus, focus on determining your waist size, and then experiment with the different styles listed above. You can have drastically different leg sizes and fits with a size 32 waist — some people can wear 510s with a size 32 waist, others have to go up to 514s, and so on.
• In the slimmer cuts (particularly 510s and 511s), the waist can and likely will stretch ever so slightly, as will other parts of the jean if they are really tight. This is not to imply you want to buy jeans you have to use a shoehorn to get into, but in some cases small amounts of tightness in the waist fix themselves after a little bit of wear. The same rule applies to the thighs.
• Darker wash Levi’s — particularly the raws (obviously) and the “rigid” brands — do develop fairly nice stacks, whiskering, and general signs of individual wear. Obviously, the “rigid” Levi’s are not going to develop effects as nice as raws, but it’s a great alternative.
• No matter what people on other fashion websites/forums may say, there is no inherent status involved with waist size or the style of jeans you wear, pending they fit well. You don’t get fashion benefits for wearing 510s or anything like that.

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.

A lot of my friends tell me I should wear skinny jeans. I don’t wanna cram into them. What do you think?

Skinny jeans are for skinny people.

The great misconception most people have about skinny jeans is that they are for people to “cram into”- that’s a ridiculous assumption, especially for men. Jean leg fits are best considered no different than a waist measurement: the best think you can do is find a pair of jeans that fits you closely without constriction, not finding a super-baggy pair or a pair that require spandex.

That being said, comparison shop. Do not buy skinny jeans just because they are skinny: try a bunch of different pairs on and see how they fit your body and your legs. Ideally, jeans should be tight enough to not be significantly baggy, but loose enough to allow comfort sitting, walking, or even running. Avoid “carrot cut” (extremely tapered) jeans like the plague- the difference between the big thighs and the thin ankles is disgusting.

So basically, wear what fits. That may be skinny jeans, super-skinny jeans, straight legged jeans, slim-straight jeans, or whatever. Never “cram” yourself into a pair of pants.

What top tier brands should I buy? Are there any that are safe bets? Are there any that I should save up for?

Short answer: There are none, no, and no.

Long answer: Brand should only matter to you in so much as quality and style is concerned. Outside of the aforementioned, brand matters very little.

One very sad misconception in the fashion industry is that, to be fashionable, you have to drop a lot of cash on big name brands. This couldn’t be further from the truth. While some name brands are of high quality (Brooks Brothers, Dior Homme, etc), other “top tier” brands (Ed Hardy, Rock & Republic) are just… bad. These seem to operate as pseudo-Veblen Goods- despite their relative unfashionable styling, it is their price that dictates their popularity in the fashion world. Of course, as you can probably imagine, this means that a lot of “fashionable” people wear these brands without even realizing how dumb they look.

To hell with brand. If the quality and style are good, feel free to buy any brand, regardless of the popularity.

If you haven’t noticed from the incessant use of the phrases “now more than ever” and “affordable” in commercials and on the news, we here in the US (and, along with us, many Western companies) are in a recession that some might call an outright depression. This has, of course, hit the fashion industry pretty hard- and it’s also made affording any sort of fashion incredibly hard. In a world like this, it’s very hard to really find a way to find and afford good fashion- so, I’m going to explain how to do it.

Finding Affordable Clothing

Surprisingly, very few companies have had SERIOUS issues with the recession we’re currently in- that is to say, no-one’s really “gone under”, for lack of a better term. What has happened, however, is that many brands are beginning to scale back their more experimental clothing to rather rely on the tried and true- something that, while somewhat depressing in one sense, is also a boon in the other. Clothiers like J.Crew are now beginning to increasingly focus on key pieces like good quality denim, and even the infamously ridiculous Armani Exchange appears to be noticeably becoming more conservative with their new Fall clothing. It’s a fun world, but in some ways, a difficult one.

The first issue is merely finding affordable clothing. Resist the urge to go to Wal*Mart and buy all of your clothing there- while it seems tempting to go to the cheapest place imaginable to buy clothing, it rarely works out well for you in the long run. Rather, the ideal goal is to simply try to find clothing that costs exactly what it is worth- what we might consider our ideal 1:1 ratio- or clothing you can get on a discount.

The key to finding clothing with that “ideal 1:1 ratio” of cost/worth is to simply investigate brands. While designer does not equal quality, the inverse does not apply- non-designer does not instantly mean cheap quality bargain. Rather, look for labels that do what they do well and sell the stuff for reasonable prices. For example, the brand True Religion (a very very high end jeans brand) may seem like they do their jeans well, but with a staggering $300 price tag, they do not become worth their weight. However, despite the rather hefty ~$90 price tag on a pair of J.Crew jeans, these become much more reasonable, pending you get a nice pair- for example, a nice pair of slim fitting dark wash J.Crew jeans will last for years. Though it may seem a little hard to put down $50-$75 on a polo from Ralph Lauren or Lacoste, both companies make clothing that lasts for years- making the price tag much more acceptable.

Still, there is nothing wrong with buying cheaper brands if you can verify the quality. Despite my hatred for the brand as a whole, Old Navy and the Gap are good places to find the absolute basics like t-shirts and undershirts- they may not be name brand, but they function (and hold up) largely the same. Similarly, there is no major sin in going to Target and purchasing some cheap Converse shoes- given their decent construction and rather cheap price, there’s nothing wrong with “going cheap” with them. The key here is to check quality, regardless of the price.

