The first thing that we’d ask for in late August for the beginning of a new school year seems to always be jeans. JEANS on jeans on jeans. Abercrombie, American Eagle, and Hollister thrive off of the new high schoolers and the kids about to go off to college searching for jeans. If you have just outgrown your other pairs or just need that fresh Abercrombie smell, all that matters is that you need more. I’m not sure if it’s the spray bottle of cologne they use to douse the denim that draws people in and causes a craving or if it’s just the feeling of new jeans on your bodies that does it. Either way, I have been susceptible to the jean craze for as long as I can remember… until now. Parents, girls and boys, I have a solution for you. I call it the three prong attack. I, like many of you, had tons of jeans that accumulated and ended up at Goodwill and the Salvation Army by the time I was in my sophomore year of college. Now, in the wake of it all, I was desperate and looking for an alternative. Well, here it is.

The three prong attack has to do with the basics. It’s all about basic. Besides, you know you’ll be wearing leggings half the time anyway, why kid yourself?

Number one on the three prong attack: Darkwash

Find a pair of darkwash denim that is limited in fading and almost dark enough to be black. I’m talking a deep, deep ocean blue here people. These will carry you through dinner parties to out with friends to rushing to work and throwing on a white tee and vans for school.

Now, the real question comes as to if you should get high-waisted, mid-rise, or low-rise. If you’re into crop tops on weekends or even just want some extra coverage in the mid-section I would suggest a high-waist. High-waist you can cover up with flowy shirts during the week and they can even act like a pair of spanx. If you can find a pair of mid-rise, which is hard to do and you’d probably have to spend more, I’d do it. These can still give you crop top time while showing less than you would with low-rise and are not up to your chest for during the week. And low-rise is for the risky crop toppers and the ones who are going more casual for a dark wash.

Either way, choose one that you feel more comfortable in and utilize them for these occasions. The real trick is to only get one trusty pair, they will be your buddy for all occasions. SAVE SOME MOOLA. Chances are if you’re a parent your child will grow out of them anyway.

Part two of the three prong attack: Medium Wash

This jean is the trickiest of them all. Finding a good medium wash is like the holy grail of denim. It is almost impossible to see which wash will go with more things and which ones are edging into dark and light territory. Especially with the stores that dim their lights so much… like aren’t you supposed to be beach themed anyways? I still have not quite found the pair of my jean dreams, but I have come very close. My recommendation for this is stick to mid-rise or low-rise, and find jeans that have less of a grey hue and more of a navy hue. Bright blue mixed in wouldn’t hurt either. Don’t go too blue, but don’t go too close to light wash or grey denim either. And stay away from too much fading, because you’ll get sick of them. Now, this attack has nothing to do with ripped denim. If you want a pair of those, then that will be a splurge and decision you’ll have to make on your own. Personally, I don’t think they are a necessity, but I do have a few pairs and filter them in and out each season.

Part three of the three prong attack: Light-wash

Ahhhh the light wash. Perfect for all season… if done just right. They are not as finicky as medium wash, but can be troublemakers. If you go too light, they’ll end up looking like white jeans or really bleached. And if you go too dark, you’ll end up with a bleached medium wash. No one wants these examples to be a part of their jean triangle. The perfect pair of light-wash has a good amount of fading all over and not in secluded areas, while having a doused baby blue. You can either buy an all light wash, no fading pair, or a pair with baby blue fading. Either way, you can’t go wrong. Also, a little distressed on the jean is a definite plus. Because light-wash are already so casual, you might as well buy a pair that looks like they were from the 70’s and you made them your own. I also recommend for the light wash to either stick to mid-rise or low-rise. And definitely as skinny/slim as you can get.

Now you’re probably wondering- what about cropped jeans? or flared jeans? or wide-leg jeans? Or boyfriend jeans? or girlfriend jeans? Those are all extra jeans that can pile up in your closet if you so choose! But, the basic jean necessities in my opinion are the ones listed above.

Good luck and good hunting.