Where to begin? This Wall Street Journal article earnestly extols the rise of denim. On men. In the workplace. Even men whose workplace is the highest public office — the presidency.

What packs the punch into a pair of power jeans? I'll let WSJ tell it:

Chosen well, jeans can suggest the wearer is confident and modern. Traditionally cut blue jeans carry a whiff of the laborer about them so denim on a leader suggests a willingness to roll up the sleeves and dig in.

A whiff of the laborer? So it's a populist thing? Yet it goes on to say that any old denim doth not a power jean make. Why not? Because it's all about fit and fade, tailoring and length. Men's Fashion Director Eric Jennings at Saks suggests men keep their power jeans "dark and straight." That means no acid wash (Russian President Medvedev), no skinny (Barack Obama), and no embroidery (Nicolas Sarkozy).

So how does a VIP know when to put the power jean to work? A high-end boutique says if you have to ask, it's a no go. Here's my advice: just don't do it.