I walked out with a brand new pair of indigo raw denim APC jeans (thankfully, this pair also doesn’t have fancy stitching, treatments, rhinestones or studs. Yes, I stuck by at least some of my principles.). Price: $132.

And while no man would dare ask, “Do these jeans make my butt look fat?”, a man will exclaim, “I hate these jeans!  They keep crawling up my crack!” Comfort’s paramount, but style is not to be dismissed. Premium denim is new territory for me, because it’s not only how jeans look or how they feel, but how they make you feel. 

Oh, yeah, it takes a certain guy to walk tall in this world in a pair of distressed, embroidered Seven For All Mankind. And you, unbeliever, give me four minutes of your time to explain the way the other half lives. Learn about those who have cash to burn (where $765 is not too much for limited edition denim), those who pay as much attention to their jeans as their girl does hers, and who can tell the difference between a pair of Rag and Bones and Nudies at a hundred paces. Fella, enter the world of men’s premium jeans, if you dare.

What is the deal with $400 men’s jeans? You may have noticed more and more guys are buying expensive (yes, designer) jeans, just like their women have been doing for years. And just like buying a handmade suit is considerably more costly than one made on a machine, premium denim is also usually handmade, hand constructed, hand dyed and hand treated. Because they’re handmade, every pair, even within the same line and same size, will fit a bit differently. It’s that handmade aspect, plus the rarity of certain pairs that get put out in limited release (just like limited edition releases of sneakers, Scotches, and cars), that can drive the price north of $400…for a pair of jeans!

Why is it “premium”? Premium denim features details that Wranglers, Levis, Lees and Gap jeans don’t. Details like unique stitching and embroidery to go along with the hand-made construction, special treatments, washes and distressing (though some premium denim is called “raw” denim, which is completely untreated, unwashed, and is quite stiff and dry). Also a number of these jeans are made overseas, though not in a Chinese sweatshop. I’m talking Sweden, Japan, Italy, among others. Finally, premium denim has a much more unique fit to your body, a fit that flatters your lower bod more than a pair of Wranglers might.  One downside of that unique fit is the variations among jeans of the same manufacturer, same size. Premium denim ranges from about $125 all the way up to $750 for a vegetable-dyed indigo pair in limited release…which the folks at the Denim Bar explained with a completely unironic straight face. Amazing.

Who’s buyin’ this stuff? Dave Neubauer, the resident guy-jean Sensei at Denim Bar, said, “Sure, you get your occasional 20-somethings buying premium denim, but mostly high-end jeans are being purchased by guys in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and, sit down for this one, even 60s.” Apparently some women like the way their 60-year-old guy looks in jeans that are more dolled-up then the basic Levis. These women are bringing their men into the shop and saying, “I hate his jeans. Put him in something sexy.” Other women think a guy in Levis is sexy. Diff’rent strokes, folks.

OK, so I’m a regular, not too style conscious guy, but I’m willing to consider it. Sell me. Exactly what I said when I walked through the door. And here was their paraphrased response: premium denim is every bit as nice as a good pair of really sharp dress pants that most guys would have no problem spending $150 to wear at the office and in the evening. But the difference is that a pair of premium jeans is probably the most flexible pair of pants in your wardrobe, more so than khakis and more so than those sharp dress pants, because…

You can wear it with just about everything. For example, pair it with a fitted dress shirt, narrow tie and fitted sportjacket for a downtown, hip but well-dressed look; street shoes and a hoodie for an athletic look; a regular t-shirt or print tee with throwback sneakers for a weekend or just slummin’ around look; a snug black tee shirt and Converse Chucks for a punk look; polo shirts in summer or cashmere turtlenecks in winter for a business casual/dress casual look. Premium jeans go with virtually all types of shoes, are appropriate in some offices (where Gap jeans may not be considered dressy enough), move seamlessly from day to night at the bar or lounge, and are truly a year-round clothing. Now, interestingly, the thought of $200 for a pair of jeans that will last you 15, maybe 20, years and that you can wear most anywhere, most any time, doesn’t seem so completely outrageous. Each wearing might cost you, what, twenty-five cents, if you keep the jeans up for a decade or more and wear them every fifth day.

OK, OK, so if I’m going to buy one pair, which pair should it be? Try multiple pairs on because what works on one guy won’t work on another guy. I found this out personally as I couldn’t get several of the pairs of premium 34s over by bulbous butt. But for starters, go with a pair whose look will last, meaning don’t overdo the stitching, studding and distressing.

I went for the APCs because they were unadorned and wouldn’t ever go out of style, whereas many washes, embroideries and treatments might be really passé in two years. At these prices, I expect to keep these jeans around for a looong time. The APCs were classic indigo, though basic, and the one “luxury” feature was that they were raw denim, meaning unwashed, stiff and requiring much breaking in.

Once you get a pair that’s very standard, and makers such as APC, Rag and Bone, Lucky Brand, you can add to that with more exotic (and expensive) jeans. But for me, one is enough. Understand that I’m still a bit stunned that I just spent two-and-a-half times what I believed a guy should spend on jeans. But I do look damn fine in ‘em, if I may say so.  At least my wife says so…’course she doesn’t know what they cost!