Drawstring jeans. I left the country for a month, came home, and they were everywhere. (Okay, not on the streets of L.A. because nothing is on the streets in L.A.) But on websites, the Instagram. Some of you even asked for my thoughts on drawstring jeans. Here they are.
In some cases a drawstring jean is a drawstring pant (sweat, pajama, track) cut in denim or chambray. Other times, it’s a proper jean – pockets, rivets, a button fly, the works – with a cord strung through the waistband. This letter addresses both kinds as the difference between the two is negligible to me.
Now, the look of a drawstring jean. The look – if done properly – mimics the paper bag waistline achieved (more authentically) by a belt or bandana that ties in the front. I’ve clocked this styling trick before as an alternative (predecessor?) to drawstrings, and an effective way to make big jeans fit better/look cooler. The cinch is really key. Without cinching, a drawstring on a jean is just a bow around the belly, which, unless it’s Andy Macdowell in an 80s GAP ad, isn’t worth Substacking about.
The drawstring on a drawstring jean has to draw. It has to change the shape of the top block and make the waistband ripple a little. If a pair of jeans with a drawstring fits perfectly, then the drawstring is just an embellishment. Wrap a shoestring around your favorite Khaites and you’ve done it. Right? Wrong.
One final thought on drawstring jeans before I get to the styles I like: Because they are intrinsically casual I feel they are best paired with other casual pieces. Pajama-esque silk blouses. Lace camisoles. Sweatshirts. You could, I suppose, get tricky and wear a drawstring jean with a tuxedo shirt, but the whole point of a drawstring jean, if made convincingly, is a sense of easiness. Leisure. It’s a jean with a drawstring. It’s a combination of the two chillest pants on the planet. Jeans didn’t need to be any more go-with-the-flow… and then came drawstring jeans. To be frank, I went into this assignment thinking I’d cancel drawstring jeans. My mind has been changed. Here’s why…
FRAME: Super Drape High-Rise Wide-Leg Jeans
Of the three I picked for today, this drawstring jean is most like a track pant – wide, straight, sporty. Made of 100% cotton (20% of which is recycled), it doesn’t stretch, which doesn’t matter. I’m still incredibly comfortable. Front pockets and pleats, bar tacks instead of rivets, and a string made of the same, soft denim (v white cotton cord), are super clean. I like clean.
When tying the string on drawstring jeans, it is my opinion that the bow should not be symmetrical. Leave one loop longer than the other. Something about wrapping the waist with a perfect bow feels very juvenile to me. Cotillion-dress-y. My advice: Don’t think too much about the tie part. You threw on your drawstring jeans and tied them quickly while corralling kids into the car. Or was that just me? Anyways, that’s the vibe.
Curious about the sandals hiding under these long hems? See the footnote1 .
DR. COLLECTORS: P40 Z Boys Japanese Selvedge Denim Sunfaded
The first drawstring jean I ever loved, this Dr. Collectors classic comes in multiple fabrics. The string – a selvedge-like stripe on some; cotton cord on others – is strung through the back and then exited out the sides and threaded through the belt loops in the front. Elastic in the waistband means you can actually leave it untied, but then, where’s the fun in that?
I’m wearing an XS. Unlike the Frames, this jean looks great with a flip flop. Try and imagine a pegged and rolled hem with a pair of these (I somehow failed to get a full-length on this one, my apologies). I like it all with a shrunken sweatshirt. Or this one-piece bathing suit (camp pickup in a white bathing suit is boss).
CITIZENS OF HUMANITY: Brynn Drawstring Trouser
This one feels like a real jean. Metal rivets. A fifth pocket. And, it’s made of 100% regenerative cotton, which translates to “supporting holistic farming practices that increase soil health, improve biodiversity and reduce carbon emissions,” according to Net-a-Porter. I like the white shoe-string with something black on top, like this machine-washable camisole or a not-too-long $38 tee.
Are they an Everyday jean? Probably not. But if wearing sweatpants or leggings to school drop-off isn’t appealing (it’s not for me), then these are an excellent option. I’ll end by saying that a drawstring does not replace a belt (despite what the brands may say), as the two create completely different feelings. Belt = buttoned up. Drawstring = loose end. Personally, I’m enjoying feeling a little more like the latter this summer.
Gather ‘round…
A few more styles that get the drawstring waistband right.
I’ve been on a tear of books written by women about midlife (All Fours, first, then The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy). I’m currently reading Nora Ephron’s I Feel Bad About My Neck. I’m probably late to Ephron, though had I read it any earlier (when I’d never given a second thought to my neck, for example) I’m not sure it would be landing the same. The chapter on parenting in three stages is a killer, and I haven’t even arrived at stages two and three, yet. My daughter Georgia turned six yesterday. If you ask her what I do for work, she’ll say I make jeans. How it all came to be – her existence, my job – is so obvious and miraculous (like, how?! But also, how not). The jeans I named for her also happen to be back in stock in all sizes today. Denim – and daughters – forever.
Jane
FOOTNOTE: These sandals I’m wearing are nearly sold out, but actually, that’s probably a good thing because they’re brutal. Don’t buy them. I spent two hours in them and my feet were bleeding; a full week of recovery, in which plasters (Brit for Band-Aids) were worn constantly. (They’re broken-in now, but Gabriela Hearst also makes this style, which is similar and not as sharp around the big toe – a much better place to start, I think.) What you want is a sandal with a skinny-ish and straight front strap, to peek out from and parallel the hemline. No flip-flops. No mesh maryjanes (sorry to the ones in your closet right now). This sandal has a similar design, with a lot more buckle. The Emme Parsons Hope in Napa is also very pretty. I even like this J.Crew Colbie buckle sandal. It doesn’t have the heel strap, but it’s the right idea.
Obsessed with those Dr. Collectors on you!!! And I laugh at Georgia’s take on your job. Layla thinks I “wash jeans” for a job. I mean I do… but…😉😅
Do you think the drawstring jeans (the Frame in particular) will continue to work into winter? Thanks for the sandal tips!