Comparing Denim Tears Black comes down to two or three measurable differences rather than a general sense of quality. Rigid denim gives about half a size after a week. Stretch denim gives it back after a wash. Anything over about 2 per cent elastane will bag at the knee by the afternoon. Check the leg opening, not the name; two brands can call the same measurement straight and wide. The groups below run from the decision that matters most to the ones you make afterwards.

What decides this is rise, leg opening and stretch content. Everything else is preference. Two from the first group show the range: eddiebauer.com's Women's Authentic High-Rise Straight Leg Jeans at $60, and Sau Lee's Austin Denim Pant at $395. The first is the easy entry point; the second is where the money goes. Rigid denim gives about half a size after a week. Stretch denim gives it back after a wash. Anything over about 2 per cent elastane will bag at the knee by the afternoon. A higher price mostly buys materials and finishing, and occasionally it buys nothing at all.

Rise decides everything above the waist, so pick the top second. Hem to the shoe you actually wear with them. From the second group, beyondnine.co.uk's Veda Mid Blue Denim Trousers ($202) is the one that earns its place, because it works in more than one context without being restyled. The third group is smaller and deliberately narrower, jeans, for the decisions you make after the main one. None of this needs the whole group. One piece from each is usually enough.

There are 20 jeans here from 13 brands, $55 to $498, all in stock when this was written. We would not buy all of them, and neither should you. eddiebauer.com's Women's Authentic 90s Boyfriend Relaxed Fit Jeans at $55 is the low-risk way in, and Veronica Beard's Ledger Wide-Leg Denim Pant at $498 only makes sense if this is a category you already use constantly. On denim tears black specifically: the difference between the top and the bottom of this list is real but smaller than the price gap suggests. Nothing here is included because it is famous, and price is not used as a proxy for quality anywhere on this page. If you take one thing away: the piece you reach for on a rushed morning is the one that was worth the money.