Cotton Jeans Vs. Stretch Jeans

11 Reasons to Buy 100% Cotton Jeans


1. Cotton jeans don’t sag or bag out when you wear them.

Ever shimmied into flawlessly fitting skinny jeans only to feel dismayed two hours later when the jeans’ knees are punched out and baggy, the thighs are loose and the seat is droopy? Even spending several hundred dollars on stretchy designer skinny jeans doesn’t guarantee the elastane in your denim won’t give way after a couple of hours of wear. Jeans made of 100 percent cotton have no artificial stretch or give whatsoever. Cotton is such a sturdy fiber that it can’t be stretched or shaped beyond the limits of the flexibility of the wearer, so it molds to your body and then stops, creating a perfect, one-of-a-kind fit.

2. Cotton fibers don’t ‘die’ if you put them in the dryer.

If your jeans sag or bag out only slightly as you wear them, it’s sometimes possible to lessen the problem by washing and tumble drying them. This trick works because it essentially “kills” the elastic fibers in the jeans and decreases their stretchiness. It’s often worth the risk to try this on stretchy jeans that are unwearable otherwise, but before you decide to try it, know the jeans will lose their performance-fabric properties and will never feel or fit the same as when they were new. True lovers of denim will shudder at the thought of tossing their perfectly broken-in 100 percent cotton jeans in the dryer. But if you’re in a hurry, or your jeans fit a bit loosely and you wouldn’t mind them feeling a bit more snug, tumble drying cotton jeans won’t harm the denim fabric one bit.

3. Cotton smells better than synthetics.

Spandex, elastane, polyester, Lycra — these synthetic fibers tend to trap sweat and bacteria, and they are all commonly used to make stretchy jeans. Once bacteria take hold in the jeans fibers, they feed on fatty acids found in sweat and multiply. This can cause musty, ammonia-like odors in your clothes.

A study on the odor profile of polyester vs. cotton published in the Applied and Environmental Microbiology journal concluded that after just one workout session, clothing made with synthetic fibers smells significantly worse than 100 percent cotton clothes. While bacteria can collect on any variety of clothing, the type of bacteria that thrives in cotton isn’t the smelly kind. Unfortunately, the organisms that live in polyester — Micrococcus — just plain stink. The clothing made of manmade fibers in the study smelled noticeable more musty and sour. Because of the Micrococcus bacteria, jeans that contain synthetic fibers must be washed after every wear. If they’re not, the odor caused by the bacteria could become permanent. One hundred percent cotton jeans let you avoid this problem entirely.

4. The look is timeless.

Do you ever wax nostalgic over how gorgeous and stylish women were back in the day? You can channel the iconic personal style of fashion icons such as Marilyn Monroe, Faye Dunaway, Farah Fawcett, Brigitte Bardot, Jackie O, Jane Birkin and others right now just by ditching your legging jeans in favor of rigid, 100 percent cotton denim. Trust us, you’ll look like Betty Grable in the ’40s and stand out from the sea of copycats just by daring to wear perfectly fitting jeans in a natural fiber.

5. They conceal body ‘flaws’.

The rigid quality of 100 percent cotton jeans makes them the perfect antidote for the various lumps and bumps we all have going on underneath our clothes. From muffin tops to saddlebags, the tight hold of 100 percent cotton denim selected in a snug-fitting cut is perfect for smoothing and concealing problem areas.

6. They’re a good investment.

A really good pair of old-school jeans can stay with you for life — and get better with age. The price of a vintage pair of Levi’s 501 or 505 jeans can run as much as $400 to $500, depending on condition and style. What does a used pair of graying, elastane-laced skinny jeans fetch in today’s market? Nothing. One hundred percent cotton jeans take a while to become “good” (i.e., broken-in, frayed or faded), so they actually increase in value the longer you wear them. Jeans made with synthetic fibers are kind of like cars — the moment they leave the store their value starts to depreciate.

7. All today’s fashion ‘it’ girls are wearing them.

British Vogue has called time on ultra-stretch “jeans,” and sighting after sighting of fashion influencers like Gigi and Bella Hadid, Alexa Chung and others keeps driving home the message that if you’re cool, you’re wearing old-school rigid denim.

8. They’re the tightest jeans going.

This is completely a matter of personal preference. But if you like your jeans to feel tight — or rigid, or crunchy, or stiff — 100 percent cotton jeans are the ticket. Not only do they feel tight and hold you in, but they stay that way for a long, long time. Because they don’t trap bacteria that cause odors (see number 8 on this list), they don’t require frequent washing, which lets you buy them skintight without fear of shrinkage.

9. They promote a perky derriere.

The zero-give nature of 100 hundred percent cotton works gangbusters for shaping a nice behind and holding it up for hours and hours on end. Furthermore, the stiffness of rigid cotton denim worn in a tight-fitting jean even affects how you move and walk, lending your gait a twisty, look-at-me quality that is also quite nice for drawing attention to one’s rear end.

10. Stretchy jeans are not actually jeans — they’re leggings.

This is a bold truth that may require some thought for it to sink in. Let’s say it again: stretchy jeans are actually leggings. We’ve been calling them jeans for over a decade, but all the qualities we associate with classic jeans (you know, the pants Levi Strauss invented for gold miners back in 1873) involve strength, durability, toughness and rigidity. True jeans are tough. They are not soft and stretchy. It’s time to get back to basics.

11. Pure cotton jeans are the safer choice for air travel.

Experts on air travel safety caution that synthetic fibers should be avoided at all cost because they are flammable. Sticking to natural fiber clothing and footwear is the safest option in case of an emergency. This means stretchy jeans could physically harm you, while 100 percent cotton will definitely not. To make wearing rigid jeans on a plane more comfortable, check out wide leg jeans in 100% cotton.

100 Percent Cotton Jeans 11 Reasons to Buy Cotton Jeans