I just bought a pair of jeans for $230.

[Progressive Lawyer]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Omaha Steve (a host of the General Discussion forum).

Never paid more than $60 in my life. Union made in the USA. Hopefully I won't be disappointed with the quality.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

1. You can do a lot better than that price.

https://www.unionlabel.com/mens-pants.html

[FoxNewsSucks]

7. I've never seen that website before, thanks!

[WhiskeyGrinder]

13. Yep!

[Tanuki]

48. Thanks for this!

[WhiskeyGrinder]

50. You're welcome!

[OAITW r.2.0]

2. Really? Why?

You could have had that quality for the 1/2 the price. Why?

[Progressive Lawyer]

4. Where can I get I get union made in the USA jeans for $115?

I am talking about selvedge denim.

[Ms. Toad]

60. They definitely saw you coming.

Don’t let the name selvedge fool you into thinking it is better denim. Like all products, quality standards can range depending on the supplier. There are good and bad quality fabrics in both selvedge and non-selvedge denims. Often, mass producers of value priced jeans use suppliers not recognized for making high-quality denim. Some mass-market brands will also use the cache of mills known for producing quality denim to produce cheap denim that looks the part, so do your home-work.

Unlike most fabric, most denim uses a raw edge, rather than a bound one. When jeans advertise they use selvedge denim, all it does is identify the edge treatment of the bolt of fabric. When they lay out the fabric, they use the selvedge (self edge) as the cut line on the outer seam so they can open it flat without needing to bind the edge to keep it from fraying.

[Celerity]

91. Japanese raw selvedge, made on old shuttle looms using premium fabrics and natural

indigo dyes, is the gold standard.





Raw Japanese Denim: A Beginner’s Guide to Japan’s Biggest Labels

https://www.heddels.com/2019/08/raw-japanese-denim-beginners-guide-japans-biggest-labels/

https://manofmany.com/fashion/mens-fashion-trends/best-japanese-denim-brands

[Ms. Toad]

106. I was responding to the OP -

Who was fixated on selvege, alone, as the gold standard.

I am talking about selvedge denim.

Selvege simply means that it has a woven edge running parallel to the ends of the bolt of fabric, as opposed to a cut edge - which is the standard for most of even the cheapest fabrics.

Anyone who has ever used a pattern, or bought fabric from a bolt of fabric knows this.

Selvege denim can be high quality - or cheap. It is not the presence of selvege edges that determins the quality of the fabric.

[Celerity]

108. I posted my reply for this reason

Selvege denim can be high quality - or cheap.

I have no issues at all with anything you said.

[BannonsLiver]

98. That's not a great endorsement for unions.

"Pay more for the same shit!"

[Scrivener7]

107. It appears that there is no reason to believe the pants were union made.

[Haggard Celine]

3. Congratulations! You make too much money!

[LisaL]

8. Is there such thing as too much money?

NT

[Haggard Celine]

21. I was just being kind of sarcastic, but since you asked,

yes I think there is too much money, at least for one person to have. Musk and Bezos come to mind. They don't seem to know what to do with theirs. At least some, like Bill Gates, use their money for philanthropy, like Rockefeller and Carnegie did. I've known people with a lot less than Musk and Bezos who still had too much money for themselves. It's a very subjective thing, I think. I'm not saying there's a solution to it either. Rich people's taxes should be higher, but that wouldn't really cut into a billionaire's stash much. But look what money did to Donald Trump. Like a lot of other things in life, I suppose, it's all in what you do with it.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

39. I do like the Robinson poem but I like the song better and I heard it first.

They say that Richard Cory owns one half of this whole town
With political connections to spread his wealth around
Born into society, a banker's only child
He had everything a man could want, power, grace and style
chorus:
But I work in his factory
And I curse the life I'm living
And I curse my poverty
And I wish that I could be
Oh, I wish that I could be
Oh, I wish that I could be Richard Cory

The papers print his pictures almost everywhere he goes
Richard Cory at the opera, Richard Cory at a show
And the rumor of his parties and the orgies on his yacht
Oh, he surely must be happy with everything he's got
chorus repeated

He freely gave to charity, he had the common touch
And they were grateful for his patronage and they thanked him very much
So my mind was filled with wonder when the evening headlines read
"Richard Cory went home last night and put a bullet through his head"
chorus repeated

[Haggard Celine]

40. Ooh, that's good!

Life can suck if you don't have enough money, bit it can also be pretty miserable if you have too much. Sometimes people become aware of that when they suddenly come into a large sum. They always thought that all of their problems would be solved if they had more money. Then they just end up with new and often bigger problems. Not everyone is like that, bit it's pretty common.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

83. Success, money and celebrity status

When we are used to struggling economically, and that struggle ends, some folks are often unprepared for some new problems that those folks are not prepared for and don't see coming. Addictions like alcohol drugs and gambling can ruin lives. Having friends turn on you or finding that new "friends" aren't friends at all is really draining. It is said that anyone who has one true friend has more than his share.

