The blue jean is truly one of the all-time best inventions in the apparel industry. It's the ultimate basic - clean, simple, and capable of going in any direction you take it, wearable on a wide range of body types and completely workable in virtually every closet. One minute, it can be crisp and classic, the next, completely rockstar sexy - all with just a switch of your supporting pieces. There are jeans at the high end and the low, worn on celebrities and debutantes to everyday fashionistas, moms, grandmoms, even little kids. They last forever, rarely go out of style, and can be found in virtually any store in any city. Add to it that care is as easy as it gets and you've got the absolute perfect piece. It's no wonder these babies have been in business since the 1800s!

Happily, plenty of designers have caught on, offering literally dozens of styles, brands, washes and cuts to fit virtually every body and budget. On the downside, this also means that every couple of weeks, we're bombarded by a new "it" jean, a fabulous must have we absolutely must acquire. While it's opened up the doors to some fantastic options, it's also made buying denim downright confusing and complicated. This past week, we sent out to make some sense of it all, with the end result our first ever Denim Shoot Out - a two-part series on the big styles, cool cuts and hot lines coming out of the denim market. Read on!

Abercrombie - Recent celebrity sightings has put Abercrombie's jeans in the spotlight and it may very well be with good reason. At $75, they're fairly less expensive than most jeans on the market, yet offer every bit of the coolness and style as some of the big ticket options. The cut and washes are perfect for casual daytime or evening dressing, the type of item you'd wear with a slinky top and heels to a club, or with a hoodie and trainers for running errands around town. On the downside, nearly all of the styles have fairly low rises with a very snug fit that borderlines on annoying - perhaps because the jean itself is so rigid this makes it uncomfortable. After a day of wear, I want out of these jeans and into something mroe wearable.  Also, while they don't offer much stretch, they do somehow get saggy -which doesn't exactly offer benefit to the bottom line, so to speak. No less, a decent jean at a very good price. $75, available at abercrombie.com, all retail locations.

AG - A great basic jean at a fantastic price point – $130 retail (even cheaper if you can find a good code!). The fit is sexy – snug and cut to hug the body. This is a jean that seems to fare best true to size or slightly larger, but not ideal if you want super slouchy due to its slightly curvy, form-fitting cut. For a bit of booty, try the Legend. A boyish figure may work better with the Angel. Generally 33" inseam - may not be ideal for taller figures. Good, basic pocket placement - flattering on most types. About $130, the quality is good for the price. Widely available offline and online - Shopbop.com, eluxury.com, revolveclothing.com, most brick & mortar stores.

American Eagle - One of the most worn and worked with jeans in my closet is a pair of $32 lightly destroyed jeans from this store. For inexpensive denim, American Eagle is a great option - nice washes, decent materials, but best of all, incredible price points - at $50 max, it's almost impossible to go wrong in this store, plus they'll take a beating AND wear well (my pair has been washed and worn like crazy, yet still looks amazing!). Our favorite was the "boyfriend jean" for it's straight cut (flattering, but hard to find in an era of body sculpted styles). $40 - $50. Available at AE.com and in retail stores.

Antik - This novelty style hit the scene this past winter and has grabbed tons of fans as a result, but we weren't entirely convinced. The cut, materials and washes are nice - it's available in dark or light denim hues to give a few options. The shape is a bit curvy (wide in the hip, snug in the jean, flared at the bottom) so for some body types, these jeans will be very flattering. However, the problem we had was with the pockets - they're large and placed low, which historically isn't the most flattering, even with the best of booty. Add to it that the noisy detailing draws attention to the rear, and this may not be the ideal combination. On the plus side, It's 34" inseam is great for longer lengths, though shorter girls should use caution - if you take too much off at the bottom, there's a risk of breaking the line and it'll make you look stumpy (keep 'em as long as you can and wear with a heel). The price is staggering - $200! Not the best range for a novelty jean. Sizing appears to run a bit small - try before you buy if possible. Available at Revolveclothing.com, Shoptangerine.com, higher end offline boutiques.

Blue Cult - Blue Cult hit the scene in 2002 as one of the hot, new sexy jeans – curvy cut, snug but comfortable fit, great washes. Today, it's still a popular buy and generally well worth what you pay. The line is great if you either have curves or need them – especially the basic five pocket style, which works on a lot of figures. At the lower prices, this jean is comparable to others on the market but some of the more expensive offerings don’t seem worth the price for the materials (though if it’s a jean that fits so well you’ll get a ton of use, by all means!). On the downside, most Blue Cult have very short inseams and don't work well for taller girls, though for shorter girls, this is one jean that you can alter without having to worry about breaking the line - in fact, some may not need alterations at all. The pocket placement on most styles is good, though some are without pockets, which is said to help "create" booty if you lack in the area but can look a bit dated. About $130 - $165 depending on style. Available on Shopbop.com, Blaec.com, Revolveclothing.com, most offline department stores.

Citizens of Humanity (COH) - Shortly after the hey day of Seven jeans, one of its designers branched away and formed COH, which offers jeans that build on much of what made Seven great - only with slightly different cuts and simplier washes. COH jeans work well with a wide range of body types - curvy, slim, tall, petite, and are ideal for women of all ages because the rises aren't too low but nothing's too fussy to make you feel older or dated. Fans of the jeans rave about the Ingrids and Faye styles, both of which can be found in a range of washes so that there's a bit of something for everybody. We found this jean to be particularly ideal for older women, mostly due to the cut but also with the style - they're nice, neutral but current, the type of jeans you can live in and look completely stylish. Quality is very reasonable for the price - this is a great basic brand that can work with everything. $130 and up, available on Activeendeavors.com, Shopbop.com; most offline department stores.

