Agolde started in Los Angeles in 1993 as A. Gold E., founded by the Italian denim veteran Adriano Goldschmied and the retailer Ron Herman. It was relaunched in 2014 by Jerome Dahan, a co-founder of Citizens of Humanity, and the jeans are still the reason to know the name, so this edit starts with more than forty pairs.

 

This first grid is rigid denim, the stiff, unwashed feeling cotton the brand is known for, in nearly every leg shape. The straight legs are the Morgan, the Ren, the Lana in two rises, the Harper and the Big Cuff, which has a deep turn up at the hem. The loose ones are the Elson, the Vintage Loose and the Rigid Low-Rise Loose. The Arc is the bow leg, curved through the knee, and it comes here as a mid rise, a classic bow and a wide leg, with a Ren wide leg and the Ritmo trouser jean beside it. The 90s Pinch Waist is the one I would start with if you have never worn the brand, high on the waist and straight through the leg, and there is a cropped version too. The 80's and the Nate are tapered, and the Low Curve and Reena round it out.

 

My test with rigid denim: buy the pair that is snug but buttons without a fight. Rigid cotton gives about half a size with wear and will not spring back.

 

What I would skip: sizing down in the Arc. The curve only works if the leg has room.

The second grid is the wider and more relaxed side of the denim, with lighter washes, a corduroy and a few straight legs in colours the first grid does not have.

 

The baggy shapes are the Low Slung Baggy in two versions and the new Rounded Baggy, which is fuller through the hip. The Ren wide leg comes long, cropped, standard and in corduroy, and the Low Curve comes full length and cropped. The Luna Pieced, the Laria Pieced and the Spiral are the barrel legs, the shape that curves out at the knee and back in at the ankle, and the pieced ones are cut from panels you can see. The two Maria McManus collaboration jeans, the Corset Wide Leg and the Trouser Wide Leg, are the most designed pairs in the edit. The Arc and the Arc Criss Cross are the bow legs, the Lyndon comes as a jean and a pant, and the Lana, the Kelly, the 90's, the 80's and the Riley crop are the straighter pairs. The Rigid Low-Rise Flared-Leg in black is the only flare, and the one I would wear over a heeled boot. I went deeper on a related idea in Barrel Jeans Are The Denim Shape Everyone's Wearing.

 

A pairing tip: a barrel or baggy jean wants a fitted top and a slim shoe, a ballet flat or a pointed boot, so the volume stays in the leg.

 

What I would skip: a cropped wide leg with a chunky trainer. It cuts the leg twice.

The tops are cut to sit with high rise jeans, which is the whole point of buying them from a denim brand: they end at the waistband or tuck in without bulk.

 

The Adine Shrunken Tee and the Long Line Adine are the basics, and the Poppy tanks come in cotton blend and shrunken jersey. The Lupin, Agata and Maria are bodysuits, which tuck into rigid denim without bunching. The Pascale is a jersey turtleneck, the Theodore a ruched jersey tank, and the Kembra top and the Ester Twist tank are the more designed pieces. The Gwynne denim tube top, the Corbin denim top and the Lotta long sleeve denim shirt let you wear denim on denim. For something with a collar there is the Sona shirt, the Theo striped poplin, the Amica zip polo and the Amos polo, and the Jenning turtleneck sweatshirt is the cold weather one. The Aris is a felted wool shirt, the Souline a cotton tee, and the Carlin comes as a jersey top and an off the shoulder tank, with the Saige ribbed tee as the plainest of all.

 

A pairing tip: with a high rise jean, choose a top that ends at the waistband or tucks in cleanly. A long tee over a high rise hides the best part of the cut.

 

What I would skip: a denim top with a jean in a different wash. Match the wash or go far apart, never almost.

The trousers and shorts use the same cuts as the jeans in other cloths, which makes them easy to buy if you already know your size in the denim.

 

The Vintage Loose comes in corduroy, and the Low Curve and the Ren have corduroy wide legs too. The Lana comes in leather, the Verica is a faux leather wide leg, and the Arc leather blend pant gives the bow leg in a softer material. The Sathia is a felted wool wide leg pant, the Luna a twill trouser with a tapered leg, the Ambika Utility a cotton sateen barrel leg with pockets, and the Rounded Baggy pant is the denim shape in a softer fabric. The shorts are the summer half: the 80's denim gaucho, the Leith, the Parker long short, the Ramona, the Stella, the Rhode, the Nye, the Dame and the Rhoda, plus the Lydia drawstring short in cotton. If you want to keep going, Barrel Jeans: The Shape Explained is the one I would read next.

 

A pairing tip: the leather and wool pants want the same tops you would wear with jeans, a tee or a fine knit, which keeps them from looking too precious.

 

What I would skip: long denim shorts with a long top. One of the two should be short.

The jackets and leather pieces are where the brand looks most like a fashion label rather than a denim one, and they are still cut with a jean's practicality.

 

The Nahla comes as a cropped suede jacket and a cropped leather blend jacket in burgundy, and the Blair is a longer suede jacket in brown. The Raffi and the Aston are bombers, the Aston in recycled leather blend. The Palmer and the Aubrey are cotton jackets, the Coulson is a half zip shell, the Nile is the classic denim jacket, and the Lydia jacket is white cotton, a good spring layer. The Maria McManus collaboration adds an oversized denim jacket trimmed in leather and a long denim trench. The Kembra leather top, the Hikson recycled leather skirt, the Verica croc embossed mini and the Nate leather blend pant finish the group.

 

A pairing tip: a cropped jacket works best with a high rise jean, so the jacket ends where the jean begins. The trench and the Blair are long enough to wear over a wide leg.

 

What I would skip: a suede jacket with suede shoes. One soft texture is enough.

Agolde is the most consistent denim I know, and that consistency is the reason to buy it: once you know your size in one cut, the others follow.

 

If you are buying your first pair, choose the 90s Pinch Waist or the Ren in rigid denim, and give it a few weeks of wear. Then add a top from the third grid, and only after that a jacket. The fabric is the product, so buy the cut that suits you and let the denim do the rest.