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As the Strategist’s denim correspondent, I look at jeans a lot. Take it from me: If you wait long enough, you can get almost any pair you want on sale. To help you find the best discounted pairs out there, I flipped through my mental Rolodex of the jeans we’ve written about on the Strategist before, then sifted through the internet’s sales bins. Here, you’ll find the Madewell pair a stylist has recommended to more than 150 clients, and the Wranglers a Strategist senior editor convinced no less than four of her friends to buy for themselves. After hunting down our tried-and-true pairs, I also found some seemingly worth-it wild cards from names like Citizens of Humanity and B Sides that I’ve oft heard recommended and that rarely go on sale. I’ll be updating this guide regularly, so keep checking back for more. And if you’re a big deal freak, sign up for our daily Strategist Sales Alert while you’re at it.
Straight-leg
The jeans we’ve written the most about, Levi’s Wedgies, are at an almost Prime Day price. You know what to do.
A 501 (the original true-blue jean) you don’t have to search a thrift bin to find.
If you want a 501 that’s even closer to the original, these are woven on a old-fashioned loom and have selvedge stitches on the cuff.
“If there’s one thing Abercrombie does well, it’s jeans,” says the Plus Bus co-owner Marcy Guevara-Prete, adding that the company has gotten well versed in “how to accentuate curves.”
Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo’s “ultimate denim dream” is to look like Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon inThelma & Louise, and Everlane’s butt-hugging Cheekys get her pretty darn close to speeding in a Thunderbird.
And the Cheekys are even cheaper in a hourglass-figure-flattering cut, designed for those with narrower waists.
L’Agence jeans are a favorite of petites. As a fellow petite (I’m five-foot-two), I can say that the 27-inch inseam on these straight-legs should be short enough for those on the shorter side.
There’s a following around Agolde’s Rileys that includes a few New York staffers. Former New York photo editor Stella Blackmon says they’re “like an ode to the jeans my mom loved when I was growing up.” Surprisingly, I found a pair in Revolve’s sale section.
You might remember these as the jeans a stylist has recommended to over 150 clients. Most sizes are sold out now — except in this wash called “larkspur.” And coincidentally, I haven’t ever seen them marked down so low.
The curvy version of the Perfect Vintage is cut more generously through the hips so there’s less chance of a waist gap.
The difference between the Perfect Vintage and the ’90s cuts from Madewell is in the backside. The higher back rise on the ’90s means a cheekier behind.
Reformation’s last sale of the year is live, and the never-on-sale Cynthias are 40 percent off. They’re made for those who are leggier (and those who want to look leggier).
Slim and loose
I’m easing my way out of only wearing high-waisted jeans, and these mid-rise jeans are part of the process.
J.Crew’s stretch scale includes the 1984 rigid, 1996 semi-stretch, and the 2003 super-stretch — this is the stretchiest (made with 2 percent Lycra).
Another stylist once told me the stovepipe is the equivalent of all jeans having a baby together — the thought hasn’t left me since!
If you like a button-fly, why not try an asymmetrical button-fly?
Thankfully, Citizens of Humanity gets the art of distressing — the jeans look broken in in a pretty natural way.
As seen in Mya Gelber’s hunt for the perfect pair of dark-wash jeans.
“I feel like ’90s Shania Twain in these jeans,” says artist Melly Wirtes. Strategist senior editor Simone Kitchens is a devotee, too — and her ode to the pair convinced Earl Earl newsletter writer Laurel Pantin to get them herself.
Wide-leg and
I once asked the Strategist-staff Slack channel the question of “Where are everyone’s wide-legs from?” and the resounding answer was B Sides. Its sale selection is small (and most sizes sell out fast), but its Easy Jean is still stocked at the moment.
A barrel-leg for those who are equal parts barrel-leg curious and barrel-leg skeptical.
“These Jeans Made Me Gay” is the headline to Peyton Dix’s ode to Citizens of Humanity’s Horseshoe Jean. Dix suggests “sizing up once for the desired, most gay fit.”
The not-too-wide wide-legs you’ve been searching high and low for.
For those who like superwide wide legs (and secret elasticized waistbands).
A dark-wash, mid-rise wide leg with a frayed hem is hard to come by.
In contention for the coolest jeans on this list, scoring points for the cuffed hems and martingale belt buckle.
The kids who weren’t even born in 2000 are bringing back jeans from 2000. These low-riders are at least priced closer to how they would’ve been back at the beginning of the early aughts.
You won’t see Favorite Daughter jeans on sale very often — and especially not for 70 percent off.
Rolla’s is famous for making butt-hugging jeans — that’s true even in barrel-leg form.
“Paired with a vintage T-shirt, they look extra ’70s,” says content creator Carrie Carrollo of the Sailor Jeans.
Bootcut and flare
Strategist readers’ favorite flares are these Kick Out Crop jeans — the brand’s new version of its discontinued Cali Demi Cut. They now come patch-pocketed.
Staud and Wrangler’s recently released collaboration is still full-price on each of their respective sites — though not at Nordstrom.
The “Instasculpt” in these DL1961 jeans makes them super-stretchy without stretching out entirely.
Levi’s 315s are the reigning best bootcut in our plus-size jeans guide, with models Felicity Hayward and Yasmin Geurts loyal wearers of the style.
Skinny
Levi’s skinniest skinny jeans come with a lot of stretch, and writer Diana McCorry says these keep their shape when you stand up.
If you think the 720s are too tight-fitting, try the 311s. They’ll be similarly shaping but more forgiving.
“Miracle of miracles: As structured as they are, I can still move (and sit) without restriction, says TV writer Maggie Fremont of the Seine Jeans from Universal Standard. She can dance in them, too.
Last but not least, Old Navy’s $14 Rockstars have the distinction of being the cheapest jeans on this list.
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