Chip & Pepper – If the denim family had a rocker, wild child sibling in its mix, it’d have to be Chip & Pepper. The line is made up of sexy, slinky cuts, low rises, cool materials with distressed washes that work well with a wide range of styles despite the tough girl vibe.  The Pamela and Sorority Girl are among the most popular – Sorority Girl was our overall favorite for fit and style, while many C&P fans recommended the Traveller for curvier body types. All appear to have decent pocket placement, though a few appeared to be a bit on the wide side (not a favorite for flattering the backside). Prices vary from $165 and up, though we personally didn’t find the quality/feel to be completely amazing for the price – use a code if you can. Sizing can be tricky - some run small, others large. Try before you buy if you can. Available on eluxury.com, shopbop.com, activeendeavors. Offline, most high end boutiques, some department stores.

Diesel - A friend in Europe says Diesel's one of the hottest jeans, but here in the U.S., it's as if we haven't jumped on board. They're popular, but almost like a well kept secret - sexy, well made jeans with great washes and cool styles, but not something that keeps turning up on Jessica Simpson and Paris in Us Weekly every week. From a quality standpoint, we were happy - all styles seemed to have great materials, rigid but not stiff, well made, nice washes and distressing. The problem? Sizing. We found this brand to be a bit difficult to get right - some styles fit super snug without the certainty of stretching with wear, some pockets appeared small and unflattering, and cuts varied. Definitely try before you buy if possible. $140 - $190. Available at Shopbop.com, Nordstroms.com, select offline department stores.

Earnest Sewn - Long ago, Paper, Denim and Cloth had a jean that was rigid but soft, in cool washes with cuts that were absolutely designed to hug a woman's body. Years later, they reworked the formula a bit to offer some variation, but that old school style never left the minds of many due to the sexy, flattering style. Happily, the designer behind the PDC line branched away and formed a new company, Earnest Sewn, which brought back that original PDC vibe. The line is comprised of a variety of hip, kickback washes with minimal wiskering and distressing, kind of like a grown up, sexy basic. Cuts are much like the old PDC and current Antik offerings - wide in the hip, snug through the thigh, slightly boot cut at the ankle, which can be great for enlongating the body. However, short girls will again need to use caution - taking too much off a jean with this type of cut can break the line and make you look stumpy. Given this, keep them as long as possible and wear with a heel. This jean was also not ideal sized up or slouchy for any body type - order your true size and keep 'em long and lean. Prices are steep! $180-190 range, depending on where you buy, though truthfully, not bad for the overall fit and quality. Available at shopbop.com, activeendeavors.com, revolveclothing.com; some offline stores.

Farmer Industry - The gals at Label-LA.com mentioned these to us not long ago, and given that the site has two incredible buyers, we decided to take a peek. What we found are cute, ultra hip washes in basic styles that can go the extra mile for either night or day, plus a few fun "western" styles that give a tiny bit of a novelty vibe. Our favorite was the "flapjack" style on Label-LA's site - cool patch pockets on the back that are well placed and look great (similar to Hudson's line), much like the True Religion or Hudson options but still relatively unheard of and unique. The fit is sexy and flattering, though some styles seem to have lower placed pockets, which isn't ideal for most booty, so use caution when buying (Label-LA has fit tips included in product descriptions - yay!). One thing to note - this brand stretches significantly with wear, and though they'll snap back into shape after a washing, you may want to considering sizing down one to accommodate. Word on the street has also been to use caution with your first few washes to avoid dying the other items in the bin - wash alone or with like colors. $150 - $180, decent for the price. Available at Activeendeavors.com, Label-LA.com.

Frankie B - Frankie B is notorious for it's sexy, sassy denim and without question, you're not going to be disappointed with this brand if that's what you're looking for in a jean. The cuts are fierce - super low, super snug, super sexy, ideal whether your tall or short (though we find that they're hottest with a pair of hot heels). When it comes to washes, this line absolutely marches to its own beat - darker hues, virtually no distressing and destroyed styles (though some whiskering), again with a ton of sex appeal. The line's novelty styles adorable and sweet but with just enough sass to keep them a bit vampy - something you don't usually see with novelty jeans. On the downside, we found some of the pocket detailing to be a bit juvinile and a few washes appeared to look cheap, even despite the high price paid. With the super low rise, however, this isn't a jean for everybody - but it's great if you've got a killer bod regardless of your age. $150-ish, not a bad buy for the quality but we'd wait for a sale. Available at Revolveclothing.com, coco-delilah.com; select offline boutiques.

Joe's - If you tried Joe's jeans years ago and hated them, try them again today. The company reworked its line a year or two ago, churning out a bunch of new cuts and styles that work with a larger number of body types - much different from the old days where finding a flattering pair was difficult. Our favorite was the Socialite, which was a very basic style that had a sexy fit, working well for either a curvier or slim body, but lots of raves came in for the Provocateur for petite shapes. The washes weren't a favorite - a little over processed for our liking, though not awful - comparbile to a lot of the hot jeans on the market, so they're not uncool or dated. Lots of adorable new novelty styles - we loved the embroidered style this season (though it's staggering price turns us away for that type of piece). Prices range from $140 - $200, keep it as low as possible because the quality is good but not amazing. Available at goclothing.com, revolveclothing.com, shopbop.com; offline stores and boutiques.

Coming next week! Part II of our Denim Shoot Out, including James, Japan Rags, Meli Melo, Paige and more!