Want to buy or sell something? Check the classifieds
  • The Fedora Lounge is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

High Rise Jeans

Cyber Lip

Practically Family
Messages
773
Location
Seattle
;)
In the 80s/90s I wore higher-waisted trousers, but it wasn't really my thing. They hold up naturally when I fix them at the height of my natural waist. They make the lower body look far too bulky for my taste. But as always, it's just a question of personal taste.

I've recently bought several pairs of 'relaxed straight' or 'wide straight' which are based on vintage 1950's Levi's 501's. And yeah, they've got the 'dad jeans' wide at the hips thing going on. I used to hate that look but I've come back to it full circle I guess lol. It's not my favorite cut. I guess I'd say a 'regular straight' would be my favorite, like a modern Levi's 501 cut with a medium-high rise and a straight leg but without the wide hips. But I can't always be picky. I'm into selvedge denim within a certain weight range and my favorite cuts aren't always available in my exact size. But this 'wide straight' cut thing does work well for me with the heavier winter weight denims
 
Messages
17,398
Location
Chicago
I’ve come full circle on denim. I went through it with IH “sick fades”, etc. I only kept one pair. The super black, discontinued 964z. If I’m not wearing vintage navy surplus, Penny’s rancher or Levi’s I stick to modern Levi’s 517 or 527. They are available in a spectrum of washes. The 517’s are higher rise and better quality. 527’s are beer and endless wings fit.

Both are described as “bootcut” but are anything but. Simply a true straight leg.
 

Cyber Lip

Practically Family
Messages
773
Location
Seattle
LOL, the 'sick fades' thing was pretty funny, with guys posting pics of their "honeycombs" and "whiskering" and pics of themselves frolicking in the ocean with their jeans on and rubbing their butts on the sand LOL. When I got into selvedge denim a lot of that was still going on, as was the 'never wash them' thing. And the 'buy them 1 size too small' thing. Holee cow. I remember thinking that didn't sound right and I ignored it and just bought my normal size, and discovered the hard way, after buying several pairs, that you shouldn't even do that...you should go 1 inch in the waist larger because sanforized shrinks about an inch in the waist in the wash. But yeah, the 'go smaller they will stretch' thing, LOL. What nonsense that was.

I remember wearing my jeans to work after they had shrunk to be 1 inch too small in the waist, and being in agony all day. They felt like they got tighter as the day went on actually. I think something about being squeezed below your gut like that for an extended period gives you bloat and gas. But yeah, the drive home after 10 or so hours of that was always especially brutal and I'd run into the house when I got home and would be like 'aaaahhhhhhhhh' when I finally got to pop those buttons open and take the damn things off.

I blew a bunch of $$ too because I had bought several pairs sized like that, before I had washed a pair and knew what would happen. All of these denim bros with their 'buy too small' advice had failed to mention that sanforized still shrinks. I had to sell off all the jeans I had bought at a loss, and re-buy new ones sized correctly. Anyway....hardcore denim guys man, what a wacky bunch
 
Last edited:
Messages
16,711
Lol 'sick fadez'. I'm deeply embarrassed even thinking about my denim phase. Major cringe. Man, I was prancing around wearing that fu(king IH trucker like I've just stepped out from Brioni where I picked up my brand new suit, all the while wearing a stupid denim jacket.

Then I began annoying people at work, telling them they shouldn't wash their jeans, while literally having live wounds at the back of my knees from those 25oz jeans. What's worse, they don't even look heavy! Two weeks was how much I endured until listing them at half the price...

At least the fleece truckers were joy to wear after years spent freezing while wearing dozens of inadequately lined leather jackets.

That lunatic from Switzerland was my biggest wake up call, though. Passionate my ass - You can see the man isn't well and is in a dire need of a psychiatric help.
 

Canuck Panda

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,601
I like mid rise for myself. Short rise jeans/pants doesn't really bag out much, but isn't as comfortable. Taller rise jeans/pants only looks good when it's freshly ironed, wearing it for an hour and it bags out very fast. Mid rise also bags out but not as bad as higher rise and at the same time more comfortable than lower rise. Even with higher rise the pant waist doesn't go above my belly button, it sits about 1/2" below it, unless I am using a belt or suspender and purposely wearing it like Erkel.
 

dudewuttheheck

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,366
The funny thing is that the guys who are actually the most hard-core and enthusiastic about denim act nothing like the people you describe. They advocate for consistent washing, don't do the stupid ocean wash thing, and prefer much more subtle fades and don't try to show off that they are wearing expensive jeans.

