$200 Jeans?

[disneysteve]

There must be something wrong with me.

I was having a conversation with two male friends yesterday. Somehow the topic of jeans came up. One guy says, "I just spent a bunch to get 2 new pairs of jeans for work." The other guys says, "What'd you spend $200 each?"

I'm thinking - EXCUSE ME! $200 for a pair of pants! Are you insane?

The first guy said he didn't spend quite that much. He went to Macy's and they were originally $200 but they were on sale and he had some coupon so "only" paid like $140/pair.

Again, I'm thinking - EXCUSE ME! $140 for a pair of pants! Are you insane?

I kept my mouth shut and didn't say what I was thinking. I think the most I have ever paid for a pair of pants was about $40 (not counting buying a suit where I suppose the pants are over $100 of the total price) and I don't usually spend that much.

Has it really become that common for people to spend triple digits on jeans? No wonder everybody is broke.

[kork13]

To some extent it depends. There are some differences in quality of the denim & construction that does drive up the cost of some jeans. I think I've seen 3 general price points for jeans: $25-$50, $70-$100, and $150+. Quality between the lowest set and the mid-range set are notably different. Although I've never personally gotten any jeans higher than $40-$50, I can see why people do get them. As for the most costly jeans..... No idea. Brand obviously is a big player here, and at that point, companies will charge whatever they feel like they can get away with. Beyond that, I can't really say... I guess I'll simply say that people will pay through the nose to make themselves look good (whether in their own eyes or in the eyes of everyone else), but at least for me, there is a definite limit to that.

[moneybags]

I'll admit, I've been tempted. I live in my jeans, and it's not always easy to find the perfect fit. I haven't spent over $40 on jeans, yet...

[LuckyRobin]

My husband's jeans are expensive, but they have to be fire retardant as well as heavy duty for an arctic environment. He's still not paying that much per pair.

[disneysteve]

I'll admit, I've been tempted. I live in my jeans, and it's not always easy to find the perfect fit. I haven't spent over $40 on jeans, yet...

I liked your post better before you edited it.

[rennigade]

I was in nordstrom rack the other day with my wife and was checking out the mens section. They had many jeans on "sale" for $150. I decided to try a pair on just to see how they were. They were by far the most comfortable jeans I ever put on. Of course I didnt buy them because I can get 4-5 pairs of jeans that are good enough for that price.

Im not sure how they would wash or the longevity of them...I can only go by how the fit/felt...and they were nice.

I wear jeans everyday to work...so each year I usually buy 4-5 new pairs and get rid of some that are wore out.

If the $150 pair could guarantee they will not wear out for the next 5 years I may consider it. Although it still wouldnt stop me from spilling stuff and possibly ruining them.

[scfr]

My husband's jeans are expensive, but they have to be fire retardant as well as heavy duty for an arctic environment. He's still not paying that much per pair.

When there is a legitimate safety issue involved, paying more always makes sense.
Even if he did have to pay $200 per pair, for your husband I'd say that expense was 100% a NEED.

On the other hand, if a guy was paying $200 per pair for jeans just for the sake of fashion, I'd say that the portion of the cost that would cover a basic decent quality pair (maybe $40?) was the NEED portion, and the difference ($160?) was the WANT portion of the purchase.

To answer the original question, no I can't imagine paying that much, but then again I'm about a 2 on a vanity scale of 1 to 10. I buy one or two pair of jeans a year off the pallet at Costco.

[scfr]

Quality between the lowest set and the mid-range set are notably different.

This is often the case, isn't it, whether it's a low-priced item like jeans or a high-priced item like a car or even a house? Up to a certain point, you are paying more for quality or safety features, but beyond a certain point you start paying more just for "bells, whistles, brand name, or other luxury upgrades."

[disneysteve]

I was in nordstrom rack the other day with my wife and was checking out the mens section.

I wandered into Nordstrom's once having never been in there and hearing everyone rave about the place. In the men's section, there was a metal rolling rack (the kind they use to bring out stock - except this was actually the display - very classy - not). Anyway, there were men's dress shirts on this rack. No packaging. Just shirts on hangars. I figured it must be the clearance or budget stuff. I looked at the shirts and they were nothing special. Then I checked the price tag - $225. Clearly the world has gone crazy. I buy my dress shirts at the Van Heusen outlet typically paying somewhere in the $17-20 range. Plus, they have a rewards program so I get back $10 for every $100 I spend and they send me coupons throughtout the year. So I could easily buy 10-12 shirts for what Nordstrom's was charging for one. Is their's better quality? Probably, but that still doesn't make it worth 10-12 times the price. I have a closet full of shirts that I've had for as long as 20 years that still look perfectly fine and I still wear on a regular basis. How much better quality could their's be?

[shaggy]

Has it really become that common for people to spend triple digits on jeans? No wonder everybody is broke.

Maybe you're just a little out of touch with what things cost? Manufacturers have discovered that they can charge just as much for casual clothes as they can for dressy clothes. I have to pay $100 a pair to get jeans that are a decent fit.

[disneysteve]

Maybe you're just a little out of touch with what things cost?

I think I realize what things can cost but that's no reason to spend that much.

You make it sound like I haven't bought clothes for a decade. Actually, just last year I updated a bunch of my wardrobe. We went to the outlets in Atlantic City and I spent almost $500. That got me I think 6 pairs of pants, a new suit, a couple of belts, a few dress shirts, and a couple of casual shirts. That sounds a lot better to me than only getting 3 pairs of jeans for the same amount of money.

[shaggy]

I think I realize what things can cost but that's no reason to spend that much.

You make it sound like I haven't bought clothes for a decade. Actually, just last year I updated a bunch of my wardrobe. We went to the outlets in Atlantic City and I spent almost $500. That got me I think 6 pairs of pants, a new suit, a couple of belts, a few dress shirts, and a couple of casual shirts. That sounds a lot better to me than only getting 3 pairs of jeans for the same amount of money.

I didn't mean to offend you or anything.

You're fortunate to be close to outlets. Where I live, the nearest outlet shopping is about 70 miles away, and the nearest Walmart-type store is about 30 miles away. Makes it hard to buy jeans at a discount. I'm pretty much stuck with Macys or Nordstroms.

[moneybags]

I liked your post better before you edited it.

Trying to keep things positive

[disneysteve]

I didn't mean to offend you or anything.

You're fortunate to be close to outlets. Where I live, the nearest outlet shopping is about 70 miles away, and the nearest Walmart-type store is about 30 miles away. Makes it hard to buy jeans at a discount. I'm pretty much stuck with Macys or Nordstroms.

No offense taken.

The outlet I'm referring to is 60 miles away. We go there 2 or 3 times a year and try to save most clothes shopping for then.

As for Walmart, we are surrounded by those. The nearest is 3 miles away. But we rarely by clothing there.

[shaggy]

No offense taken.

The outlet I'm referring to is 60 miles away. We go there 2 or 3 times a year and try to save most clothes shopping for then.

As for Walmart, we are surrounded by those. The nearest is 3 miles away. But we rarely by clothing there.

I'm car-free, so the downside of saving money on a car is not getting to an outlet. I should make more time to do things like go to the outlets to save money, but to be honest I'm lazy and would prefer to spend my free time on other things. I would have to say I'm not particularly frugal; I try to save 30% of my income, but I could definitely do better if I put my mind to it.