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The Best Black Jeans to Have You Stepping Out in Style

Beau Hayhoe
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Everyone’s assuredly got a go-to pair of dark blue denim. But what about slim black jeans? This style move was once seen as the provenance of rock stars and punk rockers only, but the best black jeans offer something for everyone. Especially as we move into fall, black jeans are the right way to put a spin on classics like a waxed trucker jacket or a chambray shirt. They’re just as versatile as your favorite blue jeans, particularly when they come in a tailored cut and are made with quality cotton fabric. Wear them with a classic pocket tee, take ‘em for a spin with a henley and chukka boots this fall, or try them out with a navy cotton blazer and a white Oxford shirt — the best black jeans are here for the season, folks.

Kodenko Leo Slim Jeans

Kicking off our list of the best black denim? A pair that’s got the specs to make any denim lover proud, from the use of premium Italian Candiani denim to the handcrafted, garment-dyed, and stonewashed construction. The resulting denim features a classic straight waist and slim fit through the hip and thigh — in short, these are perhaps the most versatile pair on this list, made by hand every step of the way in a burgeoning denim hotspot: Los Angeles.

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BLDWN Modern Slim Jean

Speaking of West Coast-based brands making stellar denim, BLDWN comes through with a striking pair of pleasingly vintage-inspired black jeans, made from premium Japanese stretch comfort denim.

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Mott and Bow Slim Barclay Denim

With a free home try-on program and a range of fits and colors, Mott and Bow is making it easy for the modern man to shop for the best black denim on the market. Priced competitively and featuring crucial stretch for all-day wear, these slick black jeans are even suitable to wear to the office.

Outerknown Slim Fit S.E.A. Ambassador Jeans

There’s a crop of brands dedicated to style and sustainability in equal measure, and when it comes to the denim industry, Outerknown is focused on eco-conscious production every step of the way. The brand’s line of S.E.A. Jeans is made with less water than your average pair, and the resulting jeans, like the slim Ambassador Jeans, are highly stylish on top of that.

Levi’s 512 Slim Taper Fit Men’s Jeans

We’d be remiss to put together a feature on the best black denim and not include the pioneering brand that brought jeans to the forefront for stylish American consumers in the first place. The 512 Slim Taper offers a tailored-but-not-too-tight fit, made all the better by top-notch construction and a rich black color that’ll only get better the more you wear these jeans.

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Jeans are the truest expression of all-American as well as international style.

For something so simple, jeans are truly a contradiction. While they are practically a uniform for people of all ages around the globe, they can also be exclusive and high-priced, coming from luxurious designer or hipster insider brands. They’re acceptable wear for the CEO as much as for the barista who’s making his coffee or the sanitation guy who's picking up the coffee shop's garbage that night. Most of us can wear jeans to work, for a relaxing weekend at home, trekking a mountain range, or a night out on the town.

Although most swimming pools don’t allow cut-off jeans (the fibers clog the filters), there are still plenty of places where you could wear them swimming or surfing: We even saw somebody wearing a particularly stretchy pair at the gym and they didn’t hurt his squat form one bit. We’d be willing to bet there might even be a few people who wear them to bed. Besides their utility, depending on the style, the right jeans can also be worn with everything from a minimalist’s black or white T-shirt to lumberjack flannel shirt to athleisure hoodies to cashmere sweaters, dress shirts, and sport coats. A classic denim trucker jacket— provided you get the fading and the proportions just right — worn with jeans remains one of our favorite looks, whether you call it a Canadian tuxedo or not.

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The name is a little misleading as joggers aren't the pant of choice when you’re heading out on run, but with a cinched waist and cuffs, joggers certainly prompt a sense of style that needs your attention. The cool part about joggers is they're made for all sorts of activities — going to the gym, attending a ballgame, wearing out for a Friday night dinner, you name it.

Joggers are comfortable and have the fit of your favorite hoodies and sweats. Matched with a pair of Vans or Converse hightops, the jogger is a pant that transcends from a casual stroll to a night on the town. Think of them as a sweatpants combined with an appearance that'll land you a date with that cute girl in your apartment complex.
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As much as we love denim of all sorts, something's got to give when the thermostat climbs ever higher. Enter the best jean shorts, an on-trend way to get much of what you love about your favorite pair of jeans, all without putting too much strain on your legs in the heat. Don't get us wrong: We're not quite talking about the jean shorts your dad fashioned decades ago out of a beat-up pair of denim.

The best jean shorts for men are ready-made by clothing brands that often specialize in making regular denim, so you know you can count on quality and comfort. Much like your favorite pairs of jeans, denim shorts come in a variety of washes and cuts, most of which fall on the shorter side (think a 5-inch inseam versus 3-inch inseam).

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