Great Jeans Run in this Insta-Family

In 2013, friends and former Vogue writers Jane Herman Bishop and Florance Kane launched a website devoted solely to denim—mostly to tell the stories of stylish people through the pairs that shaped their lives and wardrobes. The essays and interviews go way beyond style. Instead, you finish each one feeling like you know something special.

Thing we learned from them: people are not their closets.

Brand they turned us onto: The Great, L’Agence

Location: New York, NY

Followers: 32.7k

If something’s new, now, otherwise important in some way, chances are it’s featured on Refinery29. The site is early to most parties, including style—thanks in no small part to the styling director Emily Holland. She routinely pulls together things you’d never imagine would work, and she’s the reason we’ve been introduced to some noteworthy new designers (@guiliettanewyork, @pphheellaann, looking at you).

Thing we learned from her: mine past decades for inspiration.

Brand we found through her: @closedofficial

Location: New York, NY

Followers: 3857

Do you remember John Mayer’s Snapchat pitch a few weeks called “The Middle Shoe“? Here’s the gist, and stay with us: with every new sneaker purchase, or at least the special ones, customers get a ‘middle shoe’ purely for archiving, displaying, a trophy. That’s the sort of logic that Ruedi Karrer, the founder of Jeansmuseum, could get on board with—his collection boasts over 12,000 jackets and pants, creating a blue-hued survey of denim rare, mainstream and in between.

Thing we learned from him: don’t be precious with your pants.

Brand he turned us onto: Iron Heart Raw Japanese Selvedge

Location: Zurich, Switzerland

Followers: 20.2k

No one is a better denim lover than Jeff DePano, simply for this reason: he will answer any question you ask him on Instagram. (Jeff, if you see this, don’t make liars out of us.) Types like him are the reason the denim community is thriving, and his feed is a great way to see how different brands fit, especially when it comes to “crunchy” textures (like @orSlow’s) or stiff selvedge. The guy can make Vineyard Vines look right at home next to Japanese blues.

Thing we learned from him: great denim can anchor any outfit, no matter how preppy.

Brand he turned us onto: Resolute 710 and orSlow.

Location: Seattle, WA

Followers: 13.9k

The modelling profession was invented to sell clothes, and that is what Luci Taff does. Her body was made for the blue stuff, and new brands clamor to get her into theirs. Thanks to Instagram tags, we’ve discovered new retro-leaning brands that keep us sounding very in-the-know at the dinner table.

Thing we learned from her: Stick to a silhouette that works for you.

Brand she turned us onto: Wrangler Australia and Rollas Jeans.

Location: Australia

Followers: 26.2k