Everlane Just Released the Best Jeans You Can Buy for Under $100

We know because we wore 'em for a week. And still are.

September 7, 2017 9:00 am

It was only a matter of time that Everlane got into the denim game. And for the San Francisco-based company known for well-made but inexpensive basics, that day is today.

And they couldn’t have picked a more perfect moment.

The denim business has seen a shakeup in recent years. Raw denim — once the standard of cool — has essentially gone the way of the dodo, replaced by tailored joggers and five-pocket pants in high-tech fabrics that promise comfort, rather than durability.

But Everlane’s first denim line proves there can be a middle ground. Jeans that are not too stretchy, not too rigid. And affordable, to boot. That they’re eco-friendly is the proverbial cherry on top.

I got my hands on two pairs in two styles: the slim in lightwash, and the straight in black. I’ve worn both continuously, flip-flopping days, since their arrival, and I’ll tell ya right now: for $68, they are worth all the hype and then some.

Like all Everlane goods, the details for these jeans were kept to a minimum. You won’t find any branding, save for the hardware. The collection features a lightweight 11-oz. fabric sourced from Japan, and they’re manufactured in a factory in Vietnam that touts a LEED certification. The sustainable bit is important given the fact denim manufacturing is, as Everlane founder Michael Preysman says, “a dirty business.” In fact, Everlane is only launching its denim line now because it took so long to find a sustainable partnership.

So, eco-friendly? Check. But do they pass the fit test?

They do. I recommend going true-to-size (I’m 5’ 8”, 160 pounds and wear a size 32). With a 9-inch rise for the slim, and 10-inch rise for the straight, Everlane’s denim collection falls in the mid-rise category, which is about as standard and democratic as you can get. The denim has enough weight to fall clean on the leg without hugging it, with just enough stretch that I was still comfortable on a late-summer day in New York.

And while I generally prefer slim cuts because I favor narrower leg openings, I don’t mind the straight here — the style still tapers off nicely. It also helps that it was an all-black pair, and thus naturally slimming. I suggest you try both styles.

Granted, the chances of you snagging both are, themselves, slim. As of yesterday, the wait list is apparently 44K long … and growing.

Better act fast.

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