Even the President Shouldn’t Wear Dad Jeans

In this day and age of Mad Men-inspired dandy tailoring, even the Commander in Chief gets called out for his Dad jeans. Young men are stepping up and dressing up while men 45-and-older continue to opt for more, um, casual and comfy duds.

A recent New York Times article delves into this very phenomenon that is attributed to young men “paying attention to authenticity or quality, and to whether something is organic or local. They stand for a rejection of the idea that all consumer goods are ephemeral and inevitably made in China and bought at Wal-Mart.”

That is all fine and good and may even be at the heart of what some guys are thinking when they opt for a tailored suit versus “comfier,” baggier jeans. Or, it could simply be a progression of the “metrosexual” movement that took hold in the early 2000s, used as a way to describe men who basically took care of their personal hygiene and general appearance. I like to think that finally, guys are realizing that being comfortable doesn’t always have to trump looking sharp and pulled together.

Plus, I don’t think the two are mutually exclusive. Case in point, Obama’s jeans don’t have to be tight to work. They could have just had a straight-leg, relaxed fit in a dark wash instead of a billowing sort of balloon shape in a light wash…cinched with a belt. Guaranteed his comfort level would not have been disturbed and it just would have given his weekend look a bit more polish.

So, my challenge for the new year, dads? To prove to you that jeans that fit your waist, backside and legs can actually look and feel good.