The Go-to Dress Jean

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.