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How jeans conquered the world (2012)

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Re: How jeans conquered the world (2012)

#91

Post by ashark »

djtriptych wrote: post #81
pitaj wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you never sweat? Are the jeans antimicrobial or something?

I've done basically the same thing. Definitely passes the sniff test - somehow there's not much of a difference. Not sure if oil from the skin ends up becoming a antimicrobial agent over time?

FWIW mine need a wash after ~4-6 wearings or they smell. I haven't tried the vodka-spritzing trick I've read about, though, which may let them go longer.

How they're stored probably affects it some. I have better results hanging them up rather than letting them sit on the floor, even if I'm just going to put them back on the next morning.

Re: How jeans conquered the world (2012)

#92

Post by colbyh »

dualogy wrote: post #32
Kalium wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would suggest a modicum of caution. That price point is impressively competitive with Levi's while promising extensive customization. That's a potential warning sign. You might be better served looking at http://companiondenim.com/

Or maybe Levi's is just "comparatively overpriced" to pay for the brand/image, their extensive advertising and their world-wide dealer/distro network, whereas the other you pay for a website and .. the customization? Who knows, two ways of looking at such things =)

as someone who has been obsessed with clothing and its manufacture (especially denim) for more than a decade - Levis is far from that. they aren't the best quality for your dollar at full price, but they are by far the best quality at their price point.

you can spend a bit more ($~150) and get a pair of jeans that are way better than a pair of Levis at ~$60, but if all you want to spend is $60 you really won't find a better quality*. Uniqlo, however, comes very close.

[1] - There are some brands that do business via preorder that will provide better quality at a similar price (Gustin comes to mind). They are covering their risk up front though (which is very different than retail and even more different than custom) and even then those companies will often end up losing money on their cheaper pairs.

Re: How jeans conquered the world (2012)

#93

Post by throwaway12a123 »

dualogy wrote: post #82
icc97 wrote: post #44

When 90% of the people around you are all wearing some shade of blue jeans, its a bit the same as everybody driving around in cars in some shade of grey (which they do at least in Belgium). That is, it's just really boring. Colour is one of the few things we've got to express ourselves, so it's a shame we don't use it more.

> Colour is one of the few things we've got to express ourselves Oh people find all other sorts of mildly yawnworthy ways "to express themselves", from oddly-placed piercings to full-face tattoos to half-baldshaved-half-manbun hairdos to oh-so-snowflake band t-shirts to rainbow-colored socks... among all the noise and clutter, "more colorful pants" wouldn't particularly stand out to me as expressive, whereas by now a…

Ah, Normcore.

Re: How jeans conquered the world (2012)

#94

Post by [deleted] »

Nav_Panel wrote: post #59
wutbrodo wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh please. Virtue signalling is a useful topic, but it gets really tiresome to see people who just discovered the concept run around and excitedly apply it to everything, like a child with a new toy. The downside of higher quality clothing (money) is obvious: it's the upside that needs explaining. Fashion is the prototypical example of signaling, and quality as held separate from fashion has a couple minor advantages…

I think there are other reasons to dress well other than just signaling. I personally find psychological benefits to dressing nicely -- I feel much more industrious and "ready-to-work" when I wear a nice outfit to work compared to tshirt/jeans/sneakers, plus I get a nice "switch" effect when I get home and can take it all off. Similarly, I feel more prepared to exercise when I switch into my exercise clothes, even th…

[deleted]

Re: How jeans conquered the world (2012)

#95

Post by woobar »

squeaky-clean wrote: post #63
nightski wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The quality difference would have to be substantial. I bring in a very high income for my area, and the thought of spending $300-$400 on a single pair of jeans is pretty out there. An $80 pair of jeans, which will often be on sale for $40-$50 will last me for 2-3 years and are of average quality. It seems to me like one would have to justify these jeans on the fashion/novelty aspect, and not quality/value as it just…

Prices aren't always so high. I think $150-200 is more common, and there's even ones like Unbranded that run $80-120 (and go on sale too). It's still a bit more than regular jeans, but I like jeans a lot, and I spend more time wearing jeans than I do playing Xbox or something, so I don't mind spending more on my favorite pair of jeans. Another particular reason people love raw denim is the high contrast fades that ma…

I wonder how this picture (captioned "Daily wear riding motorcycles") works with the common american attitude of washing their clothes after wearing them just once?

