I recently came to the conclusion that I had far too many pairs of jeans in my wardrobe. It seemed ridiculous to have six pairs when I only wear them on weekends. So I decided to throw out most of them and follow a new rule: only three pairs of jeans in my wardrobe at any one time.
For my three pairs I decided to keep two that I already had: a pair of distressed Diesel Safados and a pair of Evisu EU Editions (without the conspicuous gull-wings on the back pockets). Both pairs were in a fairly light wash, and I certainly couldn’t get away with wearing them to a fancy restaurant or semi-formal occasion, so I decided to buy a pair of raw denim APC New Standards.
APC New Standards have built up something of a reputation among jean lovers for their fit, construction, and the way in which they fade and whisker over time. Although it is possible to buy pre-washed New Standards, you should really go for the raw denim variety if you want to put your own mark on them.
When it comes to raw denim jeans a lot of aficionados recommend that you wear them as often as possible – and wash them as little as possible – in order to properly break them in. This is because the areas that crease and whisker most with everyday use, such as the knees and crotch, will rub off more of the indigo dye than other parts of the jean. The longer you wear the jeans between washings, the more indigo is rubbed off the heavily worn areas, creating patterns of wear-and-tear and a distinctive “lived in” look.
I’ve had my APC New Standards for about seven months now, and they recently had their first wash. As you can see, there’s little in the way of damage or whiskering so far, but seeing as I wear them so rarely that’s not exactly surprising.
When buying New Standards, you should buy a pair that is one – or even two – inches smaller than your standard waist size. I recommend that you try on a pair in a shop instead of buying online. Buy the pair that fits you snugly around the waist, but if they’re bollock-crushingly tight around the crotch, size up: in the long run your genitals (and your unborn children) will thank you for it.