Denim Dilemma

WARNING: If you are someone who shakes their head in disdain at people who spend $200 on a pair of jeans, do not read this post. It will irritate you.

Several posts ago I talked about finding this amazing pair of jeans at Saks that I fell in love with, didn't buy, and then forgot the name of the brand. They were at our lovely Minneapolis Saks Off Fifth (the outlet version of Saks - the only Saks we are lucky enough to have here in Minnesota).

Now, let me preface by saying that I love this store. It's my happy place. Zac Posen dresses for under $500, Juicy sweatsuits for half of what you would see at Macy's and amazing Stuart Weitzman stilettos for less than $200.

This weekend I ventured back to Saks to get my jeans. The brand was Fragile. I left the store with my jeans (and a set of Juicy pj's and a Nanette Lepore top) and was a happy camper....that is, until this morning when I Googled "Fragile denim".

Sears - $14.50
JC Penney - $40.00
Kohls - $21.99

I think I urped a little in my mouth.

Everybody has their "things" that they are willing to drop cash on. For my husband, it's his hunting stuff (rolling eyes). For one of my friends, it's hair products. For another friend, it's cooking supplies. For me, it's shoes, bags and jeans. Not clothing in general, but shoes, bags and jeans. I adore the favorite long sleeve t's from Gap, but I'm going to wear my $12 t-shirt with a pair of Joe's and (in the summer) Betsey Johnson stilettos. Throw in a vintage LV clutch and I'm good to go just about anywhere.

I loooooove a great - no, AMAZING - pair of jeans. My favorites are Joe's. TR's, R&R's, Sevens, Paige, J Brand...I just love them. The first time I slid my body into a pair of Sevens it was over. I never went back to buying regular jeans again. Nothing else could compare anymore to designer denim. Yes, I am one of those people that will drop $200 on a pair of jeans. Guilty, and I don't care an iota.

So, I'm sure you can picture the look on my face when I found out my great new jeans I bought at Saks were sold at discount stores. It didn't sit well. I immediately went upstairs to check the tag, thinking I HAD to have spelled the name wrong or something. I didn't.

At this point I'm calling myself a snotty brat in my head. Who cares what brand they are, right? (Right?) They fit well, right? Of course, armed with this new information, my head is telling me they do not fit as well as I thought they did.

Now I'm sitting here wanting to return them. First, I feel bamboozled by Saks. Lesson learned - apparently the Saks outlet does not always carry "Saks" quality items. Second, I'm feeling a bit like a label whore, but I'm kind of okay with that. But third, and most importantly, am I losing my radar for nice things? Why would a pair of cheap jeans even appeal to me? I need a minute.

-------

I went back upstairs and tried them on again. These jeans are great. I have not lost my radar. I did a closer inspection of the top button closure and the back pocket in the pictures of the cheaper "Fragile" jeans I found online - neither of these things are the same as on the "Fragile" jeans I bought. Normally these are tell-tale brand identifiers.

Knowing what I know about fashion and retail I'm going to assume one of five things in this situation:
1. This brand first started selling at a high price-point to Saks, but then decided to make a cheaper product to sell to the masses and Saks stopped carrying them. Hence, they are now at the Saks outlet.
2. Vice-versa the above situation. They started out at mass-marketers and then went high-end. Happens often (ie Coach - for those of us that actually remember when Coach bags cost less than $100. I will spare you all my "I hate Coach" rant).
3. These are possibly two different brands with the same name.
4. There was a knock-off brand created before the higher-end "Fragile" denim had a chance to get off the ground. Also happens all the time.
5. A Saks buyer made a boo-boo and is possibly now unemployed.

All of this thought over a pair of jeans. Bet you all don't want to live in MY head.

I'm keeping them, by the way.