Get down and dirty, or at least look like it, for $425

Dirty is fashionable. Duh, you’re surely thinking. When haven’t showy displays of skin been stylish?

But we don’t mean dirty in a Kardashian way. We mean dirty in an unclean way. And not in a suburban grunge way. In a grimy way.

Mud is having a moment. It’s cool. Well, at least it’s costly.

Social media engaged in plenty of mud-slinging at Nordstrom’s faux-filthy PRPS Barracuda Straight Leg Jeans for men— pants painted to look like they’re covered in designer dirt.

“Heavily distressed medium-blue denim jeans in a comfortable straight-leg fit embody rugged, Americana workwear that’s seen some hard-working action with a crackled, caked-on muddy

coating that shows you’re not afraid to get down and dirty,” reads the description of the jeans (being worn by a model with clean, manicured hands and unsullied new shoes) on nordstrom.com.

Of course one would have to hit pay dirt in order to afford them. For these grubby jeans, the money-grubbing price tag is $425. I didn’t forget a decimal. They really cost over four-hundy! But, at least free shipping is included. And think of all that money you’ll save never buying detergent again.

(We’ll note, these are not even the most expensive men’s jeans at Nordstrom. Not even close. A man could buy two pairs of the Barracuda jeans — a relative bargain — for less than one pair of Givenchy Vintage Style Biker Jeans that cost $995, bike not included.)

Reebok ridiculed the garment, advertising its own $425 sweat-stained T-shirt: “Created by the hard working Reebok employees who always find time to sweat it out during the day. We’re putting in the hard work for you and giving you a pre-sweated tee for that post-workout look and smell.” What a gag! Meaning it was a sham, but still — eww! — gag!

But enough about Nordstrom. Other high-end retailers like Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus sell this PRPS denim brand too. What does PRPS even stand for? Pretty Ridiculous Prices, Sucker? We got to Googling PRPS, and the first thing we found was the tagline “Jeans Inspired By The Working Class.” Inspired by? Maybe. Priced for it? Never.

It’s like Mike Rowe, formerly of Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs, posted on social media about the fishy logic behind the Barracuda: “I offer further proof that our country’s war on work continues to rage in all corners of polite society. … Finally — a pair of jeans that look like they have been worn by someone with a dirty job … made for people who don’t.”

We discovered a story about PRPS founder Donwan Harrell, a former Nike designer who launched the brand in 2002. The PRPS initials don’t actually stand for anything, according to a 2011 interview with Canada’s ToroMagazine.com, in which he said, “Actually, the name represents purpose.” Ah, PRPS is purpose without the vowels. Who can afford to buy vowels after spending so much money on denim?

“Donwan single-handedly started the rise of the Japanese luxury denim jeans business in America,” according to prpsjeans.com, which sells mud versions of the Barracuda and an equally expensive medium-rise, slim style called the Demon. “He doesn’t simply just make washed & selvedge jeans Donwan constantly researches, selects premium denim and uses revolutionary washes that [have] changed the face of men’s fashion & celebrity fashion as we know it.”

Wait, those jeans are washed? Why even bother?

PRPS sells a women’s collection too. No dirt, at least not yet. Just lots of holes, bleach spots, patchwork and raw hems. One can buy the unflattering Rip and Repair Overall for $325. Of course a similar look could be achieved for much less. We’re thinking a $3.25 hardware store pair of disposable painter coveralls.

Not only do those serve a “prps,” they’re dirt-cheap.