Wondering if pants from The Perfect Jean are as wildly comfortable as advertised? Check out my hands-on review to see if they’re right for you.
Industry disruption and democratizing good clothes are definitely common tactics in fashion these days. Coupled with this movement is the rise, or rebranding, of quiet, simple style — which is really just another coming of minimalism.
The Perfect Jean is all about both of those. And they’re one of a few that you may have seen during your social media scroll sessions (Another being Mugsy Jeans, which I also reviewed here).
Perfect Jean’s brand promise is simplicity, comfort, and affordable prices. If all of these truly hit their mark, what you have are accessible clothes that are stylish, easy to pair, giving you an overall better relationship with your closet and personal style.
I tried out a few pairs of pants and one pair of shorts. I’ll give you the detailed rundown on everything from the fit to the look. By the end of this, you’ll know whether or not this brand is for you.
The Perfect Jean: About the Brand
Founded by Zack Arnold and Ovadio Labaton, two men who worked in and around apparel, The Perfect Jean is focused on zero complexities, down-to-the-fundamentals jeans. They started the company in 2019 in New York City, rooted in an aversion to uncomfortable khakis.
Though there’s a major emphasis on a no-frills approach, The Perfect Jean vows to serve up pants that go above and beyond when it comes to what they do offer: Comfort and fit.
As such, their jeans are meant to be versatile, stretchy, easy to move around in, and affordable. They offer a wide range of colorways and fits, a few of which I try.
As a brand, The Perfect Jean strikes a fun and irreverent tone, their website copy often using expletives including in their tagline, “f#%k your khakis!”
My Build
I’m 5’7” and a half (easily 5’8″ and up in shoes), and 130lbs at my fittest. I have a 35” chest and wear XS tops. My waist is a size 28, but my equestrian thighs sometimes mean I have to size up for non-tailored, slim-fit pants.
Note: The model in the Blanco Pants photos is 6’2″, more legs than waist, and wears size 34 pants. He has a 42″ chest and weighs a pretty consistent 180 pounds, maybe a little more after a meal.
What I Ordered
As an experiment, I decided to get different fits and lengths just to get an idea of how they differed within this brand specifically.
With the Blancos (the white jean pants), I accidentally ordered a much bigger size, which ended up working out well. I managed to get a 6’2” volunteer to try them out for me, and it ended up proving a theory I had about the lengths, but we’ll get to that in the fit section.
So here’s what I got in the mail.
- Captain Pants (midnight blue), slim thick fit, 28 by 30
- Steel Pants, (faded black), slim fit, 28 by 28
- Blanco Jean Shorts, (white), 28
- Blanco Pants, (white), skinny fit, 34 by 34
Let’s start with the comfort and stretch factor, since that’s the main part of their brand promise.
Construction and Stretch
Immediately, let me say that The Perfect Jean gets an A+ when it comes to comfort and stretch. All of the pants, and the pair of shorts, did the exact same thing on both fronts, so I won’t bother breaking them off into sections.
They’re all made of the same magic formula, which includes 2% spandex, a standard and necessary amount for stretch jeans. However, beyond that, there’s also a touch of viscose, which adds to its breathability, and polyester, which holds it all together with its natural durability.
The website claims it has four-way stretch, and boy does it. I especially love the hyper-stretch midrise waist. This is pretty rare, even for stretch jeans, including comparable competitors in the same direct-to-consumer realm.
If you get the right waist size, you absolutely do not need a belt with these pants (or shorts).
Even though the skinny fit hugs your thighs tighter, it has no consequential effect on the stretch or comfort. I was able to run, kick, and literally play a soccer game in the park wearing the skinny-fit pants.
Even more, the added polyester did its job — no rips either. You can do squats in these. The stitching is good too, with no loose threads, and the hems are sewn into the interior before being fully fortified.
Even with the skinny jeans, I’m able to pull the fabric a good few inches above my leg, and it just snaps back into place, as tight as ever.
When I compare it to, say, the Mugsy Jeans pants, which I also loved, I’d say that since TPJ jeans are a touch thicker. On the other hand, Mugsy’s are ever just slightly stretchier. Honestly tough, it’s such a small, inconsequential difference since we’re comparing jeans and not athletic stretch pants or joggers here.
Still, I still love how The Perfect Jean incorporates a stretch waistband and slightly more substantial fabric. They’re a real pair of jeans with so much added mobility. So overall, that brand promise is met in full.
Colorways and Styling
Another pro for TPJ, is that their jeans come in several colorways, from dark blacks and charcoals, every shade of blue, all the way up to true whites.
The Captain
The Captain Pants are a midnight blue denim, which is essentially a classic indigo with subtle fades throughout. These fades are most prominent closer to the stitching, giving the entire garment an Americana look with a sophisticated twist.
Essentially, these pants go naturally with a lot of personal styles. You can wear it with a flannel for an outdoorsy aesthetic, or a utility shirt and work boots.
If you’re not a blue jeans guy, and you love dark colors, this shade is a good option on so many levels. They’re dark enough to take the place of fashion joggers paired with a fitted hoodie or to be worn with a blazer for that off-duty ‘80s sports agent look.
