Everlane ‘90s Cheeky Straight Jean Review

In the past year, I’ve really ignited my love of denim; it’s gone from being something I wear over the weekend on occasion, to a wardrobe staple I reach for a few times a week at least. The skinny jean has always been my comfort zone, but in the spirit of trying new things, I found myself experimenting more with styles. Boyfriend fit, kick flare, and straight leg… which brings me to the jeans I wanted to talk about today: the Everlane ‘90s Cheeky Straight Jean.

Wearing Uniqlo white shirt, Everlane ‘90s cheeky straight jean, Everlane editor flats, Everlane mid size tote (coming soon but this is an alternative), Reliquia earrings, Vrai&Oro necklace, Linjer watch

Given that Everlane’s original cheeky straight jean has been such a winner for me, I was really curious to see how their ‘90s take on the silhouette would fare by comparison. So, I decided I’d put them to the test, plus I’ve done a little side by side further down so you can see how they look next to my original pair.

QUICK FACTS

Price: $78USD
Available in three colours: Bone, Vintage Light Blue, and Medium Blue
Made in: Bien Hoa, Vietname
Fabric: 100% cotton
Care: Machine wash cold. Tumble dry low.

SIZE & FIT

SIZE: Buying denim online can be tricky, especially when sizing can to vary slightly from brand to brand, and across different styles. To play it safe, I always go with my usual size which is a 25 in jeans. For reference, this is also the same size that I have the original cheeky straight in as well, and it’s been what I’ve generally ordered in other denim styles from Everlane. Height-wise, I’m 172 or 5’8” tall, and I opt for the ankle length. I carry more of my height in my torso than in my legs, so I find that this is the perfect cropped length on me (which has the bonus of making me look taller, too).

FIT: The fit was the first thing that I noticed was slightly different to the original cheeky straight. The Everlane ‘90s Cheeky Straight Jean has more of a vintage fit, at least in the 25 on me. Overall there’s a lot more room to move; the fabric does skim over my hips the same way that the original style does, instead it has more of a ‘found these at my local thrift shop’ feel. There’s give around the waistband (possibly a full inch – I haven’t measured), and the legs seem to be slightly wider through the thigh. Where I’d say that the original cheeky has more of a tapered fit at the ankle, I think these looked like more of a true straight jean. Perhaps a consequence of these being a bit loose around the waist on me, I also found that they weren’t snug on my bum. So generally, the style has more of a relaxed fit, which makes me think that if you want these to be snug, then you may like to size down from your usual denim size.

QUALITY

FABRIC COMPOSITION: What got me really keen to try the Everlane ‘90s Cheeky Straight Jean was the fact that aside from the vintage feel, they’re composed of 100% cotton. It’s a rigid denim with no stretch. The denim itself has a nice thick weight (but not too thick, if you know what I mean), and it doesn’t feel particularly stiff. It has more of a lived in feel to the denim, which is comfortable against the skin, despite having no stretch. The one thing to be aware of with 100% cotton jeans, is that while they won’t expand, the denim will relax over time. They’ll soften, and mould to the contours of your body, it’s just more of a process than the instant gratification that elastane gives us.

COLOUR: The other thing I wanted to touch on briefly is the colour. I went with the ‘medium blue’, and in person, the blue is much more vibrant that it appears on the Everlane website (at least judging by my monitor). It’s a rich mid-blue denim that has a classic, vintage look to it.

FINAL VERDICT

There’s so many things I like about these jeans. Firstly, I think it’s worth noting that they don’t do quite the same things that the original cheeky straight do for my bum. Overall, these are a larger, more relaxed fit – at least in my usual size 25 – which to me have a vintage-feeling silhouette. Personally, I like the look, but I think if I were to get these in another colour, I’d probably size down to a 24 for a snug fit. However the upside to these being slightly large on me, is that I’ve had no issues with the fabric digging in (which can sometimes be a complaint with rigid denim), and they’re comfortable enough to wear lounging around on the couch, legs sprawled out.

I mentioned this earlier, but the Everlane ‘90s Cheeky Straight Jean has more of a traditional straight cut through the leg. While they aren’t quite as tapered at the ankle as the original cheeky’s, the cut is still much more narrow than my Levi’s wedgie straight, a style I use as a barometer for fit.

The quality of the denim is beautiful. It feels more expensive that its $78USD price tag. The texture isn’t rough at all; they feel smooth and incredibly soft – something you’re probably going to want given that they don’t have any stretch.

I will say that styling wise, I’ve found these a touch tricky to wear. While I love the relaxed fit, I don’t really own any other ‘mom’ style jeans, and what I’ve quickly learned is that pairing them with the right shoes and top is essential. I always find myself falling back on the classics, and I have really loved how effortlessly they pair with a white shirt. It helps to elevate the relaxed nature of the jeans somewhat, and the pointed toe flat gave this outfit a dressy feel and helped to tie everything together.

Finally, I wanted to touch on the wash. I’m pretty fussy about the colour of my denim. Blues need to be very specific blues, and I find it really hard to come across a mid-blue wash done right. Everlane seem to have hit the nail on the head with the ‘medium blue’ wash, which is that perfect mid-blue rinse. Again, it definitely comes off a little more vibrant and rich in colour in person than it appears on the website, and I think I’ve captured the essence of the wash pretty well in the pics above.

Are you planning on trying the Everlane ‘90s Cheeky Straight Jean? x