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For fashion writer and designer Jane Herman, denim is in her DNA. "I grew up in jeans," Herman says. "That's the best way to put it." For decades, Herman's father, Ron, owned some of the most influential retail stores in Los Angeles. "Denim and jeans were a really big part of the stores," Herman says. "There was the famous jean bar, which was in the men's department downstairs that sold all the latest and the greatest from Europe and the U.S."
After spending summers working at the jean bar, Herman went on to work as a fashion editor on the creative teams at places like Gap and Theory, among others. In 2013, Herman co-founded JeanStories.com, a website dedicated to all things denim. In 2020, she founded her own made-in-L.A. clothing company, The Only Jane. Just two years later, she brought all of her denim knowledge to Substack, where she writes her popular newsletter, Jane on Jeans.
On the latest episode of The Who What Wear Podcast, Herman shares how she got her start in the fashion industry, the five pairs of jeans she thinks everyone should own, and more. For excerpts from their conversation, keep scrolling.
You've often said that denim is in your blood. Can you explain that a little bit for our audience?
I grew up in jeans. That's the best way to put it. My dad is Ron Herman. He owned for decades, some of LA's most influential retail stores. Denim and jeans were a really big part of the stores.
There was the famous jean bar, which was in the men's department downstairs, that sold all the latest and the greatest from Europe and the U.S. My dad loved jeans and really instilled in me a deep appreciation for, not just the way they look and the way they feel and the way they fit, but also what they mean and their role in culture and style and pop culture.
In high school, I would work in the stores in the summertime. I started in back stock. Over the years and over the summers, I slowly graduated to working in that very jean bar, where I learned so much.
It was the early 2000s. Premium denim was just starting. I became really familiar with all the brands that were the big players then, like Earl and Paper Denim & Cloth.
Everyone was wearing Diesel, and a really important part of my fashion education was just working behind the bar and helping people find jeans that made them feel good.
In addition to your own brand, what are some of the other denim pieces that you're obsessed with right now that feel very current?
I love bootcut jeans right now. I really love wearing boots. They just make me sit differently. They make me walk differently. My stride gets longer.
The bootcuts that I love—and this is one of the better-sellers that I've seen—is the Buck Mason Roper, which is a really good interpretation of the Levi's 517, and it's got a high waist and a gorgeous wash.
The other jean that I really love right now is from a new brand called Ossou, which is based out of New York. They have a jean called the Noon, and it's just a really classic high-rise, straight, slightly tapered leg jean. Looks a little bit like the Valentino jean that came down the runway from spring '26. It has that kind of taper that you wear it a little longer. It's a very clean wash. They've put a lot of thought into their hardware, and that jean, I think, is really special.
I see a lot of people buying Levi's still. Levi's makes a really great 90s 501 in selvedge denim that is a little pricier than the non-selvedge, but it's a great, great jean. If you don't know what to buy, but you want a pair of jeans, just start there.
If you were building a capsule jean wardrobe for someone, what styles do you think that they should own?
You need a high-rise straight-leg jean of some kind. Something that is the archetype of a pair of jeans. When you close your eyes, you think of a five-pocket jean in its most classic form. Not too complicated wash, but that's just clean and a very good foundation for almost anything.
Then you need a really relaxed fit that you can do errands in. That's maybe a barrel for a lot of people. Could be a slouchy or wide-leg style. Could be something that just is loose and that you could actually sit and read a book in.
I think it's very good to have a black jean in your closet. I personally like my black jeans to have some stretch. They often make very good night jeans. Whatever you're gonna wear at night with your people out. It should fit the body somewhere. If it's a wide-leg style, then I like to see a really clean top block, meaning it's fitted in the waist. It's nice in the butt. It's not hanging off of you in any kind of way.
Then I think it's a good idea to have a summery jean in your wardrobe, which is something that's very light-washed, maybe has a frayed edge. I don't like my jeans to have unfinished hems, except for in the summer.
It's a jean that you wear in the summer that's really lightweight, and that you wear with sandals and that has holes in it. You don't have to worry about being cold with holes in your jeans.
The last pair of jeans I think you can have is something a little bit more playful that has some kind of embellishment or quirk to it.
I have a pair of Stella McCartney jeans—I'm actually wearing them right now—they have these corduroy inserts, and so they're slightly bell. They're very like hippieish. The corduroy is navy and super luscious and boffed, and that the denim is really soft and they're just fun. They're different. I think it's nice to have a jean in your closet that isn't just denim.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.