Diego Milano S/S Number 019 Review on Denimology
I fell in love with jeans for the sole reason that not only does the perfect pair make you feel oh-so-good, but also because it’s amazing how something that the general public sees as just a basic item can be so colorful in its market, with so many different innovations and awesome examples of boundless creativity. The jean is not just your run of the mill jean anymore, and it hasn’t been for a long, long time. Fit is always a competitive aspect, as well as fabric content, wash, and general look or trend and the pool of options is exploding every season with impressive new ideas. When it comes to fabric content and embellishments, some brands take it to another level, traveling to the farthest reaches of the world to discover new fibers or materials to give their product the winning edge. I’m not usually a big fan of too much flair, but blending in elements that seem to be made for each other, like leather and denim, is something I’ve seen here and there in the denim world and been intrigued by. Recently I posted about the amazingness that is Diego Milano denim, and I am so excited that I got a chance to check them out, up close and personal! Usually leather is sewn in to denim in a riding pant style, or as some kind of paneling, and Diego Milano excels beautifully at this, and then some!
Diego Milano is “an exclusive, luxury denim collection inspired by rock and roll, designed with pure sophistication. A true art form.” I think we can all agree that rock and roll and denim go pretty darn well together! The faces behind the brand include “an eclectic, worldly, rock n’ roll founder, a chic designer and a team of brilliant artisans.” Each beautiful piece is designed in New York and handcrafted in Scottsdale, AZ, which is awesome because there aren’t a ton of true American denim brands out there anymore nowadays. Diego Milano states: “Today, Diego Milano stands out in the often-predictable luxury denim market with its combination of rebellious, Rock n Roll edge, incredibly sophisticated construction and utterly unique designs. An exceptionally innovative brand, they surprise us with provocative seams, intricate pleats and washes that have never before been seen on denim. The attention to detail is impeccable. Designed in New York, the highest quality, incredibly luxurious materials and sensuously sleek hardware are transformed by our designers to create these works of art. The first sketch to the final fitting is a mesmerizing, alluring and magical process.” I couldn’t say it better myself. One thing that hits near and dear to my heart though are their philanthropic efforts. Diego Milano donates a generous portion of all profits to charities that help provide education for children who otherwise would be, or are, forced into sweat shops and other terrible working conditions. Bravo!
When I was offered the chance to pick out a jean from Diego Milano, I was at first very lost as to which one I would possibly want to review! Their collections are crazy unique and unlike anything I’ve ever seen. What helped though, was looking through their beautifully shot lookbook for their Spring/Summer line, with the theme “Tribe of Nomads.” Being a huge fan of transformational festivals and being a complete hippy at times, this caught my fancy! Diego Milano‘s women’s collections are made up of skinnies and flares at the moment, and zoned in on a pretty earthy green skinny with dark green leather paneling and details, and contrast orange stitching. The jean’s product page warns about its narrow calf area, which worried me because I’m fairly athletic. As far as sizing, Diego Milano goes with a combined size structure–with sizes going from 23/24, 25/26, etc. I went with 25/26 based on my typical experiences as well as their sizing chart.
As soon as they came to my doorstep, I was immediately impressed by the brand’s packaging! Inside the branded shipping box, the jeans came in a sleek looking black box with a foil stamped logo, and inside along with the jeans themselves was a thick black plastic ziplock-type bag for freezing the jeans, which is the recommended method of cleaning them due to the delicate handcrafted details and leather. The jeans themselves were a sight to behold…before putting them on I just admired them inside and out…the differences in textures, colors, everything! Once I got to the fit, the initial fears based on the website’s warnings were gone! They fit me just fine! They felt just a tad relaxed in the hip area and down the leg to the calf, although still fitted. To me though, that is good for such a highly detailed jean with leather, I definitely would not want these to be tight. They fit me like they seem to on the model on the website! The fabric is a 98% cotton, 2% elastic blend, but it’s thin so it’s more stretchy than most of my jeans with the same fabric mix. With the jeans on, the 3D features were easier to witness…The back pockets taper outwards near the bottom due to leather inserts. The leather also takes up the area across the back under the waistband, along the pocket seams, along the arched seams on the front and back, along the seams down the front and back of the legs and as two-piece inserts on the inside of the legs like a riding jean. When you go all out like these guys have you’d better top it off with a prominent brand logo…as they did, with a tan leather strip on the usual right side of the waistband on the back, with metal ‘Diego Milano’ lettering. As mentioned, there is a contrast yellow stitching that is doubled over and reinforced in all the right places. These jeans are incredible! Need I say more? I definitely could, but I should cut this novel short by saying you would definitely get your money’s worth with a pair of these, both in the jean itself and in the amazing philanthropic efforts this brand puts forth.
As far as styling, my first thought was these would be awesome at a festival, but I’d be too afraid to get them all mucked up! But I like wearing a little something different on a day to day basis, so I could see these worn while out on the town, on a dinner date, to a concert, or whatever. It’s been pretty warm in California so leather has kind of been out of the question, but I love the way they look with some of my basic tank tops, so the jean can take the center stage in the outfit. I know they are more towards the couture range in terms of pricing, but this brand rocks in more ways than one (and don’t forget you’d be supporting a great cause)!
View my entire Denimology review and photo set here.
Grab a pair of the Diego Milano S/S Number 019 skinny jean for yourself right here! Score extra big with a current promotion too, as mentioned on Denimology. Enter code ITSABIGDEAL for $150 off your order!
