There’s something poetic about Kendrick Lamar choosing this particular moment to resurrect the flared jean. While Drake stewed and the Chiefs fumbled, there he was—all $1,200 worth of Celine bootcut denim billowing across the Superdome stage, a fashionable “F-U” to a decade of skinny jean fits and shapeless streetwear.
Denim’s journey from Levi Strauss’s riveted workpants to today’s designer statements reads like fashion’s fever dream. We survived the bell-bottom revolution, weathered the JNCO storm, lived through acid wash and watched the Canadian tuxedo cycle from ironic to iconic and back again. Now in 2025, we’ve emerged into something we’re even missing in our government: a true (denim) democracy.
This is what makes the current moment fascinating. A tech CEO can rock raw Japanese selvedge in a board meeting while construction workers swear by their Wranglers and art directors experiment with pleated Wooyoungmi. The old rules about what constitutes “proper” denim have evaporated. What matters now is intention—understanding how different cuts serve different purposes and knowing which silhouette speaks to your personal style.
The right pair of men’s jeans isn’t about price tags or designer labels. It’s about finding that sweet spot where comfort meets intention, where personal style meets practicality. Good denim, like good whiskey, improves with age. It develops character, tells stories and maps the contours of your life in fades and creases. After all, if Kendrick taught us anything on Super Bowl Sunday night, it’s that sometimes, the best statement is the one you wear.
Whether you’re considering art-house takes on workwear or utilitarian streetwear takeovers, today’s denim landscape offers unprecedented choice. The only real mistake? Playing it too safe.
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