My daughter has an ex whose mom won a large jackpot. In less than 2 years there were evictions and fights among the family. Whatever happens, good or bad, to change my life, I'd be careful that it wouldn't change me.

[Freddie]

42. Great song

Paul Simon adapted the poem for music but I like Denny Laine singing it with Wings.

[rsdsharp]

43. I went to sleep with the side of the Sounds of Silence album

that had that song on it, most every night the year I was 14. It was the last year of my father’s life. The last six months he was very ill, and the sounds of that album, drifting down from upstairs, seemed to help him get to sleep.

[eShirl]

52. I lived in Robinson's home town for a decade...

Took acting lessons in the old theater/hall that used to be the opera house.
Nice place to live in summer; kind of bleak come February though.

[Happy Hoosier]

85. I'd personally LOVE to have "too much money"

Not because I would want a ridiculously lavish lifestyle... though I would... but because I would want to spend my time running a charitable foundation.

While I support high tax rates for the wealthy to fund those kinds of things that would be hard for even an extremely rich to do (like universal healthcare), I would love to be able to fund some things that are near and dear to my heart that often go underfunded.

I'd love to be able to fund living history projects, local food pantries, animal rescues, individual artists doing important, but non-commercial work. I'd love to be able to say "yes" and change lives.

[USALiberal]

5. I would be embarrassed to say that. Nt

[NurseJackie]

11. Thank you.

[USALiberal]

15. You too! :-)

[Maeve]

6. I'm sorry but the first thing that comes to mind is

"More dollars than sense"
I can't IMAGINE spend that much to cover my butt.

[Timewas]

16. First thing that

Comes to my mind is to put this poster on ignore, doubt he will ever say anything I want to hear

[leftstreet]

9. Hmm, I have some things I'd like to sell you

Just kidding!

[Tomconroy]

10. Boy. I thought I was living large when I ordered a $20 martini.

[onecaliberal]

12. That is groceries for a week for my family.

[Scrivener7]

14. That's just nutty. They saw you coming.

[LiberatedUSA]

17. At a certain point, you are just paying for the label.

The cloth doesn’t get any better. Bill Maher made a good joke by comparing some stupid $500 hat the kids want to a Bernie hat; similar stitching.

[Wingus Dingus]

18. Treat yo'self!

[chowder66]

19. Sounds like an investment. Hopefully they will last you a long time. nt

[milestogo]

20. For that price you should get new genes.

[BlueTsunami2018]

22. What brand? Designer jeans go for that much.

You can get Union made jeans for less than a third of that price.

[Progressive Lawyer]

25. Williamsburg Garment Company. And $230 was the sale price.

https://williamsburggarment.com/slim-selvedge-custom-handmade-jeans-grand-st/

[WhiskeyGrinder]

27. Where does it indicate that it's union made?

[Progressive Lawyer]

28. This pair isn't because the owner custom makes it. But from what I have read..

...their non-custom jeans are union made.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

29. Where did you read that information? I can't find it anywhere.

[Progressive Lawyer]

31. I don't remember where I read it probably on Reddit.

If this guy doesn't use union I will be disappointed.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

33. He wouldn't "use union," his employees would be union. And I'd bet folding money -- the difference

in price between the jeans you bought and a pair of jeans with an actual union label in them -- that they're not. Ope!

[Progressive Lawyer]

34. Well that would certainly be a disappointment.

Sending an email to the the owner now to confirm union status.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

35. Never a bad idea if you can't find the information on the website. Good luck!

[eShirl]

56. so you told an untruth about it being so expensive due to being union made

why even bother; what's the point?

[BlueTsunami2018]

46. Wow, those are custom made.

No wonder they’re so expensive.

They should fit perfectly.

