I have found the perfect pair of jeans. And now I need your help getting more.

August 23, 2009 11:40 PM

Calling all fashionistas, shopaholics, people with better google-fu than I, etc. -- trying to find exactly the same pair of designer jeans I just bought, only online, in larger quantity, and cheap... also a novelty item...

So I've bought my first pair of designer jeans, and I'm a convert. I bought them at Nordstrom, a pair of men's jeans in a brand called "Worn" (with an umlat over the o). I also bought a pair of pants by the same designer

This may well be the first pair of jeans that I've ever owned that fits me really well. It's also incredibly soft, well-made, etc. And $125.00. Ouch.

I'd really like to be able to hunt around on the internet and similar places to find this exact pair of jeans, hopefully cheaper, and then buy like five of them. Here's the problem: "Worn jeans" is completely un-googleable. I don't know what possessed those people to give their jeans a brand name that, when searched, will reveal EVERY SINGLE PAIR OF JEANS ON THE INTERNET. I can't even find the company website. (Is there one? It's not on the tag either.) Yes, I've tried "worn brand jeans" too. How do I find this thing and get a better price?

Also, how do I make sure I'm buying the exact same jeans? It's not like they have a model number or anything -- just a bunch of stuff on the label, and it's hard to tell which is the color, and which is the cut, and which is the name of the specific pair. I'm pretty clueless about all these various terms -- X cut and Y leg and Z stitch and so forth. And it's hard to tell which stuff on the label is marketing fluff and which is searchable description.


ALSO: I would like to buy the person who dragged me into Nordstrom and coaxed me into buying them a police-style badge that says "fashion police" on it. This will be very much appreciated. But my google-fu is failing me here, too... does anyone have any bright ideas?

posted by paultopia to clothing, beauty, & fashion (11 comments total)

Searching for +Wörn jeans should bring up the kind of results you want: specifically, only searching for Wörn, and not "worn".
posted by asciident at 11:56 PM on August 23

Here's the problem: "Worn jeans" is completely un-googleable. I don't know what possessed those people to give their jeans a brand name that, when searched, will reveal EVERY SINGLE PAIR OF JEANS ON THE INTERNET. I can't even find the company website. (Is there one? It's not on the tag either.) Yes, I've tried "worn brand jeans" too. How do I find this thing and get a better price?

i googled "worn jeans" and the very first result is this page for their jeans on truejeans.com; a few other related results pop up as well.

the first result for "worn denim" is their website, worndenim.com.
posted by lia at 12:01 AM on August 24

Thanks. I'm new to this...
posted by paultopia at 12:09 AM on August 24

Also, how do I make sure I'm buying the exact same jeans? It's not like they have a model number or anything -- just a bunch of stuff on the label, and it's hard to tell which is the color, and which is the cut, and which is the name of the specific pair. I'm pretty clueless about all these various terms -- X cut and Y leg and Z stitch and so forth. And it's hard to tell which stuff on the label is marketing fluff and which is searchable description.

please post what's on the label of the jeans you bought; between that and their website, we should be able to figure out what stuff is pertinent and what's fluff.
posted by lia at 12:31 AM on August 24

K, so, there are several labels.

One says "straight leg" on the front, and, below it but at a different angle, the word "fit." On the back, it says "straight leg" then "relaxed through the hip and thigh." and "classic rise."

Another label just says "worn agedenim" on the front, and a bunch of marketing copy on the back.

Yet another says "aged 1 year" then, waay below that, "finish" on the front. And on the back, more advertising copy about how long it's been "aged," but that copy begins with "It's all about the Finish." I kind of wonder if the name of the jeans is "Finish," just because that's the word that's capitalized?

Then there's the price tag. That says "Worn," then a line break, then "Night Jean," then the bar code, then a serial number of some sort: "WM134-V5L DNIT," then "Deep Night" (the color? it's very dark blue). Then size and price.

Those are all the tags they cut off at the store. The stuff that's permanently attached to the jeans is not much more helpful. There's a little tag on the back that has the logo and then "agedenim." Inside the waistband it says the size, and "straight leg" and, on the line below that, "Fit" (capitalized). Insize the zipper it has the logo then says "well worn."

That's pretty much all I can find. Oh, there's a serial number label, This one says "MB6013 [line break] WM134V5R [line break] DNIT [line break] C3"

None of these, naturally, have any visible relationship to the -- what do you call them? model names, like in cars? -- on their website as helpfully found by lia. Maybe the DNIT stands in some weird fashion for "Dean?"
posted by paultopia at 12:54 AM on August 24

I doubt it's the Dean, as their website says those have a standard tapered fit, not straight leg. Unfortunately the other men's models don't have any descriptions.
posted by clorox at 1:17 AM on August 24

So "standard tapered fit" and "straight leg" mean different things? This is progress...
posted by paultopia at 1:26 AM on August 24

nordstrom doesn't even seem to have them in their men's section; their women's only has a single style. i wonder if these jeans are still being manufactured, given that the worn denim web site doesn't seem to have been updated to include their women's line. i've never heard of them before—which makes me question calling them designer jeans, despite the premium price tag ($120 is the low end of premium). honestly, since it's your first time spending good money on jeans and you seem awed by the fact that this pair is so awesome, i'm going to guess it's likely you've never really gone out and tried premium stuff before, because you're a dude and that's how most of my guy friends have been until someone made them try a good pair on.

so: let me assure you that there tons of other jeans out there that a) will fit you well and b) will be easier to purchase in the future. don't obsess over a brand that can't even get its shit together enough to maintain a proper web presence! you already know the two most important things anyway: that you like jeans that are straight leg, and that are regular rise; armed with that knowledge, you can walk into any premium denim purveyor and just tell a salesperson what you like and have them pick stuff out for you to bring into the fitting room to try on.

nordstrom carries three of the biggest denim brands right now: 7 for all mankind, rock & republic, and true religion. they're probably more expensive than you're comfortable spending, as are acne, nudie, earnest sewn, g-star, paper denim & cloth, and good ol' reliable diesel (although they're all available online at deep discounts, on sites like bluefly), but there are lots of brands in your price range you should check out. i've taken guy friends shopping at lucky brand and they've always found jeans they really liked; not just enough to buy them, but to actually wear them all the time. they fit nicely, feel great and are well made. if you can find them (urban outfitters carries some of their jeans) cheap monday is priced <>premium jeans.
posted by lia at 3:17 AM on August 24

arghh! that looked fine in preview. cheap monday is priced <$100 and is pretty great. you might also want to check out the gap's new premium jeans, which are all also <$100 and have been getting nice reviews.

oh, also! this page defines the terms used in jeans really well, with illustrations, even; it doesn't just explain the various fits, cuts and rises, but also pocket types and waistbands.
posted by lia at 3:28 AM on August 24 [1 favorite]

Is it that you don't want to pay the same $120 for more jeans or that particular Nordy's didn't have any more?

You can always have Nordstrom print out a list of other Nordsrom stores that have your size in that particular style in stock. And always check out Nordstrom Rack (it's where they send their clearance stuff - a most fabulous place to find awesome deals).

I would also suggest calling Worn Denim directly. I bet if you told them what you told us here, they could give you the specifics of the style jean you bought and you would know what to look for online. Their phone number is on the bottom of their home page.
posted by dancinglamb at 6:41 AM on August 24

I have no idea about the jeans, but Etsy has a lot of people who will custom-make items for you.

Although you could try googling with the umlaut?
posted by mippy at 8:02 AM on August 24