Flying Monkey isn’t TikTok-famous. It’s Buckle-famous, which is actually a higher bar.
You can launch a brand to viral success on Reels in a single season. You cannot become a Buckle staple on Reels — Buckle buys based on ten-year track records, on consistent fit, on the kind of boring reliability that never trends. Flying Monkey has been in Buckle for long enough that most people who shop there assume Flying Monkey has always been there, the way most people assume Wranglers have always been there, and that kind of institutional presence tells you something the Reels brands cannot buy. I own three Flying Monkey pairs — the Thea bootcut, a high-rise flare, and a barrel — and I’ve worn them in rotation for eight months. This review is part of the broader Affordable Fashion Brands coverage, and Flying Monkey is the brand in that category I’d describe as the “workhorse” pick.
Flying Monkey is the Buckle brand (and that’s not an insult)
Let me spend a paragraph on the Buckle relationship because it shapes everything else. Flying Monkey has deep, long-running distribution through Buckle. That’s the brand’s identity and that’s why the sizing is the way it is. Buckle stocks brands they trust to have consistent fit across seasons, because their customer base is the kind of customer who buys the same cut twice and expects it to fit the same both times. Flying Monkey delivers that.
Practically, this means a few things. It means Flying Monkey’s cuts are more conservative than Judy Blue’s — you will not find rhinestone explosions or hand-painted pairs in the Flying Monkey catalog. It means the fit math you work out on your first Flying Monkey pair is going to hold for your second and your third. It means the brand is not chasing trends at Reels speed, which is either a feature or a limitation depending on how you shop. And it means Flying Monkey is the parent of Vervet — the two brands share factories and design DNA, and Vervet is positioned as the slightly more premium sister line. I covered that relationship in detail at Vervet Jeans Review and it’s worth reading alongside this one if you’re trying to decide between them.
If you like the idea of a denim brand that isn’t trying to hack your attention with viral content and is instead trying to make a pair of jeans that will still fit the same way in eighteen months, Flying Monkey is that brand. It is not exciting. That’s the whole point.
Thea: the flagship bootcut
Thea is the Flying Monkey cut you have probably heard of, and if you haven’t heard of it, it’s the one I’d point you to first. The Thea is a bootcut — not a skinny, not a flare, but the proper bootcut silhouette with a slight kick at the hem that most brands have stopped making well. The full breakdown is at Thea Flying Monkey Jeans, and I’d read that if you’re specifically deciding about the Thea versus another brand’s bootcut.
My Thea has been in rotation for eight months. I bought mine in the long inseam because I wear them with a boot and wanted enough length to break over the instep. The fit through the thigh is clean without being tight. The rise is a true mid-rise — not the fake high-rise that some brands are calling mid-rise now — and it sits exactly where my hip bone wants it to sit. The waistband does not dig when I sit and does not gap when I stand. This is the kind of fit note that sounds boring and, after a decade of fighting with cuts that either dig or gap, feels genuinely valuable.
The Buckle exclusive conversation is worth having because some Thea pairs sold through Buckle are different from Thea pairs sold through other retailers — usually in the wash rather than the cut. If you see a Thea listing that looks slightly different from the one you tried on in Buckle, the cut is almost certainly the same but the wash treatment may have been customized for that channel. The underlying pair is the same pair.
For reference, I’m five-foot-six and I bought my Thea in a 28 with the regular inseam. It fits true to my usual size. I’d tell anyone considering a Thea to take their true number and not try to finesse it.
The other Flying Monkey fits worth knowing
Beyond the Thea, Flying Monkey’s catalog is focused rather than exhaustive. Here’s what I think matters.
High-rise flare. My second Flying Monkey and a pair I reach for more than I expected to. The flare is structured rather than bell-shaped — the kick at the hem is cleaner than Kancan’s bell bottom and more subtle than Judy Blue’s statement flares. If you want a flare that reads contemporary without feeling costumey, this is the pair. Full review at Is Flying Monkey Flare Jeans Worth It?. It runs long — I hemmed mine a half inch to get the break I wanted — so factor tailoring into your cost.