[chowder66]

23. Check their return policy. nt

[Boomerproud]

24. Why isn't this in the Lounge?

I had meatloaf for dinner if anyone is interested.

[USALiberal]

32. Lol! +1000

[Kaleva]

63. That deserves its own thread here.

[LeftInTX]

111. It's about "Union Made"

I think it's a good discussion.

I hope the OP can determine if the jeans are really union made.

[Busterscruggs]

26. That money would

Go a long way in helping your democratic candidate of choice get elected. Just saying...

[nocoincidences]

30. yeah, right.

Peddle that to republicans...maybe they'll "get it".

[Stinky The Clown]

36. :::sniff sniff:::

[WaterSong1951]

37. I hope the brand was....

American Giant - our sons buy it’s merchandise and it’s well made and Made in the USA

[VarryOn]

38. It's your money. Spend how you want! Nt

[GoCubsGo]

41. Must be nice.

[dpibel]

44. So the question of the evening is:

What's the right price for a union?

Did I get that right?

You'd like people to weigh in and tell you that's too much?

Because it appears that folks here are way ahead of that, vide: all the people saying, "You can buy union for a lot less than that."

[Scrivener7]

73. It appears there is a question about whether these are union made.

[Deuxcents]

45. My question is..

What was the thinking process for posting this to begin with?

[left-of-center2012]

47. Carhartt jeans are made in the US

$40 a pair.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

51. Link?

[left-of-center2012]

49. Why did you feel the need to share this?

[tenderfoot]

66. because...

[left-of-center2012]

75. Meanwhile people are homeless and hungry in America

sad waste of money

[JI7]

86. But they aren't homeless and hungry because of this

[WhiskeyGrinder]

87. .

[tenderfoot]

97. this is should paint a clearer picture

https://democraticunderground.com/100213528397

[Hekate]

125. Hmmm

I notice someone in that thread remarked, “You’re trolling.” Someone in this thread also hints at it. The OP seems to like stirring the pot.

[tenderfoot]

130. I think they're bagging on Unions and American made products

in that these items are expensive and people should rethink unions, bringing jobs back and variety of other anti-democratic/anti-progressive stances.

[orleans]

53. i recently bought a new coffee maker for $28

at a hardware store.

it has an on/off switch and brews the coffee i scoop into the filter that i place in the basket.

i am totally happy with the quality. hopefully it will last as long as my old coffeemaker (which lasted for years and was still working but was so stained i couldn't clean it anymore)

i can recycle the coffeemaker but not the glass pot.

[doc03]

54. Are those the ones with all the holes in them? nt

[Progressive Lawyer]

57. No, these jeans are "raw". I'll post a review when I receive them.

[LeftInTX]

112. Ka-ching! (Sound of cash register)

There some things that I do not understand.
Paying for hole$$$$ is one of them!

[marybourg]

55. I'm a lawyer too, and I never paid more than $20

for a pair of jeans. I buy them at the local hospital thrift shop.

[MLAA]

58. They look great and once in a while a person needs a splurge!

Splurge defined as whatever is a splurge to you and your own circumstances ❤️

Edited to add: Be sure to read care instructions….drying in a dryer can really fade jeans.

[BlackSkimmer]

59. This thread is a hoot!

[multigraincracker]

61. I get all of my jeans at yard sales.

Never have to break them in and never pay more than a couple of bucks. I also got a 14k gold Swiss watch at a yard sale for a dollar.

[brush]

62. Why would you pay that for a pair of jeans? That's way too much.

[LisaL]

67. Says who?

It's his money, he can spend it on whatever he wants to.

[Celerity]

94. +1

[brush]

110. Yes he can, but it's still too much. Would you pay that for one pair of jeans?

[North Shore Chicago]

64. The funny noive of some chastising

This is the posters money to do as he/she wants. I think it fantastic some have extra money for whatever they choose!

[BlackSkimmer]

68. No kidding, think of the money some spend on gaming! nt

[Sympthsical]

115. I feel attacked!

Or seen. Mainly attacked!

This thread is great. You'd think everyone lived in mud huts and were involved in only the most Christ-like frugality on earth.

Tch. I'm prettttty frugal about most things. But I still spent $120 in the past month on two games I really wanted. (Metroid and AoE4, woo!).

I am good with these decisions.

[LiberatedUSA]

124. I made a thread in the lounge for all us to fess up on...

…our spending.

[BlackSkimmer]

131. I spend a lot of money on shoes lol.

And on my dogs. And my garden.