The sikk fadez crowd is a joke to many denim fans. If you just buy more normal pairs of raw denim in the right size, they can be pretty darn comfortable actually after a bit of time. That said, I will readily admit that raw denim is an impractical hobby, though so are leather jackets...
 
Last edited:

navetsea

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,755
Location
East Java
5years owing all heavy weight raw denim I don't plan to add anything over my only 3 pairs, and I don't know about fades yet, mine despite non frequent washes, lets say once every 3months of constant wearing, hasn't seen any fades yet let alone the sick variants. honestly I don't pursue fades, but I don't want my jeans looking uniform mid blue either from weekly washing like those in current phase of denimhead, I think they hit both polarity over the years, and I'm somewhere in the normal spectrum perhaps when it is fading I like to see some fade lines forming, I think it belongs to the look of jeans, but I dislike the soiled look and the yellowing on the lighter parts and I dislike the blowouts and broken stitches

I also dislike imprint of hidden arcuate on the back pocket, I think that is so superficial cliché, either you have arcuate or you don't, having one that appear arcuate less but slowly showing fading shapes of symbol on the back pocket is so hideous to me as hideous as exposed selvedge line on the edges of the small pocket, or putting weird object inside a pocket to make it fades into peculiar shaped object. I mean wallet or keychain or phone fade are normal, but brass knuckle & fidget spinner fade are NOT
 

navetsea

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,755
Location
East Java
LOL, the 'sick fades' thing was pretty funny, with guys posting pics of their "honeycombs" and "whiskering" and pics of themselves frolicking in the ocean with their jeans on and rubbing their butts on the sand LOL. When I got into selvedge denim a lot of that was still going on, as was the 'never wash them' thing. And the 'buy them 1 size too small' thing. Holee cow. I remember thinking that didn't sound right and I ignored it and just bought my normal size, and discovered the hard way, after buying several pairs, that you shouldn't even do that...you should go 1 inch in the waist larger because sanforized shrinks about an inch in the waist in the wash. But yeah, the 'go smaller they will stretch' thing, LOL. What nonsense that was.

I remember wearing my jeans to work after they had shrunk to be 1 inch too small in the waist, and being in agony all day. They felt like they got tighter as the day went on actually. I think something about being squeezed below your gut like that for an extended period gives you bloat and gas. But yeah, the drive home after 10 or so hours of that was always especially brutal and I'd run into the house when I got home and would be like 'aaaahhhhhhhhh' when I finally got to pop those buttons open and take the damn things off.

I blew a bunch of $$ too because I had bought several pairs sized like that, before I had washed a pair and knew what would happen. All of these denim bros with their 'buy too small' advice had failed to mention that sanforized still shrinks. I had to sell off all the jeans I had bought at a loss, and re-buy new ones sized correctly. Anyway....hardcore denim guys man, what a wacky bunch
sanforized still shrinks, those people or manufacturer who claim sanforized jeans will not shrink are LIARS , they shrink vertically more than they shrink horizontally, I have jeans than was sanforized and I can wear with 1 small cuff before soaking, and went high water after a wash some 3 months later because they say sanforized jeans won't shrink and we can wear right away without soaking.

I bought my first raw denim unsanforized 21 oz 2 size down because I was afraid the top block will expand and sag into shapeless sack, it fit me nicely before washing, after soaking I have to force it through my hip bone and sit with numbness on my lower half,
2019 pics
Screenshot_20190706-075955_Gallery.jpg
Screenshot_20190706-080020_Gallery.jpg
it relaxed a bit after a week or two and fit normal again until its time to be washed again and I have to undergo this fight again like breaking a new pair over and over until it's 5th or 6th washes then it finally is defeated and the fit was permanent, but I must say the top block of the jeans fit like a glove, but the front pockets are useless the cut of the pockets are too small for human hand anyway, it's my only unsanforized jeans, and I don't plan to add more since the leg twist is also a thing I dislike, but I like the fit of that pants, the agony is all forgotten but the permanent fit of the pants is great.

2024 today same jacket and pants and boots etc.
Screenshot_20241002_085023_Gallery.jpg
Screenshot_20241002_085046_Gallery.jpg
Screenshot_20241002_085135_Gallery.jpg
 

Cyber Lip

Practically Family
Messages
773
Location
Seattle
Brass Knuckle fades on the back pocket?? LOL. That's hilarious. You know what I don't understand are some of these posts where a guy says something like 'my such and such's after 3 months and wash #4" and there are pics of his jeans all faded to sh!t, falling apart, holes in the pockets etc etc and look like they're ready toss out. Meanwhile all my jeans still look brand new with next to zero color loss after the same or more # of washes.
 

