17 Men’s Light Wash Jeans 2023: Top-Notch Denim From Corridor, Levi’s, and Our Legacy

The best men’s light wash jeans are more than just an easy way to make everything you wear look a little more artful: during the dog days of winter, they should also protect your gams from the worst of what Mother Nature has in store. We’ve been on something of a denim kick here at GQ Recommends—last week, we broke down the equation to live by when you have zero clue what to wear (blue jeans + black boots = big fit), and the week before we hailed the long-awaited return of raw denim, the very #menswear-y fabric that’s coming back in a bolder, brasher way in 2023.

So this week, it only seemed fair to spotlight yet another grip of top-notch dungarees—and they just might be our favorite of the bunch. The beauty of jeans that have been faded, whiskered, and sanded to a fine blue hue is twofold. For one, they’re jeans (obviously) so there’s no shortage of ways to style them. You can throw them on with a splashy puffer jacket and hiking boots à la Frank Ocean in the fashion week fit shared ’round the world, or dress ’em up with a slouchy black blazer and chunky derbies when the occasion requires a smidge more decorum. But the second factor is crucial, especially right now. Light wash jeans might look daintier than their dark indigo counterparts, but they’re still made out of denim, the beefy, brawny material prized for its unbeatable durability and hard-wearing nature.

So if you’ve been searching high and low for the appropriate pair of pants to conjure a little of spring’s easy-livin’ high (without, y’know, exposing your legs to frostbite), look no further. We went deep on the raddest men’s light wash jeans available at this very second—from can’t-miss straight-fit joints to wild-style versions positively Davidsonian in proportion—that’ll have you feeling like you’re lounging in a field of daisies the next time the windchill makes you curse your zip code.