Yahoo Lifestyle The Best Jeans Are Custom Jeans: 5 Made-to-Measure Denim Programs Our Editors Tested and Reviewed
What’s more versatile than a great pair of jeans? Denim can dress down an otherwise buttoned-up ensemble or serve as the laid-back foundation of your favorite date night fit. The only real rule: They need to fit—perfectly. Made-to-measure is not only a great way to ensure a comfortable and flattering silhouette, such programs also let you tailor them to your personality, allowing you to choose from a range of denim options, hardware, stitching, patches, and sometimes even interior details.
Here, a team of Robb Report editors and contributors tapped five different MTM ateliers to create personalized pairs utilizing everything from ecru denim from Candiani’s mills in Italy to Japan-made Kaihara stretch-selvedge. One program even afforded the chance to have a pair of jeans measured, cut, sewn, and finished in an evening—in between dinner and bar-hopping. With a range of styles and experiences, which is the right fit for you?
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Giorgio Armani
What I wanted: After years of dressing up Levi’s 501s with a uniform of cotton-twill blazers, Oxford-cloth button-down shirts, knit ties, and cap-toe Aldens, I wanted to go in the opposite direction: a properly luxuriant pair of jeans smart enough to elevate the rest of an outfit.
Where I went: The king of quiet luxury, Giorgio Armani—specifically, the N.Y.C. flagship on Fifth Avenue at 56th Street.
Price range: $1,295 to $3,495
Number of fittings: Two
Production time: Eight weeks, partly because everything is made in Italy
What I got: While flipping through dozens of fabric options at the atelier, my fingers automatically stopped on a swatch that had the look of raw denim—that same deep-indigo hue, flecked with white—but the downy-soft hand and slight natural stretch of cashmere. Which is exactly what it was: “denim-effect cashmere fabric,” in Armani-speak.
The made-to-measure program offers a personalized variation of its house-fit jeans, which is what I think of as “quintessential Italian” when it comes to denim: slim but not skinny, medium-rise, with the feel of a five-pocket trouser. But there’s a surprising amount of variability. I was able to raise the waist by nearly an inch and a half while dropping the crotch point—the back rise was expertly adjusted to preclude sagging—as well as widening the leg through the thigh and adding a slight taper at the bottom. The effect, at a glance, says “jeans,” but the way they wear is more sophisticated: Thanks to the higher rise and refined drape, plus the darkened hardware and tonal stitching, they add a more tailored, trouser-like aesthetic to otherwise casual outfits.
I have a few minor complaints, all of which come down to my choice of material rather than the construction, which is excellent. First, the hefty metal zipper pull is too substantial for the light 195-gram cashmere, which means the zipper often hangs ever-so-slightly open at the top—only by a tooth or two, but enough to annoy. Likewise, since cashmere lacks denim’s rougher texture, my wallet has slid out of the rear pocket on more than one occasion while sitting; a lining would likely solve that problem and provide some needed structure. Lastly, being wool, these won’t whisker or break in like raw denim, which is the real joy of most pairs of very expensive jeans. But the way these subtly elevate something as simple as a white T-shirt, loafers, and a small gold dress watch is like a sartorial magic trick—precisely what I had in mind. —Josh Condon
Williamsburg Garment Company
What I wanted: Black jeans comparable to what rock stars such as Slash or Bono might sport—think slim-fitting but comfortable enough to wear casually.
Where I went: Williamsburg Garment Company, a denim specialist founded by designer Maurice Malone in 2011. As the name suggests, it was originally based in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg but has since relocated to nearby Greenpoint. That a significant portion of its orders—around 15 percent— is based on custom designs appealed to me, as did the fact that it’s a Black-owned business.
Price range: $400 to $550, with selvedge denim commanding higher price points
Number of fittings: One
Production time: A little over a month for me (Malone accommodated a rush job), but the wait can run up to four months for bespoke patterns.
What I got: Even with just a single fitting, the jeans were pretty spot-on to what I was looking for. The selvedge material I originally chose had run out between my fitting and production, so I switched things up with Kaihara stretch-selvedge, which is made in Japan and felt softer at the outset. In terms of comfort, it seemed like a smart choice.
The charcoal topstitch and copper button I selected looked great against the black jeans, as did the signature coin pocket, which overlaps the side seam—a nice detail that’s distinct without being overly flashy. I was also pleasantly surprised to discover a cartoon figure of the designer doodled in marker on one of the inside pockets.
That said, the jeans never quite hugged my waist, despite my being slightly bigger when I took delivery. Breaking them in has been a slow process, but I haven’t found them uncomfortable or stiff—in other words, no chafing. The dye also hasn’t rubbed off onto furniture or bags that rest against my body (always a risk with expensive denim), which is surprising considering the deeply saturated color. After some more wears, I’ll turn the jeans inside out, wash them in cold water, and hang dry, as instructed. I’m excited to see how they patina over time. —Demetrius Simms
Blackhorse Lane Ateliers
What I wanted: The perfect shade of ecru jeans for fall and winter wear.
Where I went: U.K.-based Blackhorse Lane is located in Kings Cross and makes its clothes in East London. Established in 2016, it quickly became recognized in style circles for the exemplary quality of its jeans and denim jackets.