I know some people will wear jeans two/three times before washing them, but changing clothes daily is still expected in the office environment. So you will need at least 5 different pairs to cycle through each week. At the end of the year each pair is worn ~60 times, and washed about I personally buy cheap $30 jeans, have ~10 in active rotation, only wear them on workdays and wash them all once a month. They last for years. I throw them away not because they are worn out, but because my preference changes. So for me all this talk about quality of the more expensive jeans doesn't ring true.

Re: How jeans conquered the world (2012)

#96

Post by dualogy »

throwaway12a123 wrote: post #93
dualogy wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Colour is one of the few things we've got to express ourselves Oh people find all other sorts of mildly yawnworthy ways "to express themselves", from oddly-placed piercings to full-face tattoos to half-baldshaved-half-manbun hairdos to oh-so-snowflake band t-shirts to rainbow-colored socks... among all the noise and clutter, "more colorful pants" wouldn't particularly stand out to me as expressive, whereas by now a…

Ah, Normcore.

Except in the big cities among the millenials, "normies" seem to become "the intriguing minority" by now =)

Re: How jeans conquered the world (2012)

#97

Post by csommers »

mmagin wrote: post #86
DaggerDagger wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

INb4 people talk about $300 jeans. These are jeans you only have one pair of, that you wear EVERY DAY. They are worth it but it's like buying a nice sports car or nice purse. It's the same thing. Invest in what you use all the time.

Do you wash them every night or what? Don't tell me about ridiculous things like not washing them or freezing them or something.

Nope. I was them when they get dirty, just like anything else.

Re: How jeans conquered the world (2012)

#98

Post by Kalium »

dualogy wrote: post #32
Kalium wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would suggest a modicum of caution. That price point is impressively competitive with Levi's while promising extensive customization. That's a potential warning sign. You might be better served looking at http://companiondenim.com/

Or maybe Levi's is just "comparatively overpriced" to pay for the brand/image, their extensive advertising and their world-wide dealer/distro network, whereas the other you pay for a website and .. the customization? Who knows, two ways of looking at such things =)

You're absolutely right! That's completely possible! Maybe made-to-measure can be done for a higher quality at the same price point by cutting out distribution, logistics, and branding to make up for the lack of economies of scale.

That said, there may also be some room to doubt this interpretation. I'm passingly familiar with the costs that go into producing quality jeans. The very short version is that while made-to-measure at high quality is absolutely possible, it cannot reliably be done at this price point. The labor and materials costs alone at low volumes will blow out the budget.

You're right! There are two ways of looking at such things. But as it happens, I'm someone who knows. When a market player diverges very significantly from every other player, it's very possible that they're simply outperforming everyone to a shocking degree... and it's also possible that they're dealing with the same tradeoffs as everyone else.

Re: How jeans conquered the world (2012)

#99

Post by antognini »

dualogy wrote: post #82
icc97 wrote: post #44

When 90% of the people around you are all wearing some shade of blue jeans, its a bit the same as everybody driving around in cars in some shade of grey (which they do at least in Belgium). That is, it's just really boring. Colour is one of the few things we've got to express ourselves, so it's a shame we don't use it more.

> Colour is one of the few things we've got to express ourselves Oh people find all other sorts of mildly yawnworthy ways "to express themselves", from oddly-placed piercings to full-face tattoos to half-baldshaved-half-manbun hairdos to oh-so-snowflake band t-shirts to rainbow-colored socks... among all the noise and clutter, "more colorful pants" wouldn't particularly stand out to me as expressive, whereas by now a…

I remember my anthropology teacher saying that people assert their uniqueness in culturally constrained ways: tattoos, piercings, dyed hair, etc. You never see someone rebel against mainstream culture by, say, slicing off their nose, scarring their face, or putting a stick through their cheeks. (The latter two, at least, are done in some other cultures.)

Re: How jeans conquered the world (2012)

#100

Post by garethsprice »

ilamont wrote: post #84

The thing that bothers me about buying jeans in the U.S. is the near-universal product segmentation based on 2-inch intervals for waist and inseam (32", 34", 36", etc.). It's rare to find jeans with a 33-, 35-, or 37-inch waist, or a 31" inseam. Because my measurements don't fit what's available in the stores, I often restock when traveling overseas.

Find a good local tailor, they can fix inseam/waist perfectly for $20 or so.
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