A lot of men supposedly buy women’s jeans because they find they fit better than man’s jeans. Personally I find the whole idea that standard jeans are ‘womanly’, unless you are talking designer jeans or calf high jeans, there isn’t much difference between women’s and men’s jeans when you are talking basic jeans, they are cut differently, of course, but other than the button being on ‘the wrong side’, not a lot of difference. I know the type of jeans the OP is talking about, I have had jeans like that, they weren’t particularly ‘female looking’, whatever that means, they simply had a different pattern than standard levis or whatnot.
For something different, try black jeans rather than denim, they look really good with a polo shirt or even with a dress shirt.
DH wears LL Bean jeans, doesn’t like dark washes, and will only wear traditional (baggy) fit. Khakis must be comfort waist. Tops off with Lands End polos or flannel/twill shirts, Rockports. I consider this a vast improvement from the quiana shirts and double knit suits he wore when we first met!
I love jeans on a man and I do mean man jeans, well fit, not the goofy stuff out there or too baggy or holey. Levi’s are a slightly thicker twill fabric, which makes them, well, imo, fit in a manly way. I can’t wrap my head around taking serious a man going with some sort of designer jeans- it’s too 70’s disco for me. But, I’m not your wife.
I’d say, set aside the faded jeans (save them for play) and go with solid dark, not a wash. DH wore 'em with his tweed jackets. Nice. When they start to fade, replace them. Then you look a tad more purposely pulled together.
I like khakis, too.
I’m not getting sax’s links. But I think the reason old men’s waistbands get higher is that their chest carriage shrinks.
If you like what you are currently wearing and she hates it, hold fast on this and compromise in another area of your life which is a far bigger deal for her than you. Only you can decide if this is one battle worth fighting in your relationship or not.
Personally, I hate it when anyone…including SOs and my parents feel they have a right to voice an opinion on what I wear outside of the professional workplace or for formal social events. For instance, my mother still tries to get me to wear hats* and past SOs have tried to get me to continue wearing corporatewear outside of work as they felt it looks good on me…despite the fact I hate wearing suits and ties and can’t wait to get them off of me fast enough at the end of workdays when I had to wear them due to clients coming into my work area.
When I’m off of work or being in formal social situations where formal/corporatewear is mandatory…I’d rather be in a pair of black jeans including faded out ones consecrated with holes in them and a casual or business casual shirt.
My H came home with these this year. He wears them when he needs to wear jeans, but not real jeans. They are lighter weight and the fabric and weave is probably closer to what everyone is calling ‘womanly jeans’ without looking like a wannabe metrosexual kinda guy. These are looser fitting, too. But I agree with Sax…good real darker jeans on a older guy that hasn’t let himself go is a nice look.
Can’t stand khaki pants. I prefer men in either jeans or a well-tailored suit. H has a couple pairs of khakis that he wears occasionally. I don’t like it , but I keep my mouth shut. At least they fit well. OK, maybe I would say something if he tried to wear khakis AND a polo shirt. Way too 80’s dad for me.
Hmmm I’ll have to tell the guys at the clubhouse or the sailing club that they are “way too 80s dad”! I’m sure they will appreciate it. Khakis have a place and always have and always will, maybe not Mid-town Manhattan or an LA hot spot or the Jersey shore, but we have no idea where the some of the posters live. For that matter we don’t know where the OP lives, maybe he lives where people wear “real jeans” as opposed to male fashionista jeans.
Finally! I was thinking my family was very odd. I was reading this thread and realized that neither my H nor my S own a pair of jeans. Honestly - their “jeans” are khakis - those soft fabric ones.
Come to think of it my dad did not own a pair of jeans either. D and I wear jeans all the time but not the men in our family. Not sure why.
The first time I met my FIL, over 40 years ago, he was wearing a pair of faded Levi’s jeans. I’d never seen an adult over the age of 30 wearing jeans, except for a few construction workers. (Yes, I led a sheltered life.) FIL dressed very nicely for work, church and special occasions, but otherwise wore basic Levi’s and a chambray or flannel shirt.
Dh wears Levi’s or Wranglers; he’d never pay >$40 for a pair of jeans. He’s happy with t-shirts from Old Navy or LandsEnd, too. He’s fine with paying for good quality suits, dress shirts and ties for work, but doesn’t care at all about fashion.
On the other hand, one of my sons collects denim: raw, vintage levis, etc.
That seems to be a whole other universe to me.
He is very good looking and well dressed and turns heads on the street.
It may be sexiest to say this: Isn’t it mostly that a good looking woman turns heads? I could be wrong here.
I did notice that in the middle school or high school (especially middle school) a well dressed boy tends to “get the girl”. It could be because these boys seem to look more mature (thus pay more attention to how to dress themselves well at a younger age than their age peers do) and the girls in those ages do not like boys who look immature or “not sophisticated.”
When I was a middle schooler myself (40-50 years ago), the only boy who had a steady girlfriend looks more sophisticated (e.g., more knowledgeable, interested in topics which other boys are not interested in, etc.) That boy is actually not particularly good looking (reasonable tall though), but had “something” (charisma?) that other boys at that age lack. Yes, he dressed better than most other boys in the same class did.
Is there some dress (e.g., jacket or even coat) which is designed as uni-sex, meaning that either a man or a woman can wear it? If your husband or son wears one of these, are you OK with it? How about clothes in red (or, even slightly pink, LOL)?
My dad didn’t even own a pair of khakis until my wedding (all the guys were khakis and blue polos, white button down shirts- including the dads). Jeans and sweats all the way- even when he was working (he was a plumber so jeans were kind of a necessity). My mom picks them out because my dad hates shopping- but she just gets the same type he’s always worn because she doesn’t care. My family is not fashion conscious in the least.
Mr R has to wear khakis to work but they’re off the second he gets home. He changes into jeans- which he always wears, even to bed (yes, it’s bizarre and I’ve never met anyone else who likes to sleep in jeans). Even if I wanted to buy him clothes, which I don’t, I have no idea what would look good or what’s fashionable. As long as he’s comfy, I’m happy.
Maybe I’ll feel differently in a decade or so when he’s no longer a bean pole.
I clicked on a few of the links here and my eyes bulged. $200+ for jeans? Yikes! I hope they’re super comfortable for that price
My S will wear a pink oxford shirt or a pink polo. Both H and S wear “nantucket red” shorts which are kind of pink or maybe more salmon colored. S also has pale pink shorts which look really good on him. Vineyard Vines clothing for men is almost all pastels in their Spring/Summer lines. It’s a clean, fresh look for men which looks good on my S. But for those men who have a high sense of fashion it is going to be too pedestrian. My guys really are not fashionistas.
