White jeans have a higher failure rate than almost anything else in a man’s wardrobe and the reason is almost always the same. Wrong weight fabric, poor cut through the thigh, or a finish that reads cheap the moment sunlight hits it. Done right though, a pair of white jeans is one of summer’s most reliable tools. They work with a linen shirt left open at the collar, a plain white tee, a faded navy sweatshirt. The whole point is that they make simple combinations look considered without any effort on your part. We’ve been looking specifically at pairs where the fabric has enough weight to avoid being see through, where the indigo hasn’t been overdone to compensate for bad construction, and where the fit is clean without being tight. Price is not a reliable guide here. Some of the best pairs we found cost less than you’d expect. These are the ones worth pulling on.