Best Jeans Under $100

This goes without saying, I’m a casual gal. I love a great pair of jeans and must have at least 20 pairs in my closet. While I’m a huge fan of premium denim (click here for blog post), there are plenty of brands that have amazing denim under $100. Today I am breaking down my favorites and giving you a list of must-have denim for your closet.

Denim is universal. Any age, demographic, ethnicity or gender can wear denim. Think about it – you probably remember buying a specific type of jean when you were a teenager. Not to date myself but my Gloria Vanderbilt and Jordache jeans were my favorites in high school. They were skin tight and I had to lay down on my bed to get them zipped up. Back in the 80’s, there wasn’t any lycra in denim. So there wasn’t any give – you just had to suck it in all day! Then I moved on to acid wash, high waisted jeans in college. I probably had on some scrunch socks and high-top Reeboks too. Oh, Lordy…  Funny to think that faded and acid washed denim is a trend again. Other styles like flare/bell bottom and high waisted “mom” jeans are also bringing back a flash of years passed. Go figure!

Like I mentioned, I have what some might say is too many jeans! But it’s actually important to curate a denim collection of different styles and washes. I’d recommend at least finding your perfect skinny, straight leg, boyfriend, and either bootcut or flare jean. Then make sure you own both full length and cropped, as different lengths work with different shoes. For instance, it can be difficult to stuff full length jeans into booties, so get a cropped or ankle length jean. Of course you can always roll them up but that ends up looking bulky on me oftentimes. You’ll also want different washes, so light wash, dark wash, black, and white jeans are all necessary. By the way, I am a HUGE fan of white jeans and wear them year-round. Once you have these classics, throw in fun colors, olive, or camo jeans too! Denim with embroidery, a little distressing, or even jeans with a cute tie waist like these are ideal to freshen up your jean selection.

I do have some favorite brands I wear that have great jeans under $100. Articles of Society, Topshop, Levi’s and Kut from the Kloth are a few that I wear and love. Their fit is really good! Some other ones that my assistant Ramsey loves are Everlane, Madewell, Reformation and Blank NYC. She loves these because they offer a mix of classic denim and fun, trendy styles too. I’ve rounded up all of our favorites below. These come in all kinds of washes, styles, and colors so you have plenty of choices.

Now, what denim brand was your favorite in high school?  xoxo – Tanya

photo: Audrie Dollins