Barrel. Flying Monkey’s barrel is a more conservative take than the Vervet barrel I also own. The curve is gentler, which makes it more wearable for petites and less dramatic in photos. I like mine but I reach for the Vervet barrel more often because I specifically wanted the drama from a barrel cut. If you want a barrel that you can wear without feeling like you’re making a style statement, Flying Monkey’s version is the easier pair. Full coverage at Is Flying Monkey Barrel Jeans Worth It?.
Mid-rise skinny. I have not owned the mid-rise skinny personally, but it’s the cut I’d point someone toward if they want the most conservative, most trustworthy Flying Monkey pair. The skinny has been in the catalog the longest, it has the most fit consistency across seasons, and it’s the safest first Flying Monkey purchase if you’re cautious about the brand.
Fabric and durability after eight months
Flying Monkey denim is mid-weight, more structured than Judy Blue, and roughly equivalent to Kancan in terms of durability. The fabric breaks in over a couple of wears — not as aggressively as Kancan, but more than Judy Blue — and once it’s broken in, it holds its shape beautifully.
My care routine: inside-out on cold, short spin, hang-dry for the flare and the barrel, short tumble for the Thea. After eight months I have visible wear only on the Thea, and it’s the kind of wear I want — a subtle whisker at the front hip, faint fading at the back pocket edge. No failing seams. No stretched-out waistband. No crotch blowout. The indigo held cleanly through the first wash and has barely moved since.
Stretch recovery is genuinely one of Flying Monkey’s quiet strengths. My Thea fits the same way on wear twenty as on wear two, which is more than I can say for some pairs at higher price points. The stretch is calibrated to give you comfort through the day without compromising the pair’s long-term shape, and that calibration is what puts Flying Monkey in the workhorse category.
My honest negative. Flying Monkey’s wash variety is narrower than the competition. If you want a specific color or wash detail, Flying Monkey might not have it, and you’ll end up at Judy Blue or Kancan instead. The brand is not trying to cover every color story. If you’re building a rotation and you want a black pair, a distressed pair, a white pair, and a raw indigo pair, you’re not going to complete that rotation through Flying Monkey alone. The brand’s focus is a feature for some buyers and a limitation for others.
Flying Monkey sizing: what works, what to watch
Flying Monkey sizing sits closer to Kancan than to Judy Blue in spirit. The cuts are drafted for a standard female body block, the waistband takes itself seriously, and the denim has enough structure that the pair you buy is roughly the pair you’ll wear. There’s no “size down because the stretch fatigue is terrible” math with Flying Monkey, and there’s no “size up because the cut runs tight everywhere” math either. Your usual number is probably the right number.
That said, a couple of specifics matter. On the Thea, the waistband runs true to size and the hip runs true to size, but the inseam offerings — Flying Monkey sells the Thea in multiple inseam lengths, which most affordable brands do not — give you the chance to actually pick the length that works for your height. Pay attention to which inseam you’re ordering. I ordered my first Thea in the wrong inseam because I didn’t look closely at the listing, and I had to trade them in for the longer version once I realized the standard was too short for my boot break.
On the high-rise flare, the fit through the thigh runs slightly roomier than the Kancan equivalent. I took my usual size and I could have sized down one for a closer fit if I’d preferred. The waistband is more structured than Kancan’s flare waistband and does not roll over the course of a day.
On the barrel, take your true size. Flying Monkey’s barrel is not cut as tight through the hip as the Vervet barrel, so the sizing-up warning I gave on Vervet does not apply here. Your usual number is fine.
If you’re five-foot-four or shorter, factor hemming into your pricing math. Most Flying Monkey cuts assume a 5’6″ to 5’8″ block, which is the industry standard but not universal, and petite-specific inseams are not always available on every cut.
Where to buy Flying Monkey jeans
Your buying channels for Flying Monkey are clearer than most affordable denim brands because the primary retailer is named on the tag.
Buckle. This is the primary channel. Buckle stocks Flying Monkey across its full store footprint, the selection rotates regularly, the fit consistency is excellent, and the return policy is straightforward. If you have a Buckle nearby, start there. The fitting room experience at Buckle is also better than most chain retailers because the staff genuinely know the brands they sell.
Small boutiques. Many of the same boutiques that carry Judy Blue and Kancan also carry Flying Monkey, particularly the Thea. Prices are similar to Buckle. Selection varies widely by boutique.
