Nudie Jeans Steady Eddie – Denim Review

Swedish denim giant Nudie has taken the world by storm and is one of the biggest names in the denim market. Today I am reviewing the Nudie Steady Eddie Tonal Dry, a regular sized jean that features 100% organic cotton. Overall, the Eddies are a decent choice for those who like subtle fades and want a tapered look without sacrificing comfort.

Details

  • Name: Nudie Steady Eddie Tonal Dry
  • Fabric: Italian 100% organic
  • Fit: Regular
  • Unique features:
    • Triple stitch inseam
    • Reinforced extra large belt loops
    • Tonal back pocket embo
  • MSRP:  $165 at Nudie Jeans

Fit

To preface the fit photos, I am 5 feet eight and weigh 140 pounds. Because of a mistake in shipping these jeans are one size larger than what I normally wear. These jeans have been worn daily for four months and have been soaked once.

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The Steady Eddie is, from a fit perspective, a game-changer. With looser knees for greater mobility and roomy but fitted thighs and calves, the Steady Eddie looks and feels great. They look loose on me only because they are size 30/30 regular while I normally wear a 29/30 in slim jeans. That said, I’ve grown pretty fond of the roomier look – the fades appear more organic and the loose fit has helped prevent tears in the fabric.

While at first the jeans were outlandishly large, over time they more or less molded to my body. I am 5’8” and 140 pounds yet the 30 inseam fit me with a little bit of stacking. My friend, who normally wears size 30/30, tried these on and they fit him perfectly. He’s 5’10” and 160 pounds, but since the jeans crease well I would recommend buying a size that corresponds to how low one normally wears their jeans while taking into mind the desired level of stacking. Movement was not hindered for either of us in any direction.

Fabric

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The tonal dry is the non-selvedge version of the 13oz. Italian denim Steady Eddies. Featuring a crisp, even weave with some nice vertical stripes, Nudie’s iconic Italian denim has decent construction and a bit of texture. Since these are sanforized, there is very little shrink or stretch post-wear and post-soak. Since I cycle, kickbox, run, etc. in my jeans, it’s far from unnatural that the fabric near the crotch and honeycombs are starting to form small holes at the creases.

Since I wear them hard, I usually see the beginnings of crisp fades in most of the jeans that I have worn after about a month. But even after 4 months of continuous wear, the Steady Eddie has shown remarkably little fading. Perhaps this is an isolated case, but still, my hunch is that the slightly lighter than normal indigo dye the Eddie uses impedes fade progression.

To be fair, these jeans are a size too large for me, but regardless the progression has been extremely slow. The one area that has seen substantial fading is in the outseam, but the problem here is that since these jeans are not selvedge, the resulting “selvedge fade” looks both unnatural and unappealing. While far from a travesty for subtle fade lovers, the Steady Eddie does not seem like a Fade Friday gem anytime soon unless some significant effort is put into them. On the whole, the fabric is a nice color, shows variations of different blues, and has a nice hairy texture.

Details

The features of this jean are rather standard for any mid-tier jeans: custom press rivets and buttons, chain stitching, and bar tacks. What is mildly interesting are the extra-large belt loops that are reinforced, the triple interior inseam stitch, and the tonal/contrast double exterior inseam stitch. The fit does allow for some interesting creasing however, and I appreciate that the denim is able to hold the creasing even post-soaking.

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The thread-work was neat, the hardware carefully set, and the pockets were spacious enough to hold a few items if necessary. Though far from original, the detail mechanics are certainly on point.

Construction

I was reasonably impressed by the construction of the denim, especially by the stitching. The jeans are well made and feel solid, though some of the overlock stitches frayed near the hem. I do wish that the jeans were slightly thicker. Despite rather slow fading the jeans, are already starting to develop holes and pock-marks. Still, I’m rather impressed that the 13oz. fabric could take such a beating while sustaining little damage.

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Value

The Nudie fit is probably what the company is most famous for, other than the brand recognition. The Steady Eddie’s brings a lot to the table: the organic cotton is fantastic, the construction is decent, and the fit is versatile and innovative. I haven’t worn a single pair of jeans that has a similar fit, and whoever designed the Eddie should be given a hefty paycheck. But at the same time the jeans do have flaws. They are rather pricey for non-selvedge and the out seam fades look pretty gross.

Since these don’t seem to have the greatest fade potential, this will undoubtedly drive away some, but for the subtle fade lovers this might be a choice worth looking at. Ultimately, in a highly competitive denim market, decent is just not good enough. Besides the brand recognition and fit, there’s little that separates the Steady Eddie from the hundreds of other quality sub-$200 pairs in the market. The Steady Eddie is steady – nothing more, nothing less.