Yes, it is time and has been for a while now, to take your beloved joggers out of your weekly rotation. Those comfortable, stretchy pants you’ve learned to love are dead. You can have your time to mourn, perhaps you can even get one last wear out of them, utilize their stretchiness for one final hop over some random chain-link fence before you stash them in your closet, cut them into shorts or donate them to your local thrift shop. Now I’m certain I’ve just pissed quite a few people off right away, and those same individuals are perhaps asking why on earth they shouldn’t wear joggers anymore.

I’ll give you three big reasons right off the bat, H&M, American Eagle and of course the dreaded Cotton on. What began approximately three years ago as a new and exciting statement piece in North America from the respectable grand-daddy of joggers, Zanerobe, has in the last year been brutally beaten to death by cheap imitators.

Now this Australian menswear brand which has been around much longer than 3 years (est.2002) has recognized how played out jogger pants have become and have since made great efforts to reinvent the brand. They have released beautifully constructed denim, a waistband chino and my personal favorite, an array of elongated button-down shirts. These lower quality jogger pants from these three aforementioned brands began their hostile takeover of the jogger market in early 2015. Their presence was inescapable, everywhere I turned I couldn’t help but spot some lame knock-off. The main attractive quality these pants held for fashionable people were their tapered fit, if of course you were buying from a quality source such as Zanerobe or I Love Ugly. These cheap imitations from Cotton On run a straight leg from waist to cuff which creates an awkward loose fit with an accumulation of saggy material around the ankle. The moment these saggy pants were paired with running shoes from Target I knew it was time to sell my own pair or take a pair of scissors to the issue.

A great example you should follow if you truly care about contemporary fashion is that of ex-YouTube sensation Jacob J Keller. I shudder to think a man who now manages one of the most prestigious street-wear and high fashion boutiques in North America (Machus) was at one point was seen reviewing brands like Diamond Supply Co. Yikes! And yes, he was even seen drooling over two pairs of Zanerobe’s denim joggers. Note, the legend still wears the brand’s button down shirts but has since never been seen wearing a pair of joggers since the mid 2014’s. Instead he sports beautiful tapered denim from Naked and Famous or exceptionally designed cropped pants from Chapter. If you think of yourself as someone who truly cares about what they wear, then I strongly advise you too do as Keller has done and move on.

Now how on earth could you possibly fill the void the lack of joggers has left your closet with? Two words. Tapered. Denim. Want that same snug fit around your ankles joggers had previously graced you with? Buy a pair of tapered denim and learn to pin roll. I will leave a link to a video explaining the simple process by JamesClo, another YouTube fashion icon. Have a few pairs of denim you absolutely love that lack a good taper? Invest an extra 10 to 20 bucks and have them tailored, its worth the extra money, I promise.

Finally, I will leave you with two routes from which to choose when hunting for your next pair of bottoms. The first is much less expensive and offers the best quality in relation to the price tag. Check out their website or head over to one of your local Urban Outfitters and get yourself a pair of skinny fit Levi’s. I have a pair which I distressed myself that I can’t get enough of and they only ran me about $80. Now I know what you may be thinking, anything over $50 is exorbitant! Wrong. With denim you have to be willing to pay the price for something that will fit right and last you longer than a year. The second option I offer for those of you like me who want something that will last you three or four years with a taper already built in. Brands like Represent Clo., John Elliott, Naked and Famous, A.P.C and Mr. Completely will offer you incredible denim but will run you between $150 to about $300. However, these jeans will be worth every hard earned penny, I guarantee it. If you also fell in love with the J. Biebs drop crotch look I recommend Zanerobe’s Low-Blows or Salerno’s which range from $100 to $180. Another alternative are the Zespy pants from I Love Ugly, they have that same roomy fit with an excellent taper along with a zipper sown into the cuff, these will only cost approximately $110.

Of course, if you could care less about trends or anything of the sort and just want something easy and comfortable...then please be my guest and keep rocking those Joggers. This also excludes sweat-pant joggers since high fashion behemoths like John Elliott, Represent Clo. and even Fear of God are still pumping them out with incredible attention to fabric, construction and fit. That’s all I have to say on the matter, but don’t even get me started on biker denim...