Price range: £475 (about $600), with an additional £50 (about $60) for rare denim; £375 (roughly $475) for future orders using the same pattern
Number of fittings: One
Production time: Four weeks
What I got: Blackhorse Lane’s offering is more made-to-measure than bespoke, using its existing styles as a base pattern, allowing you to riff off a pair of jeans you can try on in the store, which has its advantages—using a predetermined cut should mean that tweaks to fit are easy to both gauge and communicate. I selected the NW1 relaxed straight-legged fit, using a 13-ounce ecru denim from Candiani’s mills in Italy. Ecru, off-white, cream—call it what you will, but finding the ideal shade can be a challenge. Many have yellow tints or are so close to white as to be indistinguishable. This hue, neither white nor beige, is the perfect neutral to wear with anything from tweeds to navy sport coats, vintage jungle jackets, and chambray shirts. But the material was stiff, so I requested it to be rinsed before production, rendering it less rigid.
A few weeks later, the finished jeans were ready to be hemmed in the store while I waited. Visually, they’re impeccable, plus they’re well constructed and the material is flawless. The fit on the waist and legs was good, but there was tightness across the front pockets that I hoped would stretch out after I’d worn them in. After a couple of months, it was still there, making them uncomfortable to sit in with my wallet and keys in the pockets. To remedy, the Blackhorse team let them out further in the hips, and the additional pocket facings were removed to make things a bit looser. They’re much improved though still not perfect, and they may go back to the store again in preparation for fall. —Paul Croughton
Raleigh Denim Workshop
What I wanted: High-rise, wide-legged jeans that I might wear with tweed jackets in autumn. I had also been looking for a pair with frogmouth pockets, a highly specific vintage detail that became a mild obsession.
Where I went: Raleigh Denim Workshop, which invited me to experience its 1/1 Omakase Custom program in which the client gets a one-on-one hang-out session with cofounder (and ex-Nobu chef ) Victor Lytvinenko, culminating with a unique denim creation.
Price range: $1,500 (for standard) to $5,000 (for the Omakase program)
Number of fittings: One
Production time: Typically three to four weeks, but in the case of my Omakase Program, hours
What I got: Jeans based on Raleigh Denim Workshop’s Rowan fit, a roomy, vintage-inspired cut with a 14-inch rise. Between a dinner of Nashville hot fish collars at a local restaurant and an impromptu bar crawl, Lytvinenko cut the patterns himself from a one-off bolt of substantial British selvedge he’d been gifted by a friend, then sewed my jeans as I watched. The final product had my much-desired frogmouth pockets, slanted at a dramatic 90-degree angle, which Lytvinenko had first made in “dummy” form with scrap denim to ensure the novel details would fit my hands.
I held off on washing them for a good eight months, until a front seat at a campfire left me with no choice. They’ve been washed many times since, and their initial wine-dark indigo color has turned a beautiful variegated blue (some of which now lives permanently on our otherwise beige couch—oops). In that time, they’ve also developed some lovely fades, particularly at the top of the pockets where my hands reside and along each thigh. The most notable change is how soft—yet no less sturdy—the material has become, especially considering its original Kevlar-like feel.
My sole hiccup along the journey was an unexpected weight loss, which left a gap at the waist. At Lytvinenko’s suggestion, I simply washed them and then tossed them into the dryer on low, and I was happy to discover they’d shrunk at least an inch from the heat; my belt was able to do the rest. —Eric Twardzik
Atlas Bespoke
What I wanted: Deep-indigo five-pocket jeans with tonal stitching but no back patch or extraneous details that would draw the eye. The aim was for denim that looked more like trousers, suitable for smart casual wear with a sport coat.
Where I went: Atlas Bespoke is a small maker, based in Manhattan, established by Marianna Lomsinko in 2020.
Price range: $925 to $1,400
Number of fittings: Two
Production time: About four weeks
What I got: Atlas offers more than 160 choices, ranging from heavy-duty, could-stop-a-bullet raw selvedge to flyaway summer styles, with options from Japan, Italy, and the U.S.—the latter including vintage cloth from Cone Mills, makers of denim since 1891. I picked a 12.5 ounce, 100 percent cotton Kaihara denim from Japan, which offered the right balance between wearability and the solid indigo I wanted: Prewashed, it had a soft handle but rich saturation. I requested a relatively straight-leg style, to enable me to wear them with loafers, suede oxfords, or sneakers. A dark-gray front button, a zip fly, and no rivets completed the stealth look.
The first fitting allowed for the waistband to be taken in a little plus small tweaks made to the thigh, with the finished jeans ready shortly after. Following nearly a year of wear, I’m well satisfied. The waistband still hugs my hips, and there’s plenty of room in the seat and groin, so sitting is comfortable even with full pockets. Inevitably, that gorgeous indigo is starting to fade somewhat at the knee, revealing the bluer tones underneath, along with slight whiskering at the front and lightening at the corners of the back pockets. That look might be desirable for denimheads, but it’s not what I want from this pair; I have others that serve that purpose. So, because the intention behind this commission was for jeans that don’t read like jeans, I might consider dyeing them navy again when that fading becomes a distraction. Sacrilege, I know. —PC
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