Product Review: Elwood Men's Straight Jeans

Elwood Men's straight-cut jeans are a cut above the rest in terms of denim; Elwood Straight Jazz, Straight Blues, and Straight Gospel were all-star jeans in 2005. But some are still floating around on www.overstock.com for far below the average price of any pant.

The Straight Blues jean features a unique dye-job that gives it an extra sheen. The sanding: vertical, to create an attractive length to the straight-cut legs. Other features include 5-button fly, contrast [yellow] stitching, classic 5-pocket design, and downright ruggedness-these jeans can take a serious beating. Unfortunately, this style has sold out worldwide (it's made in Hong Kong); it was the darkest of the Elwood Straight series and contained arguably the greatest contrast between its sanding and dying.

Yet another version of the Elwood Straight series has nearly the exact same finish-the Straight Jazz jean. It's barely a shade of blue different from the Straight Blues, but there's another difference: the price. Whereas the Straight Blues jean never appeared online for less than $70, the straight jazz jean is currently online (unfortunately in size 28x32 only) for $18.99. Although, if anyone really wants to get their hands on a pair, eBay sometimes shows a pair popping up now and again.

Still, hope remains a light at the end of the tunnel for the Elwood straight-cut jeans. Although the jean is likely to go discontinued-www.elwoodclothing.com, the official site of the clothing company, offers absolutely no insight into what is ever going on regarding upcoming releases and/or how to obtain current products-a choice few pairs are still floating out there in a range that goes beyond the too-slim 28x32. That's right; access to the last few relics of the Elwood Straight series remains.

These aforementioned relics can still be found at www.overstock.com; the nearly unobtainable Elwood Straight Blues (I only saw them on a website in Japan for something like $150 + s&h) can be bought for $28.99. They're mislabeled 'Elwood Men's Faded True Indigo Jeans,' although their physical tags read, of course, 'Elwood Straight Blues.' Sizes available from overstock.com: 28x32; 30x32; 35x32; 38x32. I usually wear around a 33, so I was disappointed to settle for a 35 waist. I was, however, pleased to find that a 35 fit me perfectly; evidently these jeans were either irregular or a bit tighter fitting than the other two previously mentioned Elwood Straight jeans. Eureka! The search for some of the best jeans ever ends here! Now, let's hope that more of these jeans are produced in the near future.