SHOP $30, amazon.com
Welcome to The Esquire Endorsement. Heavily researched. Thoroughly vetted. These picks are the best way to spend your hard-earned cash.
No matter how much money I get, you won't catch me spending $300 on fashion-y selvedge jeans from Japan or Italy. That's my promise. We're talking about a garment that was made by the American working class, and made legendary by Middle America Silver Screen heroes like Marlon Brando and James Dean. Jeans should be tough, look good, and no one should be worried about making rent if they buy a pair. This is starting to sound like a campaign rally. I'm the John Fetterman of jeans over here. The Huey Long of long denim pants. And I'm about to put forward some legislation: The Jean New Deal.
Part of my Jean New Deal is to get a solid pair of jeans on the ass of every American. Luckily, Wrangler's dirt-cheap Cowboy Cut is keeping our great denim tradition alive. If you want a flattering, affordable, and classic pair of jeans—good news, they're on sale for $30 right now.
The Cut is Classic and So Damn Flattering
The Wrangler Dress Jeans went viral on TikTok a couple years ago for being the most flattering pants men can wear. But I've been wearing these Cowboy Cuts—same shape as the Dress Jean—for many years. I've always noticed how great they look on me and every other guy, but I never knew why.
I knew that some combination of high rise and slight flare was the main reason they look so good. It's a time-tested combo that works just as well today as it did in the '60s and '70s. The high rise will always make your legs look longer, which makes you look taller and hotter. The slight flair won't hug your little stick legs, but it's not an egregious bootcut fit. The shape top-to-bottom is classic and considered.
But I always wondered: Why does my ass look so good in these? I'd say I'm reasonably athletic, my legs can fill out any jeans. But in a pair of Cowboy Cuts, my uhhhh, derrière just really popped. Then, just last week, one of my favorite menswear voices gave me an answer. Albert Muzquiz, @edgyalbert on IG and TikTok (everyone should follow), mentions in this video that the pockets on the Cowboy Cuts are higher than on other pairs of jeans. These types of pockets are an old-school touch, but they really... frame your ass. I don't know how else to say it. Gentlemen, these things work wonders.
SHOP $30, amazon.com
They're More Versatile Than You Think
Honestly, the biggest misconception people have about these jeans is that they are only for guys who wear cowboy boots. First things first, they look phenomenal over a pair of boots. I wear them with cowboy boots because they give you the perfect stovepipe look you want with something like that. When you wear them over Chelsea boots, the vibe is more '60s Parisian menswear, which we're really into right now. But! I'll also rock my Cowboy Cuts with some retro low top sneakers, like Adidas Gazelles, for a more casual look. In that context, the flare is barely noticeable, and they look like regular old straight-cut jeans.
Plus, if you get them in the photographed "Rigid Indigo" color, it's raw denim, and you get that amazing tailored feel of old-school jeans. I'm not one of those guys who will sit in the bathtub in denim, but my Cowboy Cuts were ever so slightly large on me. So, I gave them a wash and a dry, and I immediately put them on and wore them for a day. Now, I've essentially got a tailored-fit pair of jeans. That—yeah, I'm gonna mention it again—make my ass look great.
SHOP $30, amazon.com
The Price Is Unbeatable
Find me a better pair of jeans for $40. You'd be hard pressed to hunt down a similarly priced pair that uses 15 oz. denim of this quality, let alone something that looks and feels as good as my Cowboy Cuts. Add to that the old-school feel of sturdy rivets and Wrangler's classic "W" pocket stitching, and you've got a pair of jeans that simply cannot be beat.
And hey, if you really have a burning desire to pay $150+ for some jeans, most years Wrangler does some type of Made in USA mini-release. In 2022, the brand teamed up with American cowboy boot maker Lucchese for a pair of $495 jeans, and last year it re-made an old-school women's selvedge pair. Keep an eye out, and you can find something to scratch your High Fashion itch. But me? I'm sticking to my platform: good-looking, well-priced jeans. That's what this country was built on.
SHOP $30, amazon.com
