The 12 Best Summer-Ready Jeans to Buy Right Now
A little lighter, a little looser, but no less beloved.
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If you've been dreading the onset of warmer weather because it makes wearing your favorite pair of jeans slightly harder to justify, take a deep breath and calm down. No one's coming for your jeans. On the contrary, climate change and the mercurial shifts in temperature it engenders mean you can pretty much get away with wearing pants all year round (yay?) provided you're wearing the right type. And when it comes to summer denim, you definitely want to lighten up. Opt for a slightly looser fit than you might otherwise, maybe even with a touch of stretch for added comfort, and to retain any semblance of breathability avoid stiffer selvages and definitely opt for lightweight denim as opposed to the heavy-duty stuff*.
This one summer in high school I caught a ride with a friend of mine and his family to a house they had upstate, and my boy came through in a brand new pair of selvedge jeans so crisp he could barely sit down comfortably in the car. It was deadass approaching, like, 90 degrees outside and this poor schmuck had to spend the entirety of the ride shifting his weight back and forth trying to find a position that seemed the most natural without completely cutting off circulation to the lower half of his body. My guy, I can clearly tell you're extremely uncomfortable and potentially in pain, but I'm going to ignore the fact that you look like you've been trying not to pass out for the last hour and half because I respect the commitment. That's true camaraderie right there. What is friendship if not taking pity on your boy when he comes through in who-knows-how-many ounces worth of selvedge by resisting the urge to call him out for his wildly weather-agnostic fit?
Don't be like my friend. Invest in some seasonally appropriate denim. But remember: Ultimately, no pair of pants—no matter how loose-fitting or lightweight—will feel as freeing as shorts. Fashion hurts. This shit ain't a game, man. Now leave me alone and let me suffer in peace.
*Fabric weight is calculated in ounces per yard, and you're looking for something in the less-than-10-ounce range, ideally even as light as six or eight ounces. For context, those fancy selvedge jeans my buddy was wearing? Probably 14-to-16-ounces of summer misery.
Made with more stretch than you'll ever need.
The Japanese retailer's EZY jeans feel more like your comfiest sweatpants, down to the elastic waistband and ultra-soft lining.
Levi's proprietary All Seasons technology is designed to keep you cool (yes) all season long.
A pair of pants that all but does the relaxing for you.
Black jeans really only work in the summer if they're made out of a super-soft sateen sourced from (where else?) Japan.
A pristine pair of jeans that'll only look better the more beat-up they get, from a (the?) modern master of the form.
John Elliott's perfectly distressed jeans are cut just-so—raw, slightly-fringed hems and all.
Stretch-cotton denim in a shade of blue so rich it looks downright regal.
The Daniel is in the details. (Pant puns!)
Like you dropped acid inside one of the coolest closets in the world and can't seem to find your way out.
Twisted outseams and a pair of asymmetrical cuffs take these pants from nautically inspired to straight nutty.
A truly singular pair of tie-dye pants inspired by an Ibiza boutique famous for outfitting the global cognoscenti of days past.
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