A jean cut by a tailoring house, and that is the whole point of it. The rise sits a touch higher than most, above the hip rather than on it, so a tucked oxford and a sport coat land where they should. Room through the thigh, a gentle taper below the knee. When a customer wants denim that works with the rest of what he buys from us, this is the pair we hand him.
Michael Drake started the house in London's East End in 1977 making scarves and ties for the tailoring trade, and the denim still carries that lineage: it is drafted with the proportions of a trouser. The cloth is a 14.2 oz selvedge woven on shuttle looms in Okayama, the home of Japan's denim trade, and dyed with natural indigo. Heavy enough to fade properly and hold a crease behind the knee, without the plank stiffness of a raw pair. Sewn in Portugal, rinsed once at the factory to soften the hand and set the dye, then finished with copper rivets, hidden rivets under the back pockets so they will not mark a chair, and slanted front pockets borrowed from a trouser.
Buy your usual waist size. These are pre-washed, so the size on the label is the size you keep; a cold wash may tighten the waist for the first hour of wear, then it settles back. The inseam comes at about 32" (81 cm), which most men can wear as is, and we hem in store if you want a cleaner break.
Indigo rinse is the one to start with. Dark, even, and yours to fade. A shetland and suede boots now, a linen shirt in June.