Denim!Fail (or, Buying Jeans On eBay)

First things first: for you newcomers who may not know this, I'm a denim addict. I know that academia and keen fashion interest may seem like an odd pairing, but I'm kind of hopeless.

I've lost some weight recently (living alone for two months will do this when you're crap at cooking for yourself). I lost one pair of jeans to falling-off-my-arseness (eh, the Joe's could go; they were $15 secondhand) and one pair to a horrible accident in New Mexico that involved catching some threads on a metal bed-frame and ripping a three-inch gash in the thigh of my beloved Paige boot-cuts (should have kept them, you might say, but I'm not a ripped-jeans kind of gal).

My jeans-drawer population is currently 4 pairs. Which is a skeleton crew, considering how frequently I wear jeans. eBay is normally my first port of call for replacements.

I have pretty good luck finding top brands there for next to nothing. My PRPS boot-cuts are almost falling off my hipbones, but I refuse to part with them; they're the softest, most comfortable denim I've ever owned, and I paid a sort-of-stupid amount of money for them as it is. However, I'm not keen on the thought of overeating just for the hell of it. I can't really fill my stomach the way I used to. For a foodie like me, this is painful.

ETA: Worn-once-or-twice Diesel boot-cuts won at the five-minute mark for six quid! Some master denim labels have not made me happy. I will see what an incompetent one can do.

Tags: jeans freak, off the map

21 comments — :

( 21 comments — Comment )

(Deleted comment)

ajodasso

2010-11-16 08:42 pm (UTC)

My rule is: I wear it twice, maybe three times, and in the wash it goes. And I put off doing my laundry. Hence the need for lots of jeans.

2010-11-16 08:55 pm (UTC)

I can rarely own two pairs by the same brand, as styles across brands vary so wildly. No two of my current four pairs are from the same label.

squeeful

2010-11-16 08:50 pm (UTC)

Is it crap at cooking in general or just the lack of motivation for/difficulty of cooking for one person?

I have a sort of weird envy towards people who can (and have the patience to) find jeans that fit and flatter.

2010-11-16 08:52 pm (UTC)

Believe me when I say that, aside from a few pasta dishes, I'm genuinely not a good cook. And yes, it's also more of a faff than I like to bother with.

I love being dropped in, say, T.J. Maxx and let loose on the denim section. I could spend hours.

2010-11-16 09:02 pm (UTC)

Have you thought about a slow cooker? That, combined with some good recipes, is the epitome of tasty, lazy cooking.

Oh man, I love clothes, but the idea of that makes me cry.

morganlf

J-Brand is okay, but the fit can be a little weird, especially in the thighs/hips. I *love* Hudson's. They're my go-to brand for jeans right now!

2010-11-16 08:54 pm (UTC)

We're polar opposites, then! I have yet to try a pair of Hudsons on that don't drive me up the wall; however, J Brand especially flatters my hips and thighs!

haha - love it!

katarzi

2010-11-16 09:37 pm (UTC)

I hear you on cooking. I cannot make anything that is not somehow pre-prepared. However I never seem to lose weight from this, so I'm totally jealous haha.

I would talk about denim but I really only buy from an American store aimed at tweens. :|

2010-11-16 11:45 pm (UTC)

Hey, I'm fond of some of those stores aimed at tweens. They serve a purpose :)

ida_pea

2010-11-16 11:42 pm (UTC)

Four pairs? Get your bid(s) on, girlie! :)

2010-11-16 11:44 pm (UTC)

I think four...hm. The PRPS ones, the J Brands, the Nudies, and the True Religions. Well, damn, yeah: only four. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE. ETA: Wait, no, five. I forgot the R&Rs.

Edited at 2010-11-16 11:59 pm (UTC)

2010-11-21 05:44 pm (UTC)

I've got quite a boyish figure, so finding things to flatter me is a little tricky. Low-riding boot-cuts that go rather slim through the thighs seem to work well, and occasionally straight-legs that widen a little towards the hems do nicely, too.

obopolsk

2010-11-17 02:22 am (UTC)

I've become a bit of a denim addict myself lately, thanks to having a job where I can now wear jeans whenever I want and no one cares. I haven't had much with the major labels though, since I'm both very short and slightly curvy. Mostly I like Express jeans, and I have a pair of Loft and a pair of Lucky that aren't bad.

(Next time you're in the U.S., check out Nordstrom Rack -- I've gotten some cheap jeans from good labels there.)

I've heard things about Lucky, actually, but never tried them, and they seem to be available in fairly cheap abundance on eBay. Hmmm.

halocentury

2010-11-17 04:28 am (UTC)

Mmmm, jeans are my fashion staple of choice. You can never go wrong with them.

2010-11-21 05:45 pm (UTC)

No, you absolutely cannot \m/

firynze

2010-11-17 03:49 pm (UTC)

I once owned a pair of Diesel jeans. They tore through at the seat in about five minutes. O_o

Before that, though, they fit well and were terribly soft, so...eh?

2010-11-21 05:46 pm (UTC)

These Diesels are in good condition (they came in the post quite quickly!), although they're the Tunisian-made ones (as opposed to Italian-made), so I'm not sure what that will imply re: how long they hold up. For six pounds, they'll be a worthwhile experiment in wear and tear.

psyc2321

2010-11-18 09:51 am (UTC)

If they're pure cotton, you could try boiling them. This requires constant attention, a really big pot and an acceptance that there is a slight risk of fire/burnt jeans. Alternatively, really hot wash, really hot dryer will shrink them slightly - it won't last, but it sounds like you wash them regularly enough for this to help, and you might get a little more wear out of them that way?

They are, indeed, pure cotton. The one thing I haven't got is a really big pot *wry grin*

ajodasso

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ajodasso

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