13 Best White Jeans for Men in 2026, According to GQ Editors

The best white jeans for men look great year-round, despite what you've heard about the post-Labor Day fashion fallacy. Sure, the style's natural territory is the summer, but an added stylistic element of white denim is their ability to seamlessly balance between preppy, minimalist, Euro- and rockstar-coded, all at once. We wouldn't replace our blue jeans outright, but what we're saying is that a good pair of white jeans is well worth having in your fashion arsenal, regardless of the season.Wherever and whenever you plan to wear your white jeans, the key to nailing the look is three-fold. First, you need to pick the right pair with the right cut, that also suits your body shape. Second, you need to avoid ketchup, merlot, and mud splatters like the plague (unless you’re going for the scuffed-up, worn-in, Paul-Newman-on-a-dirt-bike vibe). And third, you need to wear them with a wardrobe-load of confidence. Below, our favorite pairs to help you achieve all three.The Best OverallLevi's 501 Original Fit Men's JeansRead moreThe Best BudgetWrangler Cowboy Cut Original Fit JeanRead moreThe Best BaggyAbercrombie & Fitch Baggy JeanRead moreBest Slim-StraightSid Mashburn Slim Straight JeanRead moreBest for DenimheadsSugar Cane 1947 JeanRead moreBest White Jeans Overall: Levi’s 501 Original Fit JeansLevi's501 Original Fit Men's JeansProsClassic, timeless silhouetteSolid denim fabricUnbeatable valueConsPure white might be a lil’ scaryIn the end, the best blue jeans also turned out to be the best white jeans. You’re probably already familiar with the straight-but-not-baggy fit of the 501s in classic blue, but in white (or, in this case, more of an eggshell), they take on a whole new dimension, draping your legs like sculpted Swiss meringue. This softness means you can easily dress these up with a linen shirt or down with a faded, lived-in vintage T-shirt—the choice is yours.Best Bootcut White Jeans: Wrangler Cowboy Cut Original Fit JeansWranglerCowboy Cut Original Fit JeanProsMajor valueSharp cutUnimpeachable design historyWide range of sizesConsNo soft-white optionYou’d need to have been living under an anti-fashion force field to miss Kendrick Lamar wearing a pair of flared Celine jeans at the Super Bowl. If his Marcos are out of your budget and you’re more of a white denim guy (which you probably are if you’ve read this far), give the style a go at Wrangler. The heritage American brand’s Cowboy Cut jeans strike a strong balance between testosterone-charged, ranch-ready style and a polished, espadrilles-in-the-Hamptons aesthetic.Best Baggy White Jeans: Abercrombie & Fitch Baggy JeanAbercrombie & FitchBaggy JeanProsSurprisingly dense denimOn-trend fitSlight off-white tone isn't blindingConsSomewhat flimsy pocket bagsAbercrombie & Fitch is one of the top mall brands out right now, which means you really should be considering the Moose's line of jeans. We're consistently impressed with the quality of the denim, especially compared to the competition of mall brands in A&F's orbit. The denim is hefty and feels considerably more expensive than you'd expect, and the fit is spot on for a baggy jean, which is much more than just making the jean bigger. There are baggier jeans out there, even within Abercrombie's own lineup, but we like this version which strikes a better balance than other baggy white jeans we've tried.Best Slim-Straight White Jeans: Sid Mashburn Slim Straight JeansSid MashburnSlim Straight JeanProsSoft Cone Mills denimHandsome, slightly faded natural colorRoomy in the thigh, tapered from the knee downConsNot many! The lower rise, perhapsA wider cut may be having its moment, but it’s not for everyone. If you prefer a slim-straight fit (which is especially flattering on shorter, slighter frames) Sid Mashburn is your brand. Crafted in the USA from premium Cone Mills cotton denim, these jeans come in a versatile range of sizes and pair well with other tailored pieces. Think a crisp linen grandad shirt from Brunello Cucinelli, or a woven leather belt from Drake’s.Best Japanese White Jeans: Sugar Cane 1947 JeansJapanese denim is basically a worldwide phenomenon and a significant part of that is because of brands like Sugar Cane. Its most popular fit is based on a vintage pair of Levi's from 1947 and is cut into what many consider to be the ultimate straight-leg silhouette. From the natural mid rise to the straight hips and legs, the 1947 is a shape that made guys like James Dean and Marlon Brando style icons. Done in a unique selvedge denim that's woven with a white warp threads and natural, undyed cotton weft threads, the 1947 is an easy sell for anyone who finds stark white jeans, well… too stark.More White Jeans We LoveUniqloStraight JeansMade in collaboration with Jonathan Anderson, Uniqlo's popular jeans now come in a natural cotton colorway. The