Re “True Religion” & “7 for All Mankind” jeans. I’m kind of curious as to what the design and construction elements are that make them worth that kind of money. Are they really that fabulous?
There’s no question that the prices they attach to ‘good jeans’ are faintly ridiculous. HOWEVER, there is also no question that all jeans are not equal, and just like any other type of clothing, such as a suit or a coat, a good pair can look dramatically better than something that costs you 50 quid.
The quality of the cloth and the thread, the cut, and the weathering treatments they give all make a difference. For instance, the better quality jeans are worn on the front and back - so the front and back are lighter in colour than the sides - which has the effect of slimming the look of your legs.
Considering the amount of wear the average pair of jeans gets, it really is worth the extra cash. The French judge how much to spend on clothing on how much wear an item will get - so a coat may cost $800 but if you’re wearing it every day for six months, then the wear/price value is low, so it’s worth it. Same goes for jeans.
Whatever you may think, cheap jeans make you look shit.
Sorry, that sounds like I’ve totally contradicted myself. What I meant to say is that the 200$ jeans really do look and feel much much better than cheaper alternatives, but I also realise that they overcharge for them. My father is a recently retired clothing manufacturer who is highly critical of the way designer labels con the consumer. He made riding clothes under his own brand and also relabelled for brand such as Burberry, Gucci and Harrods. With a simple label change, these brands charged 2-3 times what my father’s own brand charged for the exact same product.
Now, if we could find who actually makes these jeans and get them at a fairer price, then we’d be laughing. Sadly, I think the designer labels have the market sewn (ha!) up, and that’s why they can get away with the prices. If someone can recommend a brand that’s half the price but just as great, then please tell me. Until then, I will, resentfully, keep handing over $200 a time ( I wear Hudsons, BTW).
I’ve got one pair of jeans from a similar company and they are the best pair of pants I’ve ever owned. The cut is perfect. They hang exactly how I want them to when I’m standing or sitting and the material feels much better than any other jeans I’ve owned. They’re also durable. I’ve had them for 4 and a half years and they have held their shape perfectly. I want a pair of Rock and Republic jeans, but the only places around here that sell them are women’s clothing stores.
Spending $300 on a pair of jeans makes you look like you have more money than sense.
I’ll keep my Levi’s, AND my remaining $250.
Like I said, I spent $170 on a pair of jeans over 4 years ago. I’m already down to $4x a year for that pair and they show no signs of wearing out. My Abercrombie, Hollister, Levi’s, etc. jeans might make it to 2 years, but they’re beat to hell at that point and stretch and shrink between washes.
What makes them worth that much?
The fact that some idiots will pay that much. PT Barnum was right.
Basically this. It’s a triumph of marketing. I’ve never seen a pair of $300 jeans that looked 6x better on someone than a $50 pair.
You should know: I’m a 20 year old male, and the only appeal fashion has to me is in attracting women. And I’m pretty cheap, overall.
I find jeans that look good, and don’t cost a mint. I wont pay more than 60 bucks for a really, really good pair of jeans. And that’s only if I need a pair right then. I normally have 2-3 extra pair of jeans sitting around, unworn, for when one of my current pair falls down a rung (I have 3-4 rungs of jeans, depending on how worn/durable they are).
The trick is, don’t go buying clothing when you need it. Keep an eye out, from time to time stop in a store, and check what they’ve got. A lot of times, they’ll have stuff that fits you when you don’t need it, you can pick it up and just work it into your wardrobe when you do need it. Presto change-o, your 300 jeans just cost you 80 bucks, because they’re not the fancy pants (Ha!) brand, but they’re the same cut.
I received a pair of “7 for All Mankind” jeans as a gift one year. They reminded me of nothing so much as cheap-o off-brand jeans - crappy stitching, and a bizarre fit.
I wore them only on days when I had no intent of going outside, because even though they were allegedly my size, I couldn’t avoid plumber butt, even with a belt. This wasn’t an issue for very long, as within 2 months the band of denim at the top (to which the belt-loops attached) started to separate from the rest of them, and they went into the bin.
