Fancy pants
We all have a favourite pair of jeans. But with prices that can range from $20 to $500, how much do you really need to spend on the perfect pair? Stylist and fashion writer Ingrie Williams is a denim fanatic who says she can be found wearing jeans 99 per cent of the time. When Williams is on the hunt for reasonably priced, good quality denim, her go-to stores are Levi’s, Gap, and more recently, Topshop, and the jeans she buys usually fall within the $80-120 range. Her current favourites are Levi’s straightcut wedgie jeans, which cost her around $100 plus tax, and a pair of wide leg white jeans from H&M that cost $40.
“You should shop what your budget allows. If you can splurge on a pair of $300 jeans that you love and fit you amazingly, then I think you should do that, because the cost per wear is going to be very beneficial,” says Williams. “But there’s lots of great denim on the market that’s in that $100-and-under range that looks just as good.” While it may seem like a smarter financial decision to opt for the pair that costs $40 over a pair that will set you back $100, if the pricier jeans keep their shape and colour longer, they’re clearly a better buy. And if you’re looking to really splurge with a $200 to $400 pair, make sure to pick a classic style that will remain a staple in your wardrobe for years.
But cost and fit aren’t the only factors to consider. Jo Jin, a Toronto-based stylist, says that in some cases, jeans may be pricier if they’re ethically and sustainably produced, and this would make paying a bit more worth it. The denim industry is notorious for being unsustainable. According to a 2015 Levi’s study, 2,912 litres of water are used to produce an average pair of jeans, and many denim factories have also been caught dumping dyes and chemicals into surrounding bodies of water. But now, there are more and more brands — including Everlane, Outland and the Quebec-made Yoga Jeans — that have adopted sustainable production practices.
The bottom line? You don’t need to spend a fortune to get a good pair of jeans — just invest some time in looking for that perfect pair for you.