There’s rarely a ton of overlap between the worlds of stretch denim and high-end clothing. Quality jeans are often made entirely of cotton because it is more durable, retains its shape well, and tends to age a little more gracefully. Stretch denim, by contrast, is a thing that exists almost exclusively in the realm of fast fashion, usually blended with significant amounts of polyester or rayon.
Although elastane can make jeans more comfortable, too much of it can have major drawbacks. “We primarily looked at denim with minimal to no stretch,” said Zoe Vanderweide, senior staff writer and editor of Wirecutter’s guide to the best men’s jeans. “We tended to stay away from blends with more than 2%, because when you add more elastane to the twill … you run into durability issues.” Stretch denim also has a tendency to bag out, and to restore its shape, it can require frequent trips through the dryer (which can further reduce the garment’s lifespan).
The typical weight of raw denim is somewhere in the neighborhood of 12 to 14 ounces per square yard. Dearborn Denim’s stretch jeans are a lighter-weight, 10-ounce tri-blend denim made of cotton, polyester, and 1% to 2% elastane (depending on the model).
Dearborn Denim jeans have roughly the same amount of stretch as Wirecutter’s picks from Levi’s, Uniqlo, and Buck Mason, but Dearborn Denim’s jeans have polyester in the blend. I wasn’t able to confirm this with the brand, yet I suspect this helps keep the fabric from feeling slouchy and verging into jeggings territory, while offering the denim a little additional flex.
The result is something that is pleasantly starchy and robust, with a feel that’s a cut above that of similarly priced jeans.
After a month of daily wear, the Dearborn Denim jeans still look new, and they don’t show any of the more-irritating qualities typical of stretch jeans: The knees haven’t bagged out, the waist hasn’t permanently expanded by 2 inches, and the fabric hasn’t snagged or been worn thin by my keys. (When I tested Uniqlo’s ultra-stretch denim jeans, they managed to develop a key hole in a record-breaking two weeks.)
Stretch denim can also have a terrible habit of flexing beyond the capacity of the threads holding the jeans together, and that can lead to busted stitches, especially at the cuff. I haven’t experienced this issue, either.
Dearborn Denim’s jeans aren’t intended to mimic the rigidity of raw denim pairs, however. And while I’ve found them to be more durable than other stretchy jeans I’ve tried, these jeans are also decidedly lightweight denim. If you’re looking for jeans that will provide years of hard wear and a slow-fading patina, the Dearborn Denim pair may not live up to your expectations.
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