How We Spend: Denim Devotion

Dropping hundreds on one pair of jeans may suddenly seem silly, but we’re not ready to kick our designer denim habit. (The apple-bottom fit! The status logo! We just can’t do it.) With some thrifty thinking, we don’t have to.

Posted on January 2009  
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Tony Cenicola/The New York Times/Redux
Be Kind, Please Consign
Staffers at Buffalo Exchange are extremely selective about what slightly worn denim they’ll  buy (matchstick, trouser and practical boot cuts in dark washes), so shoppers know they’re getting high style in an $18-$40 price range. The steps-from-Rittenhouse location means guys and girls can find brands like Marc by Marc Jacobs and Paige Premium Denim. Haverford’s Kayte K has recently added a “vintage denim” section to its girls-only stock, with gently worn versions of cult favorites (Hudson, True Religion, Rock & Republic) for $30-$100 a pop. Got a pair of status jeans that you’ve, ahem, outgrown? Bring ’em in and get a $25 store credit.

Mucho Markdowns
There’s gold in them there outlets, as proven by the Philadelphia Premium Outlets, which boasts speciality stores like Lucky Brand Jeans, Miss Sixty and True Religion that offer your favorites at 25 to 65 percent off retail. A bit closer to home, Neiman Marcus Last Call and Off 5th, both in the Franklin Mills Mall, serve up blue-chip lines like Chip & Pepper, J Brand and Rock & Republic (both have particularly strong men’s selections and a smattering of tween jeans) in the $90-$130 range.

Party On
Score sweet deals for you and your besties by throwing a denim party. Local reps for Party in Our Pants will haul trunks stuffed with authentic premium denim to your home or office, to sell them at 25 to 50 percent off retail prices, which are normally $100-$220. For being the hostess with the mostest, you’ll get an additional 10 percent off your purchases and 10 percent of party sales in a store credit.

Get With the Program
Refuse to silence your jeans gene? At least shop smarter. Denim speciality store Smith Bros. — whose four area shops carry countless trend-setting feminine brands like Hudson, Earnest Sewn and Gold Sign — has a “Jean Junkie” program. Once you’ve purchased six pairs, you get the seventh free. Sometimes addiction has its privileges. …
Originally published in Philadelphia magazine, January 2009
 

User Comments:

Be careful about the resale stores...
Posted by Anonymous | Dec. 26, 2008 at 9:19 PM
COMMENT:
Their staffers/buyers aren't always versed on authentic jeans, so there's a HIGH chance you will buy fakes there. ALL the "True Religions" I've ever seen at Buff Exch have been fakes. :( I love that store otherwise.
 
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