And since they’re basically just neutral indigo jeans, you can wear them with any t-shirt.
Steel
So, unlike the Captain, which I mentioned looks natural with most looks, the Steel adds a cool factor or a sense of sophistication depending on how you style it.
The Blanco
Whether it’s the shorts or the pants, the Blancos are a true white, meaning they’re definitely pretty bold and definitely “a look.” They’re my favorite since they’ve been perfect for the summer.
They have this warm-weather garden-party aesthetic or a Miami Art Basel look, depending on what you wear them with.
Some places I’ve worn my Blanco shorts include a beach party, a croquet charity event, several gallery openings in Palm Beach, and a boat party for my company.
They aren’t for everyone, but they’re perfect for those of you who have reason to sport white jeans or jean shorts. They give that dressy vibe, without the restriction of dress pants or non-stretch jeans.
My friend wore his white jeans with a dress shirt and a blue suit jacket for a garden party in East Hampton, and he absolutely looked the part.
As with any white pants, the only issue here is stains, but that’s a risk you take any time you wear white. Naturally, it’s not specific to the Blancos.
Fit
You can get the pants in four fits. From skinniest to least skinny, the cuts are skinny, slim, slim thick, and athletic. So they’re labeling their sizes in what seems to assume you’re looking for a relatively slim, but not necessarily skinny fit.
Of course, if you want a skinnier fit or a more regular fit, you can just figure out what you think would wear in a slim (again, not skinny) manner for you, then size up or down.
So for me, as a thin guy with a 28 waist, the slim is my “regular slim” while the slim thick serves as my straight-cut.
All of the pants and shorts have a midrise, which is what I like to call “the Goldilocks rise,” not too high or low, not too restrictive, and classic for men.
And even more, they have a wide range of waist sizes (28 to 48) and lengths (26 to 38). They’re catering to extremes on both ends, which I think is super thoughtful. It’s almost like trouser sizing.
Slim Thick
I got the Captains in the slim thick, 28 by 30. As an experiment, I decided to try a 30 length for this one, and a 28 length for the slim fit, which I’ll talk about next.
They fit great. I think I could’ve gotten cleaner lines if I had gotten the 28 length, but as far as how they serve as regular straight-cuts, They work perfectly.
The midrise is as fitted as ever, even beyond the slim cut, which is convenient. Again, none of these pants, as long as you have the right waist size, will ever need a belt.
Slim
I got the Steel pants in slim, 28 by 28. And, just as I think the slim thick would’ve given me cleaner lines if I went a shorter length, I conversely think I could’ve done the reverse with the slim.
Since they hug tighter, a 28 by 30 could give me the traditional single break option per pant leg.
However, even at this 28 length, I think they look timeless and flattering, even if the hems do ride up when I go up and down the stairs. Of course, I can always cuff them too.
I just think that the longer length would give me more options regarding how to wear them.
Skinny
My tall-guy volunteer got the skinny fit, with a size 34 waist and a 34 length. He’s 6’2” and has long legs, and weighs 180 pounds.
Just as I did with my smaller and shorter pants, he enjoyed the snug-ish, but not tight fit around the thighs. And just like with my pants, he had a full range of movement with these, allowing him to jump, squat, and all of the above.
I will say that this skinny/long version fits him similar to how my slim/shorter version fit me, except he had a slight break by the ankle area.
It didn’t look sloppy since the cut was so thin, but they made the entire pants look like they might be a slim fit that just accentuated his legs in a flattering way.
So here’s a fun trick for people with extra thin legs. Go for a skinny fit with TPJ pants, but go long enough that you get that extra slight fold near the hem.
Then, your pants will portray a more classic fit without making it look like you needed to go the extra skinny route, since skinny jeans don’t typically have a break.
Blanco Jorts Fit
I got the Blanco jorts in my 28 waist size, with a 20-inch inseam, which is the only option they have for shorts.
This is absolutely no problem for me. They fit tighter around my upper thigh than they do towards my knee, which they stop just short of.
The leg hole seems wider, just because, unlike the pants, nothing goes past the thigh holding the drape down. I like the fact you have the option to wear them wider (though they’re hardly wide) like tennis shorts, but can also roll them up once or twice if you want a beachy look.
Conclusion: Who The Perfect Jean is For (And Who it isn’t for)
The truth is when it comes to what The Perfect Jean offers, and I don’t say this lightly, they pretty much hit their brand promises out of the park.
The price is good (less than $100 at the time of this writing for a pair of Blanco jeans), the stretch is excellent and super impressive, and the wide range of colorways, lengths, and waist sizes adds a level of customization.
They’re also slightly thicker than Mugsy Jeans, which gives them a year-round factor.
If you prefer super thick pants, say like the Naked & Famous 32-oz-to-40-oz jeans, then, of course, TPJ isn’t for you. Their pants aren’t that true robust workwear that has that strong, textured feel and substantial break-in period.
I imagine though, that you wouldn’t be looking to stretch denim companies if that was your preference.
Though I will say that their athletic fit, darker jeans look the part, even if they don’t feel the part. At the very least, even if you fall into this category, you might consider dark TPJ pants for hotter months.
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