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Archive for February, 2008

Are we all just label whores?

Check out the following interesting blog we stumbled across. What’s your take on what this blogger has to say about designer denim and other designer goods?

A recent headline in our local paper announced that a retail store in a local upscale mall had been raided by police. Apparently they were selling fake designer clothing. As I read this story I wondered if other people were struck by the same thoughts as I had.

First, the idea of paying $300 for a pair of jeans just so you can have Dolce and Gabbana displayed across your butt seems ludicrous to me. The fake jeans were, according to the article, “almost indistinguishable from the real thing; you’d have to know what to look for”. Then what, exactly, are people paying the $300 for? I mean, if I can find a pair of jeans that looks the same, feels the same, wears the same and is worth less than a third of the cost - (and we know they’re all made in the same overseas sweatshops) then what is all that extra money for?

Advertising is expensive, right? And yet people willingly turn themselves into walking billboards by displaying logos on their clothing. If you knew it cost a company $5,000 to paint their logo on the side of a car, wouldn’t you feel cheated that you had to pay THEM for the privilege of wearing their logo on your personage?

Ask folks why they wear this stuff and they’ll say they want to appear fashionable, cool, as having good taste. But really, let’s be honest here. It’s a status symbol. Having a Louis Vuitton purse apparently screams “I have so much money I can blow $5000 on a purse”. More likely it says “I’m so insecure that I blew $5000 I didn’t really have in order to impress people”.

What I also find interesting is that people willingly seek out designer fakes. It’s huge business all around the developed world. The better the fake, the more people want it. What this says to me is that people aren’t buying the real stuff for any other reason than to impress others and if they can find a good fake that won’t be apparent they are more than happy to don the fake item and save their money.

The headline story read as though a grievous crime had been committed. But I think the joke is on the consumers. AFAIC, anybody who is shallow enough to spend ten times the money on an article of clothing simply because of the name deserves to be fleeced if they can’t even figure out that the fake they bought is fake (after all, if it’s truly an issue of quality then shouldn’t it be obvious? I don’t know much about designers but I can hold a cheap suit next to a Zegna suit and feel right away that there’s a big difference). I also think the people making the fakes should be quietly applauded for revealing the ridiculousness of the whole designer label industry. The fact that good fakes require trained detectives to distinguish them from the real thing and the low cost of making those fakes is a blatant revelation of the fleece job consumers are subjected to by the pricing of these designer items. Those $300 jeans likely cost no more to make than the $150 fakes did (which are already marked up by about 300%).

I just can’t believe this story made headlines. Surely there is more important stuff going on in the world than this.”

Its funny because our guess is many people feel this way and buy fakes, thinking no one can tell the difference. But we (the HonestForum & DenimBlog community) know better, that there is a BIG difference in quality, the way they feel and look - and most fakes LOOK fake. The authentic jeans do cost more to manufacture than the fakes too, although this blogger apparently thinks otherwise (if they don’t claim to know much about designer goods, how can they make a statement like that?) Many designer jeans are sanded and dyed by hand, not created through child labor. For us, its not about impressing someone because we wear nice jeans or carry a designer handbag, its about enjoying the quality of a high end product, the way it looks and feels. Its the fake-makers that employ child laborers in sweatshops and support crime and terrorism. Don’t buy fakes!

Private Online Sale: Ed Hardy!

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Because we all need cool t-shirts and hats to wear with our denim, check out the Ed Hardy private sale going on over at Regents Secret! Hurry - the good stuff always goes fast! It’s on now through February 19th!  You must be referred by a member to sign up so use editor@denimblog.com as the email address of your referred or simply click this link to join.

New 7 for All Mankind magazine ad

We tried our best to scan our copy of this month’s Lucky Magazine to show you 7 for All Mankind’s new ad showcasing not only their denim, but their full line of boots, handbags and more. Forgive us for the seam down the middle that doesn’t quite match up - small scanner.  What do you think of their new stuff?  You can view their full collection at the 7 for All Mankind online store and while you are there, be sure to check out their fit guide.  We have to say, for denim companies that have been diversifying into other products, 7 for All Mankind seems to be one that we really like some of their other items.  Loving the big slouchy hobo handbags and their cute silky tops

ShopBop final winter sale - up to 70% off!

Get your denim loving self over to ShopBop today - they are having their final sale on all winter items - up to 70% off!

5 Denim Disasters to Avoid

We found this article on SheKnows.com and had to share it with our readers.  We agree on most points but had to interject on a few so-called “disasters”.

Your favorite pair of jeans is like your security blanket — soft and comfy. But do they make you look good or goofy?
You can be comfortable and stylish in denim — just make sure to stay away from these huge no-no’s: 
1. The dreaded “muffin top”
A symptom of super-low rise jeans, the muffin top occurs when your stomach or back fat spills over your waistband. Ladies, keep in mind that just because you look okay from the front does not mean you get the all-clear from behind. If there is any spillage, you need a larger size of jeans — or, at the minimum, a longer (and not-too-tight) shirt.