Amazon marketplace sellers. Mixed authorization — same caveats I have on Judy Blue and Kancan. Check seller reputation, insist on measurements, treat the listings as a last resort if you can’t find the cut you want locally. Flying Monkey Jeans on Amazon is the starting search.
Poshmark. Excellent for Flying Monkey. The brand’s durability means secondhand pairs are usually still in good shape, and the pricing is consistently below retail. I’ve picked up two Flying Monkey pairs on Poshmark and both were indistinguishable from new. Flying Monkey Jeans on Poshmark is my saved search.
The verdict — Flying Monkey vs. Vervet vs. Kancan
Here’s how I’d rank these three brands against each other, because this is the decision most people reading this article are actually trying to make.
Flying Monkey is the workhorse pick. Deep Buckle distribution, consistent fit, conservative design language, excellent durability, and a price point that undercuts Vervet by roughly fifteen percent. If you want one pair of affordable denim that will fit the same way in two years and will not require you to learn a new brand’s quirks, Flying Monkey is the buy.
Vervet is the finish-detail pick. Same parent company, slightly nicer hand-feel, more dimensional wash treatments, cleaner hardware. If you notice the small things and you’re willing to pay the upcharge, Vervet is the better pair. Most buyers will not notice the difference in a dressing room, but they will notice it on the twentieth wear.
Kancan is the fit-range pick. Broader catalog, more cut options, more versatility across a rotation. If you want multiple pairs from one brand and you want each one to feel like a meaningfully different pair, Kancan gives you more to choose from. Full review at Is Kancan Jeans Worth It?.
If I had to pick one to recommend without knowing anything about the buyer, I’d pick Flying Monkey. Not because it’s the flashiest or the most premium, but because it’s the hardest pair to regret buying. The Thea in particular has earned its place in my rotation, and after eight months I have no reason to replace it and no reason to upgrade it. That’s the compliment this brand is actually after.
A reader asked me recently whether buying Flying Monkey felt like a compromise after I’d already tried Vervet and Kancan and Judy Blue. My honest answer is no. It felt like the pair that required the least thought, and at a certain point in the rotation — once I’d spent enough time optimizing my denim choices to learn what I actually wanted — the pair that requires the least thought becomes the pair I appreciate most. Flying Monkey is boring in the way that a good knife in your kitchen is boring. You don’t think about it. You just reach for it. That’s the whole review.
FAQ
Are Flying Monkey jeans good quality?
Yes. In the affordable denim tier, Flying Monkey is one of the more consistently durable options. Mid-weight denim, good stretch recovery, reliable sizing across seasons. The Buckle relationship exists because Buckle’s buyers have trusted Flying Monkey’s fit consistency for years, and that consistency is real.
Where are Flying Monkey jeans made?
Flying Monkey is a Los Angeles-based brand and leans into its LA identity in its marketing. Country of production specifics can vary by cut and season, and I’d rather point you at the individual pair’s tag than invent details. The brand shares factories with its sister brand Vervet.
Is Flying Monkey the same as Vervet?
Same parent company, same design operation, overlapping factories, different brand positioning. Vervet is the slightly-more-premium sister line — better finish details, cleaner hardware, roughly fifteen percent price bump. Flying Monkey is the workhorse. For most buyers the answer to “which one should I buy” comes down to one question: do you notice finish details. If you do, Vervet. If you don’t, Flying Monkey.
Where can I buy Flying Monkey jeans?
Buckle is the primary retailer and the easiest place to find a full cut selection with reliable return policies. Small boutiques carry Flying Monkey less consistently than they carry Judy Blue or Kancan but it’s worth checking. Amazon marketplace sellers and Poshmark fill in the gaps. I’d start at Buckle and fall back to the rest only if the cut you want isn’t in stock.
Do Flying Monkey jeans stretch out?
Minimally. The stretch recovery is one of the brand’s quiet strengths — my Thea fits the same way on wear twenty as on wear two, and I haven’t had to reset the waistband with a tumble cycle the way I do with some stretchier brands. If you want a pair that holds its shape through daily wear, Flying Monkey is a safer bet than most brands in the category.
