at the top of my fall wardrobe planning post this year was a pair of true-blue, fade-it-yourself, straight-leg raw jeans. last month, i finally found them.
it took the better part of a weekend afternoon of trying on about three sizes each of several denim styles before i found the right ones:
because raw denim isn't just for guys // wearing COS tee, A.P.C. petit new standards, and toms
i tried on the new cures (odd waist-hip fit), new standards (too wide in the leg), petit standards (too tight), and finally found that the petit new standards fit my frame the best. A.P.C. stocks the most sizes in all the styles, but you can also find them here and here with better return/exchange policies.
some of my thoughts and tips on buying raw denim–
getting the right fit:
- yes, they will feel like cardboard and you will have to struggle a bit to get them on when they're brand new. that goes away after a few days of wearing them around the house, and they will keep softening up the more you wear them.
- there are many threads on raw denim websites that strongly recommend going 1-2 sizes down to account for the waist stretching out during break-in, but in my experience this rule applies predominantly for guys. also keep in mind that the vast majority of women's (and many men's) denim brands use spandex or elastane, which skews fit a bit. because A.P.C. raw jeans are 100% cotton and run narrow in the hips, get the size that fits you snugly but comfortably at the hip. a looser waist after the full (6+ month) break-in period can be remedied easily with a belt.
- all the A.P.C. raw jeans are button-fly. some online forums / shop assistants may advise getting the smaller size even if you can't button the top 2-3 buttons. again, this rule of thumb tends to work better for guys. this really depends on your frame and waist-to-hip ratio. case in point:
- three years ago i bought a pair of size 25 new cure femmes on the general advice of sizing 1-2 down, and could not button the top 2 buttons at all in the dressing room. after a few weeks i could button them, but the whole hip/waist area was still too uncomfortably tight. moral of the story was they were too small, and i ended up selling them to a reader. there's a fine line between properly snug and so-small-that-you'll-never-wear-them.
- my current pair of size 27 petit new standards took some struggling to button in the dressing room, and the first week i had to lie down to button them all the way. but they fit in the hip and waist area without being uncomfortably tight, and i think they'll age well and loosen up a bit in the right places as time goes on.
- don't expect raw denim to break in and fit you like stretch denim / jeggings. this is not a bad thing – in addition to the custom fade after the first wash, i love the more natural slim / slouchy fit that you get from lived-in, broken-in 100% cotton.
quality: thumbs up on the midweight old school denim-y feel of the Japanese cotton. the selvedge hem detail is cool too, perfect for wearing these cuffed.
style: i was looking for a slim straight-leg jean with a clean line through the leg, and these petit new standards are just right. i also really like the midrise compared to the lower rises of the new cures and petit standards.
style: i was looking for a slim straight-leg jean with a clean line through the leg, and these petit new standards are just right. i also really like the midrise compared to the lower rises of the new cures and petit standards.
sizing: i'm wearing a size 27 (my size in women's designer denim is 25-27 depending on the brand and style). currently with 1 week+ of breaking in, they've softened up a good deal. very encouraging!
i'll be posting periodic updates during the breaking-in process, so stay tuned!
PS: Fleurette posted about the before-and-after of her petit standards here. Context has a great comparison fit guide here.
i hope this is helpful for those of you looking to get a pair. what do you think of raw denim? do you have a pair of A.P.C.s?