fabric is lighter than others on this list, which may seem like a bad thing at first, but that's what makes them perfect for the summer heat.Banana RepublicLoose JeanBanana Republic's jeans may be cut into a loose fit, but they're far from messy. In fact, these offer a crisp, streamlined silhouette that would fit right at home with other designers in the quiet luxury space.Fullcount0105EC Straight-Leg Selvedge JeansWhile it's hard to go awry with most Japanese denim, it's basically impossible with Fullcount. As one of the so-called Osaka 5, the OG's of the Japanese denim revolution, they've entered heritage territory. This ecru version of its popular 105 fit features undyed cotton selvedge denim in a relaxed straight fit with vintage details that real heads will drool over.Rick OwensTemple Geth JeansRick Owens' Geth jeans are a must-have for any fans of the fashion prince of darkness. Rendered in this pure white denim, however, puts the inimitable designer in a new light that's no less mesmerizing.Acne Studios2021M Trafalgar Paint Splattered Flare JeansPlain white jeans can often lack the character that regular blue indigo jeans have. The solve? Add some subtle splotches of tonal paint.Our LegacyThird Cut Straight-Leg Distressed Printed JeansOur Legacy's digital denim has lit up the menswear sphere in recent years and this ultra-faded version takes blue jeans to their inevitable conclusion—without the rips and tears that would stop you from getting there.HusbandsFlared High-Waisted JeansThe Husbands’ high-waisted, flared white jeans are by far the most ‘look-at-me’ pair on this list, and all the more desirable for it. These aren’t denims meant to be paired with flannel shirts or schlumpy weekend knits, these are designed to be worn with the sharp-shouldered, cinch-waisted jackets and silky, syrupy night shirts that Husbands’ Parisian founder, Nicolas Gabard, has built his entire brand on. (Add Point-toe booties, in snakeskin, preferably, if you want to go full Gabard.)LemaireTwisted Belted PantsIf you're in the market for both a belt and a pair of perfectly-cut white jeans, Lemaire has you covered. These extra-long, twisted-seam jeans feature a built-in tonal waist fastener - c’est un genie, non? The curved leg shape and longer-than-usual inseam of these particular jeans results in a contemporary and capacious look, providing ample room for air to move around your calves as the weather heats up. Aka, everything you could want from a pair of white jeans.How We Test and Review ProductsStyle is subjective, we know—that’s the fun of it. But we’re serious about helping our audience get dressed. Whether it’s the best white sneakers, the flyest affordable suits, or the need-to-know menswear drops of the week, GQ Recommends’ perspective is built on years of hands-on experience, an insider awareness of what’s in and what’s next, and a mission to find the best version of everything out there, at every price point.Our staffers aren’t able to try on every single piece of clothing you read about on GQ.com (fashion moves fast these days), but we have an intimate knowledge of each brand’s strengths and know the hallmarks of quality clothing—from materials and sourcing, to craftsmanship, to sustainability efforts that aren’t just greenwashing. GQ Recommends heavily emphasizes our own editorial experience with those brands, how they make their clothes, and how those clothes have been reviewed by customers. Bottom line: GQ wouldn’t tell you to wear it if we wouldn’t.How We Make These PicksWe make every effort to cast as wide of a net as possible, with an eye on identifying the best options across three key categories: quality, fit, and price.To kick off the process, we enlist the GQ Recommends braintrust to vote on our contenders. Some of the folks involved have worked in retail, slinging clothes to the masses; others have toiled for small-batch menswear labels; all spend way too much time thinking about what hangs in their closets.We lean on that collective experience to guide our search, culling a mix of household names, indie favorites, and the artisanal imprints on the bleeding-edge of the genre. Then we narrow down the assortment to the picks that scored the highest across quality, fit, and price.Across the majority of our buying guides, our team boasts firsthand experience with the bulk of our selects, but a handful are totally new to us. So after several months of intense debate, we tally the votes, collate the anecdotal evidence, and emerge with a list of what we believe to be the absolute best of the category right now, from the tried-and-true stalwarts to the modern disruptors, the affordable beaters to the wildly expensive (but wildly worth-it) designer riffs.Whatever your preferences, whatever your style, there's bound to be a superlative version on this list for you. (Read more about GQ's testing process here.)