We all have our things!

[LisaL]

69. Yep.

He wants to buy the jeans, he can afford the jeans, so why do other people feel they can tell him how much he can spend on his jeans?

[Ms. Toad]

88. Because he came here to brag about it

Implying they were good/special in ways they clearly are not.

Union made in the USA - they are apparently custom made, but not union made. They are constructed in the USA, but the fabric is from Japan.

Better fabric because it is selvedge denim. A 5-minute perusal of any fabric store will show you that most fabric has selvedge edges (it's just that different weave on the edge of the fabric to ensure it doesn't fray. A lot of denim doesn't have it for aesthetic reasons, since a lot of folks like the frayed look. Fabric with selvedge edges is not inherently better than fabric wthout.

[panader0]

71. That's more than I spend on clothes in a year.

A few pairs of jeans, new underwear, new socks, some shirts and for $230, I could throw in
a pair of shoes.

[Buns_of_Fire]

72. I think I'd be afraid to wear them. What if something happened?

Just like that first scratch on a new car, I'd just know there'd be an errant nail sticking out of the woodwork somewhere with my name on it.

[Scrivener7]

74. After reading the thread, I am wondering if the pants come with corn flakes and a pit bull.

[Solly Mack]

76. And it all happened at the Olive Garden

[Scrivener7]

77. I'm breast feeding right now!

[Solly Mack]

78. You win the thread!

It would take years of DU history to explain your win to others.

[peacefreak2.0]

80. Wait! Is that the door buzzard I hear?

[Solly Mack]

81. You did. Ding! There it goes again!

[Scrivener7]

82. Right? That's why we love it here!

[MineralMan]

84. And I just bought a pair of brand new 5-pocket jeans for $9.99

at Mills Fleet Farm.

Go figure.

[iemanja]

100. UNION, and made in the USA

That was the important part. Most of us buy jeans manufactured in China for slave wages and horrific working conditions.

[MineralMan]

103. Yes. We do buy jeans made in China, or Singapore, or somewhere else.

We do that so we don't spent 20 times more for them. 20 times more!

I mean, you can do as you please. Up to you. $10 or $230. I don't know about you, but the second option simply isn't happening.

[iemanja]

104. I don't spend that amount either

but I'm not going to criticize someone who is committed to supporting made in the USA union merchandise.

[MineralMan]

105. I'm not criticizing the OP. He can buy whatever he wants.

I wear denim jeans pretty much all the time. I have, maybe half a dozen pairs. However, I don't wear them as a fashion statement. I wear them to cover my ass and my junk. I wear them to work in. I wear them everywhere. I have some more expensive ones, but for everyday wear, I wear cheap-ass ones that I don't care about if they get a stain on them from something.

No, they're not union made, I'm sure. They're not made here in the USA, either. I buy them on sale at the farm supply outlet when they're on sale about three times a year.

If I want nicer jeans, I buy Dickies or Lee. They're not union made, either. I don't know where they're made. I buy jeans because they fit, they're comfortable, and that's what I wear.

Progressive Lawyer can wear any damned jeans he wants. So can I. It's not a political issue.

[Ms. Toad]

129. Except that these are not Union made,

and the fabric the OP is raving about came from Japan, not the USA.

[LeftInTX]

114. Fleet Farm is a cool store...Don't have them here.

Dragged my hubby there while on vacation.

He wanted to take a nap in the car and I'm, "Get up, you're gonna love this place"
He did.


I buy my stretch jeans from Family Dollar for $10-12

They were LEI, but now they're some unknown brand.
I can't find jeans that fit like this anywhere else.

I'm sure they aren't American or Union made.

[MineralMan]

118. Some people call it the "Man Mall"

It's a fun place to visit. But, farm supply stores, in general, are good places to shop for many things.

[MineralMan]

119. Lots of Tractor Supply Stores in Texas

They have $9.99 mens denim jeans, too. Blue Mountain Brand. Fleet Farm Brand is Field and Forest. I suspect they're identical. I like Tractor Supply stores, too, and we have them around here in Minnesota, too.

[LeftInTX]

120. They're not Fleet Farm!!!

We've got a Tractor Supply near our house.

