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So what makes a great jean?
Runway: Chloé, Miu Miu, Undercover, Stella McCartney
Whats the difference between selvedge and raw denim?
What details set a pair of Big Es (a sartorial white whale!)
apart from all other Levis made after 1966?
Chloé Fall/Winter 2024
Each month, Herman will decode all things denim.
Welcome to Jean Files.
I was starting to worry.
Chloé Fall/Winter 2024
Weeks of watching the collectionsNew York, London, Milanand so fewjeanson the runways.
What would I be wearing nextfall?
(Chic, but not for me.)
Undercover Fall/Winter 2024
And then, Paris.
Thank heaven for Paris.
Centuries later, indigo-dyed cotton workwear known asbleu de travailbecame the uniform for the French working class.
Undercover Fall/Winter 2024
What evenisthe forever-aspirational French Girl Style without a classic five-pocket jean?
To me, the denim trends that emerged last week are about elaboration.
How to take a tropepatchwork, embellishmentand develop it in greater detail, with even more daring and flair.
Stella McCartney Fall/Winter 2024
If the assignment was to make jeans that feel as special as hers, Paris got it right.
Look 34a dress of dreamy white layers with a train shown over rip-kneed denim-paneled pantswas my kind ofbride.
Undercover Fall/Winter 2024
The patchwork Chloe jeans were an instant hit.
Stella McCartney Fall/Winter 2024
Personally, I loved thewide-leg pairdesigner Chemena Kamalitook her bow injust as much.
Lutz Huelleunder-the-radar and underratedalso had fabuloushybridjeansmade from used Levis.
Again,the designers own were enviable.
Balenciaga Fall/Winter 2024
Stella McCartney Fall/Winter 2024
For anyone needingred carpet denim,Stella McCartneyshowed a slouchy fit chapped with silver paillettes.
(Western bling; Beyonce called it.)
There was some trickery (Balenciaga) and anti-trend (a low-rise skinny jeanatMiu Miu,mon dieu!
Miu Miu Fall/Winter 2024
), but generally the jeans in Paris were a fashionable delight.
Ones I think well wear and treasure.
Through my latest project, a Substack calledJane on Jeans, I frequently invite readers to send in requests.
The question I get asked the most: Where to shop for vintage?
(Do I date myself?
Levis considers vintage to be anything made before 1971.
The consensus among those Ive talked to is that vintage must be 30 years, or older.
Any jean in circulation long enough will eventually have a good one.
(And a smaller impact on the environment, to boot!)
Let me tell you, I was impressed.
Theres an argument to be made for doing vintage jean shopping IRLevery pair is one-of-a-kind and fits so differently.
At these nine stores, the odds of finding something special or tailor-made are in our favor.
We set the timer.
If I didnt know better, Id say it was easy.
Talk about a nice guy who knows his stuff.
Few people Ive met can tell me how to date and identify vintage Wranglers.
Talon pulls are from the 70s, he explains.
And the boot embossed ones are newer, nothing special.
If the history of your vintage is important, this is the place to shop.
The more lived in the better, Hole says about the jeans she gravitates towards.
I dont do the clean, darned look.
I like it when the story shows.
Think of it as a big jean bar, she explains.
Its make your own jeans.
Any pairLevis, Lee, or Wranglerplus alterations (and minus the consultation fee) costs $375.
Adjustments to personal pairs are not on the menu.
Neither is selvedge (why mess with it?).
The wait for finished alterations: 4-6 weeks and worth it.
Vaguely costume-y and transportive.
(Mr. Freedom has offered studio services to the entertainment industry since opening in 2003.)
Workwear hangs from the rafters.
Reformation Vintage
The busiest store on this list (are we surprised?
Honestly, I believe theyre worth more.
Reformation Vintage, 8253 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046; (213) 459-6079.
(The absence of any gatekeeping here is so nice and refreshing.)
Buy a jean and one ofTabbs proprietary tees, then cross the street to Erewhon for a snack.
Most of the denim is distressed and smaller sizes are stashed in the back.
What Goes Around Comes Around
Sigh.
The selection of vintage jeans here is collector-level epic.
pairs of exceptionally rare jeans for me to try.
The hardest one to walk away from: A Levis Big E selvedge 501 (super rare!)
They cost $1,700 and will haunt me forever.
What Goes Around Comes Around,9520 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills, CA 90210; (310) 858-0250.
Photo: Courtesy of Jane Herman
Photo: Courtesy of Jane Herman
Photo: Courtesy of Foxhole
Photo: Courtesy of Jane Herman
Photo: Courtesy of Jane Herman
Photo: Courtesy of Jane Herman
Photo: Courtesy of Jane Herman
Photo: Courtesy of Jane Herman