While I can admit that “1” isn’t an ideal sample size if you want statistically-significant data, my personal answer to the question posed by the OP remains “Not a damned thing!”
I can believe there’s a big difference between a $15 pair of jeans and a $75 pair of jeans. That’s about the limit to which quality of materials and construction can take you. Beyond that, it’s only branding.
Thus, I do not believe there can be a big difference between a $75 pair of jeans and a $300 pair of jeans.
You’re at least 6 years behind the times. You can get them for $30 at Marshalls. Anyway it’s just marketing, which is why you can now get True Religion and 7 jeans for so cheap if you know where to shop. Denim aficionados do look for some things like selvedge but it’s overwhelmingly marketing and branding.
Really? I have had Levis last for years. One pair I wore for at least 4 years and handed down to my daughter. However, I have had friends swear to me that expensive jeans are cut better, but I’m too cheap to find out.
The fit is better with Citizens which is my jean buying choice these days. But I have owned most labels Desiel, 7s, Paige, RR, TR and generally they all have nice cuts and details to me and they hang better and last longer.
As for crappy stitching, you may have gotten a pair of irregulars (which is what made it to Marshall’s 3 years ago). As for the ‘bizarre fit’, it’s called low rise, and it’s definitely not for everyone.
A pair of jeans is worth its weight in gold if they look great and feel great. They’re worth nothing if they don’t. It’s a highly individual and subjective thing. I like Sevens, I like Joe’s, I like Hudsons. I also like Express, I’m not proud. And I don’t like True Religion, they just don’t work on me.
As for “they look like you have more money than sense”, well, I think the same about the iPhone, but I don’t feel the need to get all self-righteous about it. I have no doubt that every single person here spends their money on something that someone else thinks is ridiculous.
I really, really don’t have a ‘jeans’ type of figure (read - I have a curvy ass and IMHO jeans look crap on curvy women - great on those with more athletic builds).
Anyhoo - I still like to try to wear jeans once and a while to be fashionable and all that; however, I always said I would NEVER spend mega $$ on them 'cus really, what’s the point - they’re not going to look good anyway.
Then I was a in a jeans shop and the gal gave me a pair of 7s to try on. Well now. Had I known my ass could look that fabulous in a pair of jeans, I just would have bought the friggin’ things years ago and saved myself a crap load of time and effort and angst with crap fitting jeans. Now when I’m shopping I just grab those first to try and save myself hours in the change room - well worth the $180 price tag. My time has value too, and not having to spend it trying to deal with muffin tops and camel toes and all sorts of other crap is worth it.
And of course I have more money than brains, horribly shallow, etc, etc…
I’ve never found a pair of jeans that fit well and look great, because I am short and squat. Every pair I put on has to be hemmed, drastically. I don’t even know why I bother, but once in a while I have to wear them and I end up wearing my old pregnancy jeans (!) with the side buttons. Covered up with a longish top, of course. The bottoms of these jeans are in fine shape. … But now I’m curious about the expensive ones, I’ll go try some on to see for myself. If they do look good, I may even splurge and get a few tops that don’t cover up my butt.
Those are active websites for the respective companies I linked to. I’m assuming those are current retail prices even if some are available as remainders or seconds at discount houses.
My brand is Apple Bottoms. I wish they had a classics line, since they’re extremely hyper-trendy and so now it’s all skinny jeans, skinny jeans and skinny jeans (I prefer bootcut and nice trouser legs). But they’re the only dang ones that actually fit my butt, since I have a 15" difference between my waist and my hip measurements.
If I take the effort to, I can find decent pairs at TJ Maxx. Even full price, though, they’re worth it (about $70-100).
In reading more about these jeans the primary market seems to be mainly adult women with curves (and some gay men) who like the fact that they are quite specifically cut and crafted to make your rear end look good (which is worth something).