What to Look for: Vintage Jeans
A good pair of vintage jeans, are closet staple must in today's closets.
Things to Look for When Shopping Vintage Style Jeans
For this post, I will go into detail about the popular vintage jean brands to look out for while thrifting and how to determine what’s desirable. I will also give some tips about how to look for vintage jeans and what fits, color, and styles are most popular right now.
Thick Denim:
If there is one thing you get from this post let it be this, you can tell the quality of a jean by the why it looks and feels. By remembering this one thing, you will be able to scan the jean isle's quickly and spot a pair of vintage jeans almost immediately. Today, most jeans are made with a slight stretch to them, though this is great for sculpting to your body, if you are looking for vintage you want to stay away from anything that looks like thin or stretchy denim. If you haven't mastered being able to spot the more durable denim, you can always check the materials tag to be sure. Keep an eye out for jeans that are made out of 100% cotton or close to it.
High Rise:
I have fell victim so many times of finding an amazing jean brand but when I got home the jeans were low or mid rise. If dressing rooms are an option try the jeans on before you purchase but if not I will give you a few pointers on how to tell if a pair of pants are high rise without having to try them on. A rule of thumb I like to use is if the rise is 10' or higher it is high rise. The rise of the jean is the distance between the crotch seam and the button. I suggest bringing a measuring band with you when you go thrifting so you can quickly check to see if the jeans are indeed high rise. If you don't have a measuring band first check to see if the fit is listed on the inside of the pant. However, most of the time vintage brands will not have this listed so I then like to observe the length of the zipper. If a pant appears to be high waisted but the zipper is short, I suggest putting it back unless you are certain that it is highwaisted.
Fit:
Style is always up for debate because at the end of the day all that matters is that you feel confident in what you choose to wear. The fits that I will be describing are ones that are considered more valuable however I still suggest buying whatever makes you feel the happiest in! Fit or style can be an important feature to keep an eye out for when shopping "desirable" vintage jeans, these are the fits that are normally more sought out for. Right now in 2021 the most desirable fits include, straight or relaxed leg, high-waisted, blue, “Mom Jeans”. Jean fits to avoid are low-rise, boot cut, capree's, and highly debated flares, though they are a personal favorite of mine!
Brands:
When shopping for your ideal vintage jeans, keep these brands in mind! If you are able to find any of these brands then ask yourself if they check off all the boxes above and if they do then you might have hit just hit the vintage denim jack pot.
Other things to look for:
When shopping for vintage jeans, I always love looking for the ones who have a large patch on the back. For example, when shopping Levis, the larger thinner patch is much more desirable than those with a smaller or thicker patch.
Another crazy important thing to keep in mind is that vintage sizing is not always accurate, this is when keeping a measuring band on hand is super helpful. If you can't try on a pair of vintage jeans, measure them first or just remember to size up around 2 sizes than you normally wear! Not only was sizing different but because vintage jeans are made with a thicker denim they are going to lack that stretch that modern jeans have so it's important know your exact measurements before heading to go thrifting.
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