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Commonly available jeans - higher waist?

MikePotts

Practically Family
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823
Location
Tivy, Texas.
I usually wear Levi 505s but I'd like to find some jeans with a somewhat higher waist and a straight leg. I'm 62, 5'10" with a 38" waist so suggestions for anything 'skinny' will be politely ignored:D

Thanks fellas...
 

ingineer

One Too Many
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1,088
Location
Clifton NJ

Edward

Bartender
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24,737
Location
London, UK
I usually wear Levi 505s but I'd like to find some jeans with a somewhat higher waist and a straight leg. I'm 62, 5'10" with a 38" waist so suggestions for anything 'skinny' will be politely ignored:D

Thanks fellas...
If you don't mind going mail order, I'd heartily recommend www.simonjamescathcart.com/jeans/ Not the cheapest option on the market, but as good as much of the significantly more expensive brands.
 
Messages
13,627
Location
down south
The wrangler cowboy cut, as you mentioned, and dickies carpenter jeans (original, not relaxed fit) are both high waisted with a nice fitting straight leg, and both can be had for about half the price of a pair of 505s. Another plus is that they are available in unwashed, rigid denim so you get to break 'em in properly. I haven't found a pair of Levis that weren't pre-washed in years.
 

MikePotts

Practically Family
Messages
823
Location
Tivy, Texas.
Thanks for all the advice guys, I did find some Wrangler 13mwz 'original fit' locally and they are indeed about an inch higher in the waist than Levi 505s. I'd still like a little more so I'll keep trying.
I like the look of 'Prison Blues' but their website seems to be on the fritz, my order to Duluth is on the way!

MP
 

MikeKardec

One Too Many
Messages
1,157
Location
Los Angeles
Some of the Carhartt's jeans have about as high as waist as you can get without saying, "Those look like they have a pretty high waist!" Honestly they are higher than some of the chinos I have and like most Carhartt's stuff they are totally indestructible.
 

tropicalbob

My Mail is Forwarded Here
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3,954
Location
miami, fl
I'll second the Wranglers. Not only are they higher-waisted, but they're also made of 14.5oz. denim. I'd advise, though, that you wash them in Woolite the first few times, as they can turn an odd shade of neon blue if you don't. I got a pair last year, and ever since then all of my regular jeans don't feel as comfortable. The higher rise just feels right.
 

Seb Lucas

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,562
Location
Australia
Yes, Wranglers go a conspicuous colour after washing in most detergents - well known as the Wrangler bright blueberry look. Not keen on it myself but it fades. It helps to use detergent without optical brighteners. I learned that here.
 

robrinay

One Too Many
Messages
1,489
Location
Sheffield UK
I favour Wrangler 13mwz's too for their high rise but sadly they are no longer available in the UK. I've found a couple of pairs in vintage clothing stores but rely on eBay for replacements. They have a good rise - suitable for the shorter of my leather jackets such as my Aero Speedway. I recently bought a pair of vintage Lee 101z's - made in Poland and they come a close second on rise height.
 

Edward

Bartender
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24,737
Location
London, UK
I favour Wrangler 13mwz's too for their high rise but sadly they are no longer available in the UK. I've found a couple of pairs in vintage clothing stores but rely on eBay for replacements. They have a good rise - suitable for the shorter of my leather jackets such as my Aero Speedway. I recently bought a pair of vintage Lee 101z's - made in Poland and they come a close second on rise height.

When I visited Aero in 2014, they told me that ERanglers and Lee both were stopping doing the models (or at least ssending them to the UK) that they kept in stock; of the big name brands, only Levis were still doing their vintage models. I suppose it's a reality of the mainstream fashion market in the UK being so fixated with these ridiculously low waists. Hopefully that will change in due cours,e but who knows.... from the first time I tried on a pair of 501s in about 1992, to the last time I tried a pair - which was around 2008 - they had a silly low waist. I keep thinking higher waist / wider leg will inevitably come back in the fashion market for no better reason than there's only so low and tight you can go before high and wide is 'new' again, but to date.... [huh]
 

Blackadder

My Mail is Forwarded Here
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3,816
Location
China
When I visited Aero in 2014, they told me that ERanglers and Lee both were stopping doing the models (or at least ssending them to the UK) that they kept in stock; of the big name brands, only Levis were still doing their vintage models. I suppose it's a reality of the mainstream fashion market in the UK being so fixated with these ridiculously low waists. Hopefully that will change in due cours,e but who knows.... from the first time I tried on a pair of 501s in about 1992, to the last time I tried a pair - which was around 2008 - they had a silly low waist. I keep thinking higher waist / wider leg will inevitably come back in the fashion market for no better reason than there's only so low and tight you can go before high and wide is 'new' again, but to date.... [huh]
The US Wrangler focuses on Rodeo approved jeans for the US market. I think Wrangler and Lee have licensed their brands to different companies in different regions. Real McCoy's is licensed to make repro some Lee/Wrangler products. Most Wrangler and Lee repro models are currently made in Japan (sometimes China) by Edwin. I have a pair of 1934 Lee jeans by Warehouse and a pair of 1937 Lee jeans by Edwin. Both made in Japan. I think European Lee and Wrangler used to import the Japanese Wrangler and Lee in addition to producing their own but not anymore.
 

Edward

Bartender
Messages
24,737
Location
London, UK
The US Wrangler focuses on Rodeo approved jeans for the US market. I think Wrangler and Lee have licensed their brands to different companies in different regions. Real McCoy's is licensed to make repro some Lee/Wrangler products. Most Wrangler and Lee repro models are currently made in Japan (sometimes China) by Edwin. I have a pair of 1934 Lee jeans by Warehouse and a pair of 1937 Lee jeans by Edwin. Both made in Japan. I think European Lee and Wrangler used to import the Japanese Wrangler and Lee in addition to producing their own but not anymore.

Ah! Presumably, then, whoever the licensee is for the brands in the UK doesn't see a market for them. Lee were made in Northern Ireland for years, and there was a factory outlet not that far from my folks' place where you could buy them for GBP12.00 a pair (this at a time when most brands were around £20-£30, and Levis 501s an extortionatre £45). They only made models with a ridiculously low waist, though, so I never bought them. Even back in my early teens I hated the feel of a low waist.
 

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