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While slim-straight and, um, straight-straight jeans will always be the all-stars of a sensible denim lineup, counting out the bootcut as a solid bench player is becoming harder every day. (We did warn you.) But the bootcut jeans we’re talking about here aren’t the ultra-baggy joints you remember from your angst-filled youth; instead, they draw inspiration directly from the originals—you know, the ones invented specifically for wearing over a pair of sturdy cowboy stompers.
In 2022, there are more ways than one to get your hindquarters into some quality bootcut denim. There are the requisite designer versions, crafted from premium selvedge and hand-distressed with care, but expectedly, those will cost you. So if you’re looking for a budget (but just as yeehaw-ready) alternative, the more affordable stalwarts of the genre have your back. The Wrangler Cowboy Cut jeans, a chiller relative of the brand’s GQ-approved cousin—are about as authentic as it gets, and they cost less than 30 bucks.
Wrangler’s been outfitting real-word ranch hands since the ‘40s, and since then, its jeans not only set the standard, but set themselves apart from a large swath of the competition thanks to a few key details: stiff, 100% cotton denim (no stretch here!); strategically-positioned back pockets (for mid-horse riding access); and a tasteful, gentle flare. It’s only recently, though, that Wrangler’s jeans have caught on in some unlikely places, cropping up on corners of the internet frequented by menswear obsessives with a knack for spotting good deals.
Albert Muzquiz, a self-professed denim nut with an audience on TikTok nearly 250,000 strong, has sworn by the Cowboy Cut for years. He chalks up their appeal to the fact that they’ve remained relatively the same in terms of fit—a mild bootcut with a flatteringly high rise—since they first debuted. “The cut really hasn’t changed since the ‘40s,” Muzquiz points out, also noting that in today's pre-distressed and stretch-centric market, “they’re one of the only affordable raw denim options out there.”
For 30 bucks, you’re not getting the kind of quality you expect from more premium counterparts, and sizing can be inconsistent. (The Wrangler Cowboy Cut jeans tend to run small, Muzquiz says, so double-check your measurements accordingly or scoop a few and return the ones that don’t quite work.) But if you’re jonesing to score a pair of raw jeans in an extremely right-now silhouette, you won’t find a better option anywhere on the market. Whether you earn your fades tending cattle or simply chasing fit pic virality is, of course, entirely up to you.