For comfort, quality, and classic style, 5-Pockets are hard to beat. Their versatility shouldn’t be overlooked either. A good pair of 5-Pocket jeans will complement virtually any pairing—from polo shirt to double-breasted coat—with subtle distinction.
History of an Icon
Jeans are the iconic American clothing. Since Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis first patented their riveted denim pants in 1873, jeans have become a defining feature of the clothing world, from work pants to high fashion. Strauss and Davis, who both immigrated from Europe to the U.S. as young men, made their mark by mass-producing rivet-reinforced denim work pants with the quality and durability demanded by Western prospectors, miners, and cowboys.
Quality, functionality, and unpretentiousness define Western clothing. Perhaps the world is becoming a more casual place, but the West has always been so. From Hemingway’s habit of wearing hunting clothes to dinner, to Kerouac’s blue-collar bohemianism, to the affectionately named “Colorado Tuxedo” (jeans with a sport coat), Western dress is an expression of self-confidence and casual grace.
American Tradition, Old World Interpretation
The West’s romanticism and easy elegance lend themselves to a natural affinity with a distinctly European appreciation of the artfulness of life. Often the best renderings of a tradition come from an outside perspective—Sergio Leone and Ennio Morricone’s iconic Spaghetti Western films and scores are an example.
American blue jeans are no exception. Not only were Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis both European-born, but even the word ‘denim’ originated from the American pronunciation of de Nimes, French for “from Nimes”, the town that popularized the fabric we now call denim.
Like Western cinema, blue jeans are an American classic, yet their modern legacy has been shaped positively by European interpretation. Some of our favorite 5-Pocket jeans incorporate traditional Continental craftsmanship into the iconic Western look.
The Three Jeans to Own
In our own day-to-day lives, we’re wearing 5-Pocket jeans more and more. Stonewashed blues and classic white denims are longtime mainstays, but we’ve also begun to favor subtle shades of cream and beige denim over 4-Pocket chinos. Don’t get us wrong—we like color. But we’ve found that washed, reserved shades such as red wine and deep olive project a favorably casual tone and pair nicely with a greater variety of shirts and coats.
For more than a decade, we’ve considered 5-Pocket jeans the building block for a man’s wardrobe. It’s not a question of whether to wear them, but how to find the right jeans for you. That’s what we’re here to do.
