Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The waist on these "Mid Rise Classic Skinny" Levi's was higher than typical mid-rise jeans and they were overall baggy in the hips and thighs, felt awkward and uncomfortable and looked like jeans from another era -- and not in a good sort of "retro" way. So, I say beware any of the styles with "Classic" in the name. Consider the following a Levi's "meta" review and a bit of buying advice. I'm a Levi's longtimer. Been through some other phases, but have always come back to Levi's. However, as many reviewers note, Levi's fit and sizing seem to be all over the place now. I've tried on all sorts of styles, sizes, and colors from Amazon (13 pairs ordered and returned this round), from the Levi's website, at Levi's stores, Macy's, JC Penny, Kohl's, Target and Walmart. It seems that the way the jeans are named, the fit and the sizing vary depending on where you buy them. Some stores even have their own lines, like Walmart's "Signature" and Target's "Denizen". On top of that, jeans within the same style are made of varying material combinations (related, it seems, to the color) which impacts how each pair fits. And, I'm not sure about this, but it seems like all styles are made in various countries, and where a pair is made can create a variance in the fit and sizing. Overall, I think this has served to "water down" the Levi's brand and deter brand loyalty as, for me personally, I can no longer recommend them across the board without reservation. I recently discovered the "Jeans Guide" on the Levi's site which provides very specific details for each style including, not just a detailed description of the fit, but the exact inches of the waist height and leg openings ( (although only some of the many styles available in other stores and other websites are in the guide). By comparing the pairs I own and love to those, I was able to figure out generally what styles might suit me, but then what I ended up liking varied greatly depending on the material / color combination. In the end, I've done a whole lot of ordering, returning and trying on to get just one new pair of Levi's that I am reasonably happy with. So, my advice: if you're new to Levi's, if buying online, you probably want to buy pairs with free returns and, depending on how much you enjoy going to UPS drop-off centers, if you're really hankering for Levi's in particular, consider shopping in actual stores, old school style. If you're a longtime Levi's lover looking for a new pair, forget your love affair with styles (and even sizes) past and look closely at the specs for the pairs you're considering and then same as above: try them on in a store or buy online with free returns.