May 12, 2010

CHEAP DENIM V/S DESIGNER DENIM.



 IS IT WORTH IT?

A section from a denimblog i usually keep myself updated with. personally i really feel these designer denims are worth each penny.
 This post is inspired by this video featured on ABC about the great debate of premium denim. In the video they talk to experts, poll people on the street and do durability tests to examine if there really is a difference between premium and regular denim. Their conclusion is yes, there’s some difference but it’s not worth the price tag of the premium jeans. However, I certainly don’t think that it is a very accurate assessment of what premium denim is all about!
Fit: Personally, I’ve never found a pair of jeans that fits me as well as designer denim does. I am 5′11″, so I frequently have trouble finding jeans that are long enough, and even some store’s “long” cuts were still too short for me.  Premium pairs also have a wider variety of fits, like Cookie Johnson’s line, CJ by Cookie Johnson, which is meant to fit a curvier woman.
Quality: Although a larger price tag doesn’t always equal better quality, when it comes to premium jeans, frequently it can. In the video, they attempt to disprove that there is a difference between the wear-and-tear of premium and non-premium jeans. I’d say that typically this is inaccurate. The video shows only short term wear-and -tear, not over the the life of the jean. I’ve had some of my Citizens of Humanity and Seven for All Mankind jeans since I was in high school (over 8 years ago!) and they’re still in my daily jean rotation. I also was big into Gap jeans in high school but those pairs are long gone. The larger price on these jeans can mean you’re getting higher quality fabrics, like Japanese denim. These materials get softer and mold to your body as you continue to wear them, lending to the quality of the garment.
Price: This is the bottom line for the video and many consumers. With price tags in the mid $100s and higher, they are expensive. However, with exceptional quality and fit, buying a pair of premium jeans is an investment. For a great fitting pair of jeans that you’ll wear 2x a week for 4 years, at $200 a pop, it ends up being less than 50 cents a wear.  Plus, with the increase of flash sale sites, such as Rue La La and Hautelook, it’s easy to get a pair of premium jeans for under $100, the online sales are always great as well.