ZARA Jeans: How Do They Compare?

How do ZARA jeans compare to the jeans offered by other high-end European consumer lines available at retail stores in the United States? Compared to Diesel, which is well-known for its pricy Italian-made jeans, I find ZARA's current lineup to be pretty competitive.

The dark blue and black denim varieties at ZARA run for around $79.90 (before taxes), which is a little more than half the price of your typical pair of Diesel jeans (which usually start at $150 before any discounts or promotions).

I find ZARA's cut to be a little looser, and "baggier" by comparison to the extremely tight cut that Diesel favors. Despite this, the jeans still look European chic on the typical male, especially if you tend to be tall and skinny-you will look good in these jeans. The back profile is a little bland; a simple dark colored stripe decorates each back pocket, but aside from that it is pretty nondescript.

So Diesel definitely wins out in that regard, but I think the lower price point and nice feel of the fabric make ZARA highly competitive. The jeans also feel thick and durable, unlike many low-end American brands (the sorts of jeans you buy at Urban Outfitters for $40 or $50-these tend to wear out quickly and develop holes).

I think ZARA's strength still lies in its ability to create great-fitting and very competitively priced men's dress shirts-this is the main reason why I started shopping at some of their Manhattan locations. For around $65, you can find a shirt that appears to be "custom tailored"-the shirts fit as well on me as many Ralph Lauren custom shirts, which tend to be much more expensive.

How do ZARA jeans compare to middle-of-the-road and higher-end American jeans? I think the best company to compare with here is, of course, Levi's. I personally don't like much of Levi's current lineup-their women's jeans are okay, but for men (especially cosmopolitan men in New York or Chicago), wearing a pair of Levi's denim feels a bit antiquated-their cuts are still way too wide and reminiscent of what may have been cool in the mid-1980s. I think this is why so many men, even guys like me who don't obsess over fashion, are turning to the European brands for our jeans. Diesel, and to some extent ZARA, seem to intuitively understand that tight-fitting, neatly cut denim is here to stay for at least the next five years (if not longer). After the fashion atrocity that was late 90's "baggy jeans" and "relaxed fit" jeans from the Gap, tighter-fitting jeans are a natural response-a return to what looks good.