Women’s jeans are comfortable, slim fitting, potentially dirt cheap, and look just like men’s jeans if you pick wisely.

A pair of slim fitting jeans is one of the most stylish pieces of clothing you can own, and also one of the most expensive. A decent pair, bought retail, can run you from 50 bucks all the way into the hundreds. Sure, you can skimp and get the bottom-shelf stuff from a fast-fashion brand, but they’re going to be trash quality.

If you want high-quality, slim fitting, tapered jeans for cheap, consider the women’s section at a thrift store. Pick the right pair and nobody will know.

Women’s jeans are typically made from thinner denim that has synthetic fiber incorporated into the fabric. This makes them more comfortable than the thicker, 100% cotton jeans you’re used to. Thinner fabric also means you can still wear jeans in hot weather.

Straight-leg women’s jeans tend to have a much better taper. They wear just like men’s fashion jeans, with slim fits and narrow ankle openings.

Another plus is that it’s not difficult to find dark washes, or alternative colors that are rarely on offer in the men’s section. Warning: they do tend to have ornamentation that men’s jeans don’t. Keep an eye out for bedazzling and stitched patterns.

The only downside is that the pockets are going to be too small when you buy them. You will need to sew larger pockets in, which is not as difficult as it sounds. There are plenty of tutorials on YouTube about how to do it without a sewing machine.

In this way, you can thrift a pair for $5-12 that look like $150 designer jeans, and feel better to wear to boot. Any Goodwill or Salvation Army in San Diego will have a large selection.

If you’re hesitant, just try a pair on. You’ll be an instant convert. I was.