The Perfect Dress Jean: Levi’s 514 Slim Straight – $48.00
You can’t dress up just any pair of jeans. They’ve got to be dark and they’ve got to be a little fitted. 501s can be dressed up, but consider keeping another pair on hand you’ll use exclusively for nicer situations. The Levi’s 514 Slim Straight has a plain name and it’s an accurate one. And they’re more than up to this task.
Don’t freak out. These are NOT skinny jeans. Those would be the Levi’s 510 Skinny which I once tried on for the hell of it. I figured I shouldn’t knock it before I gave them a run, and I can say with confidence that the 510 skinny fit is about as close to a blunt force vasectomy any man should get.
The 514s have some break in them through the thigh when you’re standing, but if you’re thick in the haunches they might get a little taught when you sit. They’re still plenty comfortable, and if you’re wearing a cotton blazer with them the clean lines of the denim look much better with the V-Shape of the blazer. No bunching up on the sides that you might get with say, the Gap Authentic Fit.
They go on sale often and I’ve found them at Macy’s for as low as $32.00. Comes in nine available washes in which four are solid for dressing up: Dirty Rigid, Tumbled Rigid, Hitchhiker, and the leaning medium blue Overhaul.
I only wear 514’s and I love them. Good suggestion.
I think you have to be in pretty good shape or just naturally skinny to wear these comfortably. I have fairly muscly thighs left over from my more athletic years, plus now a small layer of fat from my more recent, less athletic years, and the 514s are just too tight for me. The 501/505 cut is best for me.
I just recently got in to the 514’s, I picked up the Overhaul and Tumbled Rigid washes as my first two pairs. They’re great if you like your jeans close fitting, but don’t want to venture into the 510/511 range. Macy’s and Kohl’s both carry them, I believe Macy’s has a better size selection, though.
I went to Kohl’s on Saturday and they were on sale for less than $35. I tried them on, and I note they are rather tight in the buns. Now then, like the commentors before me, I would agree you would have to have a nice butt, or a skinny one at least, to feel comfortable in these jeans.
That said, I have to bring the wife with me to let me know if I can pull this look off. She’s brutally honest, and I’ll be either buying them, or feeling so depressed that I’ll be looking for a new pair of loose-fitting carpenter jeans.
the 510’s are actually “super skinny” the 511’s are what levi markets as “skinny” fyi
the 510’s are actually “super skinny” the 511’s are what levi markets as “skinny” fyi