how long should jeans last?

[Anonymous]

I have worn through the inner thigh of two pairs of gap jeans in the last six months. The first were maternity jeans I had only had for a few months. They replaced them. The second is a pair I've had for a year and a half, but couldn't wear for a while because of the pregnancy. Is it unreasonable for me to be annoyed and to think that $70 jeans should last longer? And these jeans were appropriately snug...by no means tight.

[Anonymous]

Same story with my last pair of GAP jeans. Bought them in August 2010, put my knee through them in June 2011.

[Anonymous]

Did you take them back?

[Anonymous]

If you read reviews of gap jeans, you willl see lots of issues about quality. (In fact, it persuaded me to not buy Gap jeans). So, I don't think you are alone. I would take them back and demand a refund. That's ridiculous.

I have jeans from 2004 that are still in fantastic shape. Jeans can last a long time if they are well made.

[Anonymous]

I don't know how long they *should* last, but if it's a pair I wear regularly, I will get a hole in the knee in about a year - no matter the brand (although I have not worn all brands, of course).

[Anonymous]

Do you air dry them? Wash them in cold water? I have a pair of True Religion jeans that I've been wearing since 2003. I don't wear them in the summer, nor during the week (business attire only), though.

[Anonymous]

gap jeans don't last.

[Anonymous]

My GAP jeans are close to going in the trash. I bought them in 2007 and have worn them 2 or 3 times a week since buying them (except for a 9 month period while pg/pp).

If GAP jeans suck, what should I buy next? No skinny jeans please.

[Anonymous]

Agree with PP, wash your jeans in cold water, then air-dry them and they will last pretty much forever.

I have jeans from many different brands and many different eras. Old Navy ones last well for me. You might want to look for jeans with no more than 1% Lycra, as it breaks down in the dryer and weakens the fabric.

[Anonymous]

Umm 17:04 let me get this straight, you bought the jeans 4 years ago and you wear them 2-3 times per week except for when you were pregnant, it seems to me like they have lasted a long time.

[Anonymous]

usually feel like my jeans are out of fashion in a few years anyway...so lasting 2-3 years is not that terrible.

[Anonymous]

I have true religion I still wear them. They are 11 years old. Love them

[Anonymous]

How exactly do you wear through the inner thigh of jeans? If it's a weight issue and your thighs are rubbing together constantly, I'm not sure most jeans could withstand that for a very long time. I'm not trying to be an asshole, I'm just genuinely asking if this is what is happening that is causing the inner thighs to be the only part of your jeans that is wearing out.

[Anonymous]

My Gap maternity jeans started unraveling after less than 5 wears. On the outer thigh. They are going to wear wherever they are stressed and not sewn together properly. They were a little big on me since I don't like tight things; meaning, after an hour of wear they were falling down. This does not constitute 'too small' and they were not double zig-zag stitched or whatever you're supposed to do to jeans. they were just regular stitched. Certainly I should have looked for that before buying. They were also stretchy fabric, btw, which needs quality stitching to avoid unraveling.

That said, I still have a pair from 2005 (regular jeans), one of the last times I found jeans that were actually made of denim, not that thin crap they call denim now.

Since then, I have had luck with Lucky Brand Jeans.

[Anonymous]

to 9:48: That's a really fair question and is the cause for why I started crying the second time it happened. The trouble is that I'm not fat and the jeans aren't too tight. I'm not so skinny that my thighs never touch each other, but I think the women that can claim that are in the minority. plus, as it related to the maternity pair, even if i was very fat and had my thighs in constant contact with each other, wearing out in a few months would just be silly. i think the lesson is to stop buying gap jeans (even if they say they are the "premium" ones) and buy jeans with sturdier denim. the kicker is that i am wearing a pair now that i bought in 2006 or 2005 (before they went fancier, i guess) that are in fine shape and have no signs of wearing through anywhere, including my thunder thighs!!

thanks for the suggestions everyone! and for similar gap jean stories.