2. Tapered jeans
No one will care how skinny your ankles are when you’re wearing jeans that make your hips look like the Titanic. (Maybe this is why this style originally went out back in the 80s.) This rule goes for skinny jeans, too — only wear them if you’re 15 pounds underweight or more. Which means for most of us: just don’t. (Editor’s Note: We disagree on this one - the right skinnies can be worn by just about anyone with the right top.)

3. Mom jeans
These denims, the laughingstock of the fashion world, feature high waistbands and flat butts that do nothing for anyone’s figure, least of all a mama whose body probably has, ahem, changed over the years. A mid-rise bootcut is a much better look — unless you’re petite, in which case a straighter leg will suit you better. (Editor’s Note: There’s a big difference between mom jeans and the new flattering higher rises and wider leg cuts that are popular now - again - its all about how you wear them.)

4. The wrong length
Ideally, the cuff of your jeans should reach the ground right about at your heel, especially if you’re wearing pumps. This will mean buying jeans in different lengths, one for for heels and another for flats. The splurge is worth it! (Just be sure you’re not going to trip yourself up. Even in the finest denim trousers, falling on your behind is never attractive.)

5. Cheaping out
Without necessarily going to an extreme, there is a reason that designer jeans cost more than the discount retailer’s house brand: when you find the one that suits your body type, they will really fit and flatter. A pair of jeans with a really awesome cut, color and construction will slim what’s wide, smooth what’s lumpy, and top it all off with a little va-va-va-voom.

What other denim disasters can you think of?

True Religion Jeans Ad in this month’s Lucky Magazine

We posted previously about the men’s True Religion ad, now check out the latest ad in this month’s Lucky from True Religion.  We don’t know about you - but this ad makes us want a pair of whatever she’s wearing!  Who can name the cut and wash first? 

Speaking of True Religion, did you know their much anticipated accessories line is now available in their online store?  They also have a sign up form for the Leyla handbag so that you can be notified as soon as it’s available.  Shown below, it comes in a variety of colors.  Our only complaint is that they seem to be quite expensive compared to 7 for All Mankind’s handbags which run a good $300 less for a similar sized bag.  Will you be buying a new bag from either denim company this season based on these styles?


Above: True Religion Leyla Bag - $878


Above: 7 For All Mankind Sahara Satchel - $475

Donna Karan gets punked by PETA

How far would you go for animals? Some of our favorite denim designers use leather in their back pocket designs like the pair of Paige Premium Denim jeans below (leather on the Paige logo). Would you stop wearing them because they use leather? And do you think what PETA is doing to designers like Donna Karan is right?

Donna Karan just got punked by PETA! The fur loving designer’s home was raided by a PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) protestor who worked her way in with lattes. I’m not making this up, either. PETA is out to get Karan for using fur in her fashions. To get back at the fiesty designer, PETA sent someone to Donna’s swanky Central Park West pad to let her have it.

A reprentative for PETA, Michael McGraw, says the group sent “a fashionably dressed young woman, clad in knee-high black boots and a denim miniskirt” to her apartment where she was welcomed with open arms (at first).

The girl also carried a DVD player and waited patiently for Karan to arrive back at home. When Donna showed up, the PETA protestor played a video of animals being slaughtered for fur.

“I can’t watch this now. I have somewhere to be,” Karan told the PETA lady. “I just really don’t have the time.”

“I’ve seen all these [videos], but for me it’s just purses and accessories,” Donna added.

To that the PETA rep fired back, “But for me and millions of other people, these are animals. They suffer terribly as they are electrocuted, gassed and skinned alive for their pelts.”

Meanwhile, she was bounced from Karan’s apartment as the doorman and assistant were skinned!

Article courtesy GaySocialites.com


Above: Paige Premium Denim uses a small leather patch on its jeans as its signature logo. Many denim companies use leather patches on their jeans.

Do you think its right what the PETA did?

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Pepe Jeans to sue Private Jet company for making Sienna Miller late

A jeans firm is suing a private jet firm for failing to get Sienna Miller to a photoshoot on time.

Pepe Jeans claims it paid $160,000 USD to Jet Set Private Air Service to get Miller - the face of its advertising campaigns - from London to New York last year.

But the flight was delayed, and the 26-year-old Factory Girl star was told she couldn’t travel.

In a lawsuit filed on Thursday in Manhattan federal court in New York, Pepe Jeans said it paid Jet Set Private Air Service for a chartered plane to deliver Miller, along with several associates, to a New Jersey airport.

The Spanish denim firm said that it was in touch with Jet Set “numerous times” to make travel arrangements for the flight on October 7.

But the plane never took off. Instead, the flight was delayed by six hours, from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., according to the lawsuit.

Miller’s group left the airport to eat dinner but when they returned, they were told they could not board the plane because they did not have “the necessary paperwork” to enter the United States.

Miller missed the photo shoot and a “replacement model” was hired, the company said. Jet Set promised to reimburse the clothing company, but never did.

The lawsuit reads: “Pepe Jeans was forced to expend additional resources to find and use a replacement model, although its ongoing ad campaign was premised on Ms. Miller’s participation.

“Hiring a replacement model at the last minute was costly but necessary, given the circumstances.”

A spokesman for California-based Jet Set had no comment.

Article courtesy Shotgun City.

Isn’t $160,000 like chump change to a company as big as Pepe Jeans?  Just a thought…





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