Cyber Lip

Practically Family
Messages
773
Location
Seattle
Lol 'sick fadez'. I'm deeply embarrassed even thinking about my denim phase. Major cringe. Man, I was prancing around wearing that fu(king IH trucker like I've just stepped out from Brioni where I picked up my brand new suit, all the while wearing a stupid denim jacket.

Then I began annoying people at work, telling them they shouldn't wash their jeans, while literally having live wounds at the back of my knees from those 25oz jeans. What's worse, they don't even look heavy! Two weeks was how much I endured until listing them at half the price...

At least the fleece truckers were joy to wear after years spent freezing while wearing dozens of inadequately lined leather jackets.

That lunatic from Switzerland was my biggest wake up call, though. Passionate my ass - You can see the man isn't well and is in a dire need of a psychiatric help.
you know what though, sure it's funny with all the lame talk of sick high contasts and honeycombs and whiskering brah, but at least the heritage workwear thing really is a good look. It could be much worse, i.e.; the douchey guys from the early 00's that did the jeans w/the bedazzled back pockets with the cross designs etc and horrible factory aging that looked like someone took steel wool to just one area at the front thigh of each leg, paired with Afflicted or Ed Hardy t shirts. And the way those guys strutted around thinking they looked like badasses LOL.
 
Last edited:

navetsea

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,755
Location
East Java
Brass Knuckle fades on the back pocket?? LOL. That's hilarious. You know what I don't understand are some of these posts where a guy says something like 'my such and such's after 3 months and wash #4" and there are pics of his jeans all faded to sh!t, falling apart, holes in the pockets etc etc and look like they're ready toss out. Meanwhile all my jeans still look brand new with next to zero color loss after the same or more # of washes.
I saw a jeans washing video from my country, they poured detergent powder dry on sprayed wet jeans, and then use stiff bristle brush to rub the granulated detergent powder on the jeans until dissolved into foam, no wonder the jeans are quickly fading, it's like sand scrubbing on every wash, and then they rinse it with water hose again without proper rinsing in basin or water, so probably some detergent remained in the jeans and actively eating away weakening the cotton and oxidates the color in much faster rate while the jeans is worn 2024-10-02 11_42_12-Window.jpg
unfortunate real phenomenon
 

Will Zach

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,700
Location
SoFlo
There is a reason all these dudes back in the day wore suspenders with their high rise pants up to their nipples.

I hate that look. Give me mid-rise pants any day.
 

One Drop

One of the Regulars
Messages
222
Location
Swiss Alps
I never liked low rise jeans, from the way they feel low on my hips to the way they made my already short legs look shorter, to the way the don't flatter my body shape, athletic with muscular legs and butt from a life skiing and hiking.

Mid to high rise feel right on me, and I'm slim enough be able to wear them as designed, namely not hanging on your hips but fastened and staying higher at the waist.
 

One Drop

One of the Regulars
Messages
222
Location
Swiss Alps
LOL! what is it with the faux 'tough guy' thing, and why do so many guys have this need to be a fake "badass"?

What scares me is advertising that you are carrying an illegal and deadly weapon. If you need to carry brass knuckles, you really need to be discreet about it.
 
Messages
17,398
Location
Chicago
you know what though, sure it's funny with all the lame talk of sick high contasts and honeycombs and whiskering brah, but at least the heritage workwear thing really is a good look. It could be much worse, i.e.; the douchey guys from the early 00's that did the jeans w/the bedazzled back pockets with the cross designs etc and horrible factory aging that looked like someone took steel wool to just one area at the front thigh of each leg, paired with Afflicted or Ed Hardy t shirts. And the way those guys strutted around thinking they looked like badasses LOL.
Never forget:
IMG_2364.jpeg
 

barnabus

One Too Many
Messages
1,451
Location
Britain's oldest recorded town
All this talk of comedy fades has made me dig out my old Unbranded 21oz. I'm wearing them now, for the first time in at least 2 years.

I must admit, they are really nice. They certainly don't feel like the heavy weight I know they are. According to my teenage daughter, they just look like "some worn out old jeans".
 

Forum statistics

Threads
108,689
Messages
3,066,129
Members
53,829
Latest member
markjames
Top