Goodfellow & Co. Comfort Wear Slim Fit Stretch Denim – $40
About the Author: Ryan N. is a fully remote professional web developer who keeps a close shave as to not be confused with his strongly-bearded twin brother. He plays guitar and drums, loves going to concerts with his wife, and loves being a dad.
First, some necessary context: If you’ve been reading this site for a while, you’re likely aware that Banana Republic’s Luxe Traveler Jeans are a favorite around here, albeit an expensive favorite at their full, $130(!!) price point. Even on sale those BR jeans will run $91 when 30% off, and $78 during a 40% off event. But the Luxe Traveler from BR is significantly different from a normal pair of 100% cotton (or even 98% cotton/2% spandex) jeans, because the fabric used is a blend of cotton, engineered fibers (often polyester and modal), and elastane/spandex, which when combined in their magic menagerie, ends up making a pair of pants that are both really soft, incredibly flexible, and still somehow look like regular jeans.
Now, has Target finally produced a true budget BR Luxe Traveler Jean competitor? At only $40 compared to the Traveler’s lofty $130 retail, expectations should likely be tempered. But.. can you get about 80-90% of the Traveler for less than 1/3 the price? Let’s find out.
Size 30×30 on 5’9″ / 160
Yes, these Goodfellow Comfort Wear jeans are very soft, and very comfortable. Fabric comes in at 70% cotton, 20% recycled polyester, 8% viscose, 2% spandex. While it’s not all that close to the BR Luxe’s current blend of 44% cotton, 44% Tencel, 13% poly, 1% elastane, these Target Goodfellow jeans do utilize a similar “ingredients” list:
- The BR Luxe uses Tencel, which is a brand name for modal.
- The Target Goodfellow Comfort Wear uses viscose. Viscose and modal are pretty similar.
Bottom line: It appears that jeans made with a little less cotton but a little more engineered plant cellulose (Tencel, modal, or viscose) seem to end up noticeably softer than your Grandpa’s dungarees. And that makes sense, as viscose is as soft as silk, but without the worms. Furthermore, throw in some polyester and spandex into the mix, and we get to the next point:
Yeah. They stretch alright.
To say this denim is stretchy is an understatement. There’s no pulling or discomfort no matter how you sit or stand. While they wear like a slim fit, the stretch keeps them from being restricting. There’s plenty of movement through the waist and thighs. They’re high-knee ready (shown here in the medium blue option) thanks to their significant amounts of stretch.
Since the waist also has so much stretch, most are going to want to consider trying a size down there.
One drawback to that stretch is that the waist seems to wear a little big/generous. There’s such a significant amount of give in the waist that most will want to size down for a solid fit. The legs are a fairly true slim, but not suffocating on the calves. So for most, sizing down should result in a better fit up top and avoidance of any “jeggings” looks below. Shank button keeps the waist secure. But sizing down in the waist is probably going to be necessary for most.
Four different colors available. The “Dark Blue” shown in our post is on the right.
Available in 4 colors: medium blue (reviewed as part of this year’s Goodfellow Fall Roundup), black, a khaki/tan beige, and the jeans featured in the post you’re reading now… a dark blue rinse which yes… looks like regular denim. It’s spot on. It’s not so dark it that it would be close to black, but not too saturated either.
Legs may run a little long. Easy to cuff, thanks to their soft/flexible nature.
While these are five-pockets at heart, they still wear much dressier than normal denim because the stitching is not the typical high-contrast, construction-sign yellow adorning many big-box-store jeans. It’s a muted, subtle gold that blends in. It’s one of those important details that isn’t noticeable until it is, and keeps many a pair of denim from being more versatile than they could be. The legs do seem to run ever so slightly on the long side, but the material makes them easy to flip a cuff on if that’s your preference. Just be aware that since the material is less “denim” and more “soft/stretch,” the cuffs may give off a bit of a “rolled sweatpants” vibe, especially when double-cuffed.
Looks like a true rinse blue pair of jeans. Stitching is subtle and not school-bus yellow.
These 100% pass the “eye test” and look like denim.
They’re soft.
They stretch and move incredibly well.
If you’re looking for an affordable BR Traveler alternative at a seriously palatable price, and you’re willing to try a few different pairs to see which sizes fit you best, then give these a shot.