Still, things can be too expensive, which is why this next idea is especially pertinent nowadays: Hit thrift stores and eBay. While it seems silly to buy secondhand clothing, a surprising number of fashionable people do it. As the economy continues to suffer, spoiled women and man-children begin to have to sell off their overpriced clothing- and you can take advantage of their stupidity. On eBay especially, brand names are plentiful- and so long as the seller is legitimate, you can get some absolutely stellar buys for very cheap. So long as you know the brand well enough to know the fit, or get to try your purchase on, there’s no shame in purchasing used.

Knowing when and how to Buy

Another key skill in this economy is merely knowing when and how to buy.

First off, know when sales and discounts apply, and take advantage of them. At the end of any given season, stores try to get rid of their old stock to add new stock- obviously, this is a good time to swoop in and buy these relatively new fashions for very cheap. Similarly, some stores heavily discount their clothing based on random days, holidays, or just general preferences- try to learn what you can about the sales around you. For example, the back-to-school season is often slightly more expensive than immediately after, as a lot of retailers heavily stock up for the (presumed) impending rush of mothers buying their children clothing. Once this rush ends, even adult sizes are sometimes lowered.

Second off, don’t be afraid to use coupons. I’m quite serious here- remember, fashion is about the clothing itself, not paying full price. Check various websites and, if you have the time, use a trashy e-mail and sign up for a bunch of mailing lists. Join Gilt Groupe and similar discounting websites and have them send sale information to you- some sites will send coupons, others sales, but it all works out well.

Knowing What to Buy

This is a bit more theoretical, but quite honestly, arguably the most important: buy long lasting, versatile items.

It may seem tempting to buy into the latest fly-by-night fad- but it doesn’t do well for your wallet. Articles of clothing like skinny jeans and strange colored cardigans may be in at the moment in some circles, but their popularity will eventually fade into obscurity- but basic bluejeans, a good suit, and a nice crisp white shirt will not. Frankly, even if you have a limitless wallet, there’s no point in buying silly trends at this point. A good rule of thumb is to buy things that you genuinely know you’d be able to wear 10 years down the road- while that’s a big number, it keeps you focused on buying only things that really will work now and in the future.

This rule, in its fullest extent, can even affect the way you buy colors: don’t buy a neon green when a black will be much more versatile in the long run. This may seem “boring”, but this really enables you to optimize your wardrobe in a way many people are unable to do: instead of having 300 items of limited use, you can constrain yourself to 30 items of versatility- and you can spend more on them.

In Closing…

In closing, in somewhat of an ironic sense despite the topic of this article, don’t be paranoid of the economy.

There have been a lot of television commercials, news articles, and other media sources making many people in the US (and, again, other countries) very arbitrarily nervous about money for largely no reason. This isn’t entirely terrible (it helps people re-evaluate their financial choices), but it has bad consequences: it leads many people to pointlessly buy clothes that are cheap and of poor quality, really not looking into the true economy of fashion.

By all means, feel free to shop. Feel free to find clothing you like. Still, as you do so, keep worth in your head, and really, avoid being cheap with your money or extravagant with your choices- there’s a happy middle ground.

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.

If you’ve made a trip to the mall recently, then you have probably seen guys wearing “skinny Jeans”. Now, let me say that this particular fit can be fashionable, but there are a few things to keep in mind. First off, skinny jeans are not for everyone, as the name implies, this particular fit is for skinny guys. Secondly, do not get a “boot cut” as this is better left for “strait leg” fit. Another detail to avoid is loud colours; if you want to be stylish, go for a nice indigo or sulphur black wash. Next, try them on if possible, different brands run different sizes and shrink or stretch differently too. Avoid getting a pair that is too tight, or you may end up with a pair that shrinks to an unbearable fit. If trying on a pair of jeans is not your thing, then wrap the waist of the jeans around your neck and if the two ends touch it should fit. Also, make sure you get the proper length, you want a little bit of play (about 2-4 inches) so you can achieve stacking which makes a stylish accentuation. Now that we’re covered the basics, here are some brands that make fashionable skinny jeans.

Nudie Jeans Co: A Swedish company specializing in raw and selvage denim which is made with the best Japanese, Italian, Turkish and U.S. denim fabrics. Nudie Jeans has a fantastic line of denim with a great look and fit.

Cheap Monday: Another Swedish company who offers affordable jeans that looks great and fit great too. An average pair of Cheap Mondays usually retail around $65 not going much higher than that and most styles extremely fitted so there are many choices.

Dry Bones: A Japanese denim company that is heavily 40′s and 50′s rock inspired with its timeless denim line. Dry Bones has flown under the radar for quite some time as this company is almost 20 years old, but with great looking and fitting jeans it’s hard to ignore such a great line.

Helmut Lang: Austrian clothing brand that is famous for their minimalist design and quality fabrics. Helmut Lang is a great label and has great denim.

Skinny jeans can be fashionable, but you got to know what to look for. Follow this guide and you too can pull off The Skinny Jean.