Buying 13 Pairs of Jeans Part I - Mango & Everlane
Review of Mango and Everlane Jeans
Recently, I’ve been looking for a new pair of jeans to buy. I’ve realized that I love high waisted but I’m not loving the cut of skinny jeans anymore. I also haven’t found a pair that have lasted me more than 2 years after my high waisted jeans from freshman year (which lasted 4-5 years). So, I embarked on a research journey for jeans.
From what I gathered, the current trend for jeans are defined by 2 major things: vintage/vintage-inspired and straight/wide leg.
From here, I added on my own criteria. I love high waisted and I’ve loved them for more than 4 years at this point. I also know that in the past few years, my taste in fashion has been really about good quality items that I can wear for many years. I pride myself on items that have been in my closet for 6+ years or even items that have been in my mom’s closet. So the quality has to be up there and the cut has to be a classic. After looking around, I realized that usually good quality jeans are made of 100% cotton without any stretch.
I might have to go into the $100 - $300 range for a good quality pair of jeans but I thought I’d try to get some for a cheaper price first. I’m shooting for jeans that are under $100, definitely straight / cigarette / wide leg, and ideally 100% cotton. So here’s me trying jeans that are <$100. If this goes well, then I may never have to go up to the $100 - $300 range.
When I get my jeans, the first thing I’m looking for is the quality. Historically, my jeans have on average cost around $40 and lasted me 1 year before they’ve become too saggy/wrinkly in the wrong place. For example, I bought a pair of jeans 2 winters ago and after one winter season, the ankles started bulging and the crotch area was way too wrinkly. I could only wear this pair of jeans with a longer top/sweater at the end of its life.
Through my experiences and my taste in fashion, I came up with a list of criteria for what I wanted in my jeans. One last note - I’m probably only going to keep my top 3 favorite pairs from all of these. So do not be shocked by how many I’m trying on, I won’t be keeping all of them.
Current trend:
Wide leg or straight leg
Vintage inspired
Criteria:
100% cotton
Under $100
Straight, cigarette or wide leg
Good quality, can last for 2 - 3 years
Stats:
Weight: 121lb / 55kg (128lb/58kg on a bad day)
Height: 5’2 in / 158cm
Waist: 26 - 27in
Mango: Balloon Crop Jeans
Village / 26 / $41.99
Initial Thoughts:
The Balloon Crop jeans are probably my favorite from Mango. The cut and shape of the legs look amazing and they’re super minimal. The only thing I don’t really like is the raw hem. I have found that raw hem rips a bit quickly. Once I ripped my jeans by accidentally shoving my foot through the rip. That was pretty terrifying. I’m nervous for these but I think I can tailor them if this is the only issue since tailoring shape and waistband are harder than tailoring the cuffs. Push comes to shove, I’ll just roll them.
Pros:
Super easy to wear
Pocket design is super minimal
Super, super high waist
Great cut
Cons:
Raw hem
Rating: 9/10
Mango: Straight Fit Jeans
Light wash / 26 / $55.99
Initial Thoughts:
I never expected to find 100% denim jeans from Mango but I did… I really want to see how their denim compares to other brands. If they’re good, then the price is really reasonable. They’d be cheaper than the Levi’s and the Everlane ones when they’re on sale. I’m quite nervous about the brand because I’ve actually never bought anything from them. I know Levi’s jeans are good because of their reputation and I have first hand experience with Everlane and Zara. So these jeans will also make the first impression for their brand.
These jeans specifically have a buckle detail at the back and button detail at the front which I thought was super cute so I’m interested to see what they look like on. They also look really comfortable, like I would pop these on for a relaxed day. But idk. I’m looking for rigid denim so maybe these won’t be comfortable… I’m excited to try them.
Pros:
Looked cute on
Buttons were a cute detail
Material was really thick
Cons:
Super hard to wear
Buttons were not fit for the type/thickness of material
The belt loop area seemed like bad quality / elastic
Rating: 7/10
Mango: Straight High Waist Jeans - Gabriela
Gabriela / 26 / $55.99
Initial Thoughts:
So these are another pair that I found interesting on Mango. They look more wide leg than straight leg and they also look really comfortable. The color is super bright and very fit for summer. I think the wide legged area will be very suitable for summer since my legs will have space to breath and sweat. Is that TMI? They’re very simple and minimalistic so I’m pretty stoked about these.
Pros:
Wide leg
Super cute
Cons:
NONE
Rating: 10/10
Everlane: The Cheeky Straight Jean
Faded Indigo / 26 / $78
Initial Thoughts:
I bought these during the $50 sale. I really liked the cut of these jeans and I know Everlane’s quality is top-notch since I have so much of their stuff. Although these are not 100% cotton, the breakdown is 98% cotton and 2% elastane, I felt like there was no risk in buying them just to try them out. If they work, then that’s great since they’re $50 so the price is super reasonable. Also, shipping was free for 2 or more items. And I was super excited for the next pair of Everlane jeans.
Pros:
Loved the cut of the jeans
Loved the color
Cons:
Not 100% cotton, so could feel the difference
Rating: 7/10
Everlane: The 90’s Cheeky Straight Jean
Medium Blue / 25 Ankle / $78
Initial Thoughts:
I have been eyeing this pair of jeans for the longest time. I also got these in the $50 denim sale. I love the way they fit on the model and how the back pockets are very minimal. Their site also says that this is the heavy and rigid type? I’m not sure how different that is.
Pros:
Looked really good when on
Material was really good
Very slimming
Cons:
Not as high waisted as I wanted
Rating 8.5/10
Overall, I’m really surprised by the quality of the Mango jeans. After deliberating between the first and the third pair. I ended up keeping the third pair (Gabriela) since I really liked how they looked more like a wide leg on me.
I also really liked the feel of the 100% cotton in the 90s Cheeky’s from Everlane, but I liked the cut of the Levi’s more (I reviewed them here). Because of overchoice (having a difficult time making a decision when faced with too many options), I think I would’ve liked Everlane’s 90’s Cheeky’s if I didn’t try the Levi’s.
You can also watch my Youtube video here.
* All ratings are based on how well they fit my criteria and how I perceived they looked on me.
