I think I own about 30, 40 pairs of jeans.

Hey what's up everyone, this is GQ Recommends and today we are going to talk about jeans.

How often do I wear jeans?

I mean, I wear jeans every day, unless I'm going to like a funeral or something.

They're endlessly versatile and go with everything you own.

Jeans fit exist on such a wide spectrum, all of our bodies are different so all of our jeans should be different as well.

Straight leg jeans are the original cut of jeans, the Levi's 501, the holy grail of all jeans, that is the jean that invented jeans.

The 501 is probably the place to start, it's a straight silhouette, there's no like narrow taper or anything, it's not too tight, it's not too relaxed.

The rise, which is to say like how high or low the waist goes, is usually like what we would call a mid-rise.

A pair of like really classic straight leg jeans feel to me so much like that greaser movement.

I love to throw a denim jacket on top and go full Canadian tuxedo, I am Canadian so it's my birthright.

Wear a tough pair of boots with them, just wear a classic white t-shirt with them.

Denzel looking like a king at the airport.

This is a great example of how these jeans can dress up or dress down.

You throw them on with a t-shirt, you throw them on with a jacket, they look just as killer.

It's pretty easy to dress up a straight leg, I mean how I would do it is probably like a blazer, maybe a button up shirt, maybe even like denim on denim like with a western shirt and a blazer.

There are some photos of Harrison Ford looking great.

If you're looking to buy a pair, if you're on a budget, the best place to start is Levi's, they invented the American blue jean, or you could try a brand like Leftfield, it's really hardy, it's really tough, it looks like the jeans that James Dean would have worn in the 50s.

If you're really trying to get freaky and trying to step things up, then you can go to a Japanese label like Capital, they are the be all and end all of artisanal denim with interesting colors, with interesting weaves, it's just, it's art.

A flare jean is a very 70s style, it's a very sort of like rock and roll, it feels very retro these days.

I think flare kind of covers or encompasses several different categories, you have the boot cut which is made for like putting over a cowboy boot, and then you have the bell bottom 70s style which can get like crazy.

I like to wear flare jeans with black chelsea boots, which looks really classic, but I also like to just wear them with, you know, samba sneakers.

These guys are all wearing Capital hippie jeans, which are basically vintage pairs of denim patched in this really crazy way to sort of evoke the style of denim worn by hippies in the 60s.

It's really cool when you can sort of bring it into the modern day by wearing it with

Jordans, I think that's super fly.

Jeremy O'Hara's, love Jeremy O'Hara's, I believe these are Gucci jeans, they look amazing.

That's a flare, it's definitely wider than like a boot cut jean.

If you're gonna do a cropped flare, do it like this, so you can see the loafer, I wouldn't go any higher than that.

If you walk into any good vintage store these days, you'll find a rack of flare jeans.

On the runway, there's a lot of designers doing pretty aggressive, you know, radical flare silhouettes.

Levi's actually just reintroduced a flare silhouette that's high-waisted and has a nice subtle flared leg.

I think for flare jeans, Wrangler for sure.

Love Levi's, love a La Mer jean, Gucci makes a great flare jean, Celine makes a great flare jean, if you're looking to splurge.

Today, I'm wearing a pair of slim straight jeans, a trimmed down, but definitely not skinny take on a classic straight leg.

These in particular are vintage Levi's 505s from the early 70s.

I would say a pretty formal look, all things considered, I'm actually wearing what's called a tie.

So a slim straight silhouette is pretty similar to a straight leg, you can think of it as like still a straight silhouette, but a little bit narrower.

And generally, the slimmer you get, the waist will also be a little bit lower.

I wouldn't say they're low-rise, but they're usually a little bit lower than a mid-rise.

They sit really nicely over a pair of sleeker Chelsea boots, or clean-toed derbies, or even classic chucks.

I would actually pair this with a more formal shoe.

I think they look really great with a pair of cowboy boots and just a plain t-shirt.

I mean, if you have a plain white t-shirt and a pair of jeans, you have an outfit.

I would generally try to keep the silhouette up top similar, a shirt that's a little bit more fitted.

Again, not like skinny.

I would add that if you're worried about buying a pair of jeans that will look dated for some reason in five years, you're safe with these.

They will always look timeless because they're not very timely.

Every brand has their own slim silhouette.

If you're really like, I don't know anything else, I'll just go to Levi's, you can do that.