[MineralMan]

121. True.

[Tink41]

90. What will you use them for?

I wear jeans everyday. At work, my job requires it, at home because my activities require them. Same thing when I go out. But here's why I ask my question. The things I do in jeans would prevent me from being comfortable rolling 230 dollars in it. Sweat, dirt, concrete, muck, oil.. the list goes on. Just like it would be mental anguish to drive 40 thousand dollars around, rain, snow, salt, potholes, scratches, bumps, dings. I'd puke. Throw up. I make a very tidy living for a 1 person household, a Union household at that!
Could not justify or live with myself!!

[LizBeth]

92. My son was talking about Japanese jeans going for that price, he bought.

I asked the difference and he sent me a picture of the texture. Cool enough, but not for me. I do not go over 30 and every ten years or so.

[moriah]

93. JMHO, and you can do/spend/post/wear what you want.

But it can be almost painful to read how someone else spent more than 10 times what you might have last spent on your one owned item of said clothing type, especially when you know exactly how you'd put that extra $200 saved to survival -- if you had an extra $200.

I mean, I'm happy that you have it to spend. Not equating $230 to test out one company and hope you're paying American workers by doing so with buying a private jet. But in a way it's almost easier for people looking at the first of the month with trepidation to get upset at smaller numbers, because smaller numbers are easier to think about having/spending -- and most of us have never had the money for a private jet in our hot little hands.

Anyway, much love, and I DO hope you aren't disappointed in the jeans. Or if "$230 jeans" becomes the new "breastfeeding at Olive Garden" controversy thread joke should others be less restrained in their response.

[traitorsgalore]

95. LOL, funny how ticked off people are about it

You're supposed to feed the world with that $230 instead of wearing a pair of jeans that actually fits you. I hate jeans, the last 20 pairs I've tried on all sucked, outsourced pieces of ill-fitting slave labor crap. My guess is the only way to get a pair of comfortable jeans now is to spend $200+.

[Progressive Lawyer]

96. Now if I had instead bought a $375 pot...

j/k

[iemanja]

101. lol

[BlackSkimmer]

113. So well played.

It was fun to watch so many fall for it too!

[LiberatedUSA]

127. I think everyone as a right to buy...

a $375 pot, as well as buy $375 worth of pot.

But at a certain point for anything, quality reaches its high and anything after that is paying for the brand name. I am guilty to that too with Falcon Northwest gaming computers.

[iemanja]

99. That's what clothes would cost in a world where we bought local

and we'd have a lot fewer of them, like in earlier generations. I don't see that as such a bad thing.

I'm sorry you are catching shit for posting this. It shows how people who pretend to be committed to unions care about unions really aren't.

[maxsolomon]

102. You're as spendthrift and elitist as that awful Kamala Harris!

What, do you think you're better'n me? You libs think you're better'n me!

[DeeNice]

109. All American Clothing Company

[link:https://www.allamericanclothing.com/|

All US-Made, all the way down to US grown cotton. Jeans are normally in the $40-$80 range and they have some good sales going right now (who doesn't?)

Some union made, according to their FAQ page:

"5) Are all your products union made?A Lot of our clothing is Union Made. The Union made products will say "union made..." in the detail section of the product."

I've purchased jeans from them & liked everything I bought from them. Solid quality & service. Not much variety as far as women's styles but I'm not a one-stop shop kind of person.

[Polybius]

116. I got Armani Exchange for $110 and love them

Not made here, but I like Euro quality better anyway.

[Torchlight]

117. What does this pair of pants do that lesser-priced pants can't? nt

[IronLionZion]

122. I had turkey tacos for lunch

it was delicious.

[Raftergirl]

123. Why should anyone care

what anyone else pays for anything?

I just don’t get it.

[BlackSkimmer]

128. Pretty sure the OP has done an excellent punk job (ala the old Punked show).

VERY well done too, I must say.

[spinbaby]

126. Sounds like a nice pair of jeans

Not so long ago in historic terms, normal people would buy one or two pieces of clothing each season, pay a lot for them, and expect them to last. Nowadays people buy clothes almost on a whim and toss them out without a thought. I’m all for buying fewer clothes of better quality and expecting them to last.

My only new clothing purchases this fall were a cotton terry bathrobe to replace one that was almost 30 years old and a recycled cashmere cardigan. Both were quite expensive and I expect both to be around for decades.

[Omaha Steve]

132. After a review by forum hosts....LOCKING

This can be posted in the Lounge.

Discuss politics, issues, and current events. Posts about Israel/Palestine, religion, guns, showbiz, or sports are restricted in this forum.