Are Expensive Jeans really Worth it?

Lacoste Low Rise Jean – $130.00 vs Men’s Authentics by Levi’s Straight Leg – $19.99

How much is too much for a pair of jeans?  We’ve all seen that the designer brands can get ridiculously expensive, while other lesser knowns are dirt cheap.  Someone walking into Barney’s in New York City could easily lay down a couple hundred bucks for a pair of denim, while at the same time some fella in Roanoke scoured the clearance rack at Sears and walked away with a pair of Wranglers for $14.99.

But what’s the difference?  And if there is one, is it really that big?

We took two pairs and put them head to head.  The bargain brand at Target, and the top of the line at our Macy’s.

Here’s how they stacked up:

WINNER:

Yep.  Gap.  Or, real Levi’s.  Not their lower brand available at Target.  Spend the extra $15 and get yourself some 501s.  Although the pair from Lacoste wiped the floor with the Target brand, they’re just too damn expensive and the fit wasn’t quite right.  The color was perfect.  You have to give the Lacoste pair that.  Deep, dark, inky Navy.  With just enough white threads showing up in the mix that it almost looked like a super-subtle birds-eye pattern.  And the stitching was also deep blue, so… it all kind of blended together.  Which is nice.  But you do get the feeling that you’re paying for that Croc.  “Designed in France” but Made in Morocco?  C’mon.

The Targert Levi’s were cheap, and felt cheap.  The zipper seemed like some sort of medieval torture device, and the fabric just didn’t feel quite right.  The cut was really bad, and almost made it feel like you were wearing a diaper.

Better to just find something in-between.  Because maybe it’d be worth saving up $130 for a pair made in the US.  But until that day comes, we’ll stick with the Gap Authentic Fit.