"Distressed Boyfriend Jeans"

[milestogo]

I don't understand this.

Why are they called Distressed Boyfriend Jeans?

Why do people spend good money on clothing that is deliberately damaged?

Am I just an old fogey?

[underpants]

1. This was a thing in the early 90's but it didn't have this name

People want jeans that look like they’ve worn them forever but they want it now.

[milestogo]

5. I have a pair of jeans like that, and I normally would have thrown them out.

Except that now they're "in style".

However, I would never spend money on clothes that someone deliberately machine-damaged.

This seems like a wealth disorder. There are people wearing rags because that's all they have.

[yonder]

18. +1 on "wealth disorder".

I've worn S-T-F 501's for over 50 years and for a good part of that, worn them as work pants while in the field. For me, and not counting the odd tears or rips, they always holed at the knees first followed by holes at the threadbare front of thighs, never in the butt or anywhere else.

In a sense, honest wear is like a badge of honor showing the result of sometimes dangerous work while either sweating or freezing your ass off. I can only laugh when I see expensive clothes with unearned marks being worn by folks who seem to want to earnestly signal that they too, are part of some hard-working demographic.

I can tell what honest clothes look like and if there's ever any doubt, a quick handshake from a once-calloused hand will always reveal the truth.

[milestogo]

20. +1 on "honest wear"

When I grew up my mom patched holes in our clothes. I've done the same.

I worked in an IT shop where casual dress was allowed, including jeans. Shredded jeans or distressed jeans were not allowed however, because they look too sloppy for a workplace.

Some people objected. But for most of my working life people were not even allowed to wear jeans. Heck, until I got into IT, I always wore dresses.

[Thomas Hurt]

2. I think this is the second distressed jeans fad. Back in the 70s maybe...

[Polly Hennessey]

3. I agree with you.

It just looks stupid. I have news for today’s cuties, we were doing the same thing in the ‘80s and it looked stupid then and we called them torn jeans.

[viva la]

9. In the 60s, we'd patch the actual holes (actually real holes from being worn out)

with cute squares of fabric like from Grandma's quilting basket, and also patches with marijuana images from the head shop.

The holes would be where the jeans got worn out-- on the knees and butt, not the front of the thigh and calf.

[OAITW r.2.0]

12. My jeans always wear at the knees. Don't know why, but it always happens....

and they are just getting comfortably broken in....

[viva la]

23. I remember one of my kids had those early holes

In the knees.

Turned out he was running in the halls and dropping and sliding on his knees. The kids were having contests on who could slide farthest.

Not that I think you're doing that!

[SWBTATTReg]

4. You would be amazed at just how much these distressed jeans go for now, especially...

overseas. My SO and I have dozens and dozens of pairs of jeans, all worth a gold mine (most of them are too small now).

[essaynnc]

6. Oh come on....

Almost everyone here is old enough to remember putting patches on brand new jeans as soon as they got home from the store.... Jeans with patches, flannel shirts, and hiking boots with wool socks. Am I right???

[milestogo]

10. Nope.

[samnsara]

15. i just patched up the real holes as they happened with colorful fabric

..i still have them somewhere in my junque garage...but i didnt wear boots, i went barefoot

[Xoan]

16. I'm too old to have been that moronic.

[viva la]

24. I still think that's a great look.

Rugged and insouciant.

[viva la]

7. I'd like to see her boyfriend-- must be quite wispy if he could fit into those jeans.

No wonder he's a distressed boyfriend, forced to squeeze into those crotch-clutching pants.

What's the price tag? $650? Got to pay extra for the hand-ripped holes.

[milestogo]

8. These were $50

But I'm sure they sell for more elsewhere.

[viva la]

11. Oh, that's not so bad.

I can never figure out how the high-fashion items like that worn by the stars and rich ladies can cost hundreds more than the department store clothes. Maybe the pricey jeans are hand-sewn or something.

[Bayard]

13. But they look maaaavolous with high heels!

When I buy new work jeans ($15 at Tractor Supply), they look like that soon enough, without me having to do anything but work around the farm.

I don't get it either, milestogo.

[milestogo]

17. My favorite jeans are the flannel lined ones I got and Farm and Fleet.

A necessity for Wisconsin winters.~!

[OAITW r.2.0]

14. This post triggered a memory for me.

Back in '95, I was at a bar in China (Panyo's in Zhongshan). Chinese guy comes up to me and says something to me. Not knowing any Chinese, I asked my biz partner, living in China, what the guy was asking me. They talk and my partner tells me "he says he'd like to buy your jeans and hat (Red Sox) and he's willing to pay you $150 US. So, I went back to my hotel room, changed and brought the jeans and hat back to the bar. Paid me the cash on the spot.... I think it was around 1800 RMB.

When I went back to China in early 2005, I brought a 1/2 dozen Red Sox caps with me. The Sox and just won the World Series and the caps were well recognized. Sold everyone of them.

[Coventina]

19. The boyfriend is distressed

because his pants have been taken!!!

[milestogo]

21. Or because his girlfriend looks like someone ran over her clothes with farm equipment!

[Coventina]

22. Thread winner!!

[NightWatcher]

26. and hoodies and shirts and even some underwear

They take everything except the cargo shorts.

[Paladin]

27. Definite whiff of fashion desperation, here.

Somebody's trying too hard...

[Skittles]

28. people wearing torn clothes as "fashion"

tells me people will buy ANYTHING