Are You Buying Cheap Denim?

Your boy is back! Domo aka Mr. ShoeAcidal bka that dude aka chocolate biceps aka is that Tyrese. So, recently I upgraded my jean game. Before I talk about the amazing pair of jeans I purchased, let me give you a little history. I have no clue on denim.. There I said it. I was and still am, ignorant to the world of denim.

Until recently, I probably never paid over 80 bucks for a pair of jeans. My jeans also fit like crap and never really went well with my slim fit / preppy style. I am gifted and cursed with a muscular build. What does this mean… I look great in swim wear, but finding pants/shirts that fit me that aren’t tailored is, well.. ummm a no go.

My waist is a 31, but my thighs don’t allow me to squeeze into a 31 waist jeans, so I normally have to slide up to a 34-36 jean just to suit my thighs/butt, but this leaves me with a 3-4 inch gap in my waist line and “THAT’S THAT SHIT I DON’T LIKE”

Anyways.. so, I started reading and came across tons of articles on denim. This is when I found out about premium denim. Did you know that there are people in the world who only have 2-4 pairs of jeans? What! I have 20 pairs of shitty jeans in my closet right now! lol..

So, flush with information I mosey my way to Nordstroms to try on some brands. I try on A.P.C. and instantly love the look, but they felt was the worst. They felt like sandpaper, were short in length and my thighs wanted to bust out of them. Nudies were the same and this particular Nordstroms didn’t have any “Naked and Famous”  for me to try… Shit this sucks.

The next day Mrs. ShoeAcidal and I head over to a denim bar in D.C. I try on some 3sixteen jeans and boom.. perfect fit! I probably won’t buy another pair of jeans again. However, once they break in, I’ll take them to my tailor to fit my waist a little better.

These are my most expensive jeans and I would have never thought of spending so much on jeans, but this is the first time I feel comfortable in jeans. See the picture below for the jeans (no that’s not me in the picture, but our styles are similar)

Here are some fun facts about denim:

• Most good jeans come in a single inseam length (somewhere between 34″ and 38″)
• Raw/Dry: These mean the same thing. The denim has never been washed, and has likely received a little bit of special treatment. The dye is generally dark and even, so that you can fade them yourself
• Selvedge: This means that the denim was made on an old-style shuttle loom unlike cheap mass-produced denim.
• Know if the jeans you want are sanforized. Sanforized jeans (most jeans) will not shrink a crazy amount in the wash. They’ll lose maybe 1″ or 1.5″ in the waist and inseam.
• If you want sharp high contrast fades, try wearing raw denim for at least 3-6 months before you wash them.
• Raw/Dry denim takes time to break in and form to your body.
• Premium denim can last your 6x longer than cheaper denim.

How many pairs of jeans do you own? Do you think it’s worth buying 2 premium pairs of jeans and getting rid of all your other ones? What’s your favorite pair of jeans? What’s the most you’ll pay for jeans?