Jack Mason also is a little bit more expensive, and from there, man, like, what brand doesn't make one?

If you're looking to spend a little bit more, I think a lot of guys will start to go to

APC, or 316, or Rag & Bone.

These are the Ramones in a classic slim, straight jean.

I love how much attitude they have, like how much punk-ish derision they have for the men.

I think it all comes from the jeans.

High-waisted jeans are exactly what they sound like.

They sit high in your waist, kind of up to your navel.

It's a very late 80s, early 90s look.

It gives you that like Freddie Mercury, Jimi Hendrix type of vibe.

It kind of elongates your body.

It's relaxed, but also feels a bit more like pulled in since it fits up here.

High-waisted jeans being cool again is a very recent thing.

I think you'll remember in like the 2000s, early 2010s, low-rise was still a thing, right, for men and women.

We've started to see those waistlines creep up higher and higher.

Your waistline is fully on display.

You should have a fun belt to show it off, whether that's something really classic, whether that's a little bit thinner, which might be a cool look, whether it's a fun, loud color.

Definitely when you have a high-waisted jean, you should tuck in your shirt.

I think you want people to see that it's a high-waisted jean, and it just also accentuates your figure.

I like a half-tuck.

If you're wearing a button-down, I'm known to do a half-tuck.

I think if you're wearing a t-shirt, tuck it in fully.

For a more accessible jean, so like under $100, I like Wrangler's dress jean.

It has a bit of a flare.

It's higher-waisted, but it feels more dressy.

Evan Mauck, this is an amazingly bold look.

There's his navel.

The jeans, being that high, do a lot of the work here, making sure that you're not exposing too much, and yet just that little bit of skin takes this look to a whole other level.

I think I'd love to own these pair of jeans.

The detailing in the pockets is great.

They're a great fit.

They're not too tight around your calves.

They're wider at the bottom.

There's like a two-inch break there, which is always great.

By the boot, David Bowie is David Bowie.

How could you not love everything about David Bowie?

Yeah, he has great denim.

Kind of a faded black wash.

Has a great belt.

They sit higher-waisted.

They hug your calf, which is awesome.

Yeah, this is a sick look.

So what are skater jeans?

I'm not a skateboarder, obviously.

Skaters tend to wear jeans that are wider in the thigh.

It's just easier to be active in jeans that are not tight in the thighs.

Skaters also tend to wear jeans that are cropped, if not super cropped, at least not super long.

You don't want too much jean getting in the way of what you're doing.

You want to also show off your sneakers.

So in my mind, a skater cut is lower on the waist for sure, but it's pretty loose and fluid, probably held up by a shoelace felt, if anything.

Funnily enough, I think the people who style skater jeans the best are actual skaters.

So at Endpoint south of Canal Street, you'll see guys in baggy t-shirts, super low-rise jeans and maybe a trucker hat.

They naturally lend themselves towards less formal outfits, although you can certainly pair them with a pair of clogs and a really large double-breasted overcoat and still look pretty sick.

I do have a couple pairs of jeans that are sort of reminiscent of skater jeans, such as this pair, which is quite wide in the thighs and then also a little cropped.

It's super adaptable.

You know, today I'm wearing them with chunky Prada Chelsea boots, but yesterday I wore them with loafers.

I wouldn't wear skater jeans with a jacket, a button-down shirt.

I mostly just wear them with t-shirts.

So I'm looking at a picture of James Harbin wearing a very nicely fitting pair of skater jeans and he's a huge sneakerhead, so it makes sense that he wants a silhouette that kind of ends before his shoes.

James Harbin makes these look just so easy.

As you can see, they're a little paint splattered.

I'm not sure if that happened when he was in the studio.

I think either way, it looks kind of cool.

I would also point out that he's obviously a taller dude and this makes him look really well-proportioned because they're cropped and don't put too much emphasis on his lower half.

A$AP Rocky is obviously a style god.

I don't think he's ever worn a bad fit.

And these jeans are cropped at the hem.

He's wearing them with Vans.

It looks like Rocky has a little strand of pearls sort of serving as a wallet chain.

I've never seen that before.

I think it's incredible.

If you're looking for under $100 skater jeans, I'd probably go to Levi's in the roughly $300 range.

Sounds unconventional, but I'd probably send you to Supreme despite the graphic tease.

These skater jeans are super sturdy and will last you for years.

Well, thanks for watching all of our wonderful jean content.

Tune in next time for whatever else we're going to talk about.