It should come as no surprise that I have way too many pairs of jeans. I cleaned out my closet last week and rounded up at least a dozen pair of jeans to part ways with. Mostly it’s just a hoarding issue but part of it is my inability to say no to a good pair of denim.

On my hunt for the perfect pair of {insert jean type/style/color here}, one pair that has eluded me is a great pair of distressed denim jeans. There’s been lots of trial and error but no single pair of distressed denim made the cut (no pun intended) in last week’s purge. Since I’m trying to be more intentional and less impulsive about what I add to my closet this fall, I’m doing some serious research to hunt down a great pair of distressed jeans.Because when it comes to wearing ripped jeans, I still want to look put together not sloppy. That’s why I love the simple styling the gals below followed – white tee, blazer, heels or simple boots and sneakers. I’m like Goldilocks on my mission – not too tight but not too baggy, not too ripped up (can’t look like a total slob or look like I’m trying to be too young), not too light or too dark. When I finally stumble upon this denim unicorn, I will let you know.

Until then, I’m using these looks as my guide. I’ve also rounded up some serious contenders below. I have a feeling it’s going to take a lot of stops in the dressing room before I find “the one.”

Images: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The hunt begins…