Jane on Jeans is Here

Let's start with the 3 pairs I'm wearing right now. Plus, Laura Brown's big-time Citizens.

This is my first newsletter – Welcome! If you don’t know me, I design The Only Jane, a clothing line anchored by a jumpsuit called Jump One. I’ve started Jane on Jeans because I also love jeans and I see these two things as being connected. My goal is to make this an inspiring place to shop and share stories about great clothes and how we live in them. Let’s get right to it…

Mother Denim’s Private Zip Pocket High Rise; Manolo Blahnik loafers.

A few months ago I found myself in serious need of new jeans. Not only had the pandemic’s relaxed, work-from-home way of dressing resulted in an industry shift towards baggier fits (of which I owned none), but two pregnancies in four years had also fundamentally changed the shape of my body. At the end of 2022, I was suddenly reconsidering – and sadly, resigning – nearly every pair of jeans in my closet. Which then meant shopping for new ones, this time with fresh eyes, different priorities (kids, quality), and a greater appreciation for how things are made. (I am a designer, after all).

For this first letter I tried on dozens of pairs. The two new styles I’m featuring here made the cut by being current, flattering, and easy to wear with flats. They make me feel good, which is kind of everything when it comes to jeans. Also included in this letter are the vintage Levi’s 501s that survived my recent closet overhaul and that are, in fact, even better now than they were when I bought them in 2018. It can happen.

Some basics about me: I’m 5’4” and I wear a size 2 in Jump One and a size 25 in most jeans. I am petite, and I am not a model. I am definitely not a representation of all body types. As this letter goes on, I will be featuring more women who wear a variety of sizes in jeans that look great on different bodies. I will also write about trends, industry news, designers, and denim inspirations. There’s a lot to cover. This is a start.

MOTHER: Private Zip Pocket High-Rise

I’m not one to fall for jeans that are too tricky. This cargo style from Mother is a nice level of novelty. The denim is stretchy and has a hefty weight (I’d guess 12oz for the denim heads out there). The cropped length is very Mom (I am what I am), but I think the side pockets off-set the trad leg shape. Mother, a Los Angeles label founded by Tim Kaeding and Lela Becker, has always prioritized great, soft fabrics and meticulous fits. No exceptions here.

Mother Denim Private Zip Pocket High-Rise. I like that the side pockets are placed on the upper thigh and not at the knee or lower. For spring, lug-sole loafers like the ones I’m wearing from Manolo Blahnik are grounding and grown-up.

LEVI’S: Vintage 501s

Sigh. I love these jeans so much. Not because they fit me super well (they’re actually wonky around the fly), but because they’re mine alone – made-in-the-U.S.A. men’s 501s constructed of rigid selvedge denim (the white stripes inside the outer seam, below, are the hallmark of selvedge denim). The color is perfect and weathered to echo all the correct contours of my body. They were once a uniform shade of very dark indigo. I’ve broken them in myself.

My favorite vintage 501s are one of a kind. My top is Sacai that I’ve had for years. Here is a similar version of the one I am wearing.

I bought these jeans when I was pregnant with my daughter, Georgia. At the time, they were many sizes bigger than my other 501s. That they are now my favorite pair and the right fit is really interesting to me for two reasons: First, it shows how much pregnancy changed my body. It’s not about weight or waist size. It’s my hips – they widened to help stabilize everything and, well, they never moved back. Second, with baggier legs being the look right now, these jeans don’t feel nearly as slack as they did when I bought them five years ago. May everyone have jeans that adapt as beautifully to trends and major life moments as these Levi’s.

B SIDES: Elissa in Klein Vintage

Named in honor of the stylist Elissa Santisi, this wide leg high rise is great for petite bodies. In fact, I like the fit so much I bought a second pair in the off-white Clair wash (they come in Stil Black, too). Some sites show it cropped above the ankle, but on me they fall to my foot (again, I’m 5’4”), and I like it. Notice how the legs bow forward so they look wider in profile than they do head-on.

B Sides Elissa jean in Klein Vintage, with my favorite white t-shirt at the moment from James Perse.

B Sides, a New York-based company designed by Stacy Daily and Claire Lampert, nails vintage-inspired washes and executes more directional styles convincingly, too (see the Lasso as an example). I recommend the Elissa for all you classicists with shorter legs and straighter curves.

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Jean of the Week: Laura Brown

Laura Brown is the former editor-in-chief of InStyle magazine, the founder of LB Media, and the author of The LB, a Substack she recently launched with the intention of sharing her singular P.O.V. on the not-so-singular world: One week it’s a dispatch from South Africa, where she’s toured healthcare facilities as chair of the Creative Council for (RED); next, it’s a vulnerable and funny reflection on aging. Laura is smart, witty, and delightful to read because she writes with great honesty from a place of massive professional experience.

The jeans Laura loves? Annina high rises from Citizens of Humanity, which come in an ombré of blues, along with white and black, and two inseams (30” and 33”; brilliant). “I have them in three different colors,” Laura told me. “They are a straight/wide leg. Not tapered and not too flare-y.” For a day in Soweto (above), Laura, who is “kinda done” with high-high waists, paired her Anninas with heeled Tod’s boots. “The length is perfect – great for my Nike Air Force 1’s, too.”

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This concludes my first issue of Jane on Jeans. Thank you for reading. Subscriptions are currently free and I would love for you to share it with anyone who might be looking for their next great pair. I welcome feedback and questions, and I am especially curious to know what those of you who shop at The Only Jane think of this new service. As always, your support is everything.

Jane