Male Fashion Advice

I'm due for new jeans and am exploring the world of raw denim for the first time. Does anyone have any favorite brands I should check out, or general advice?

I picked up a used pair of Gustin 1968 slim jeans as a first experiment. I really want to love them, but the front rise is too low for me and they are serious ball crushers when I sit down. They'll be headed back to eBay from whence they came.

I'm thinking of trying 501 shrink-to-fit next, mostly because my local farm supply store has them so I can try them on before I buy.