Image Credit – Coveteur
Outlets Or Retail? Where Do You Buy Your Premium Jeans?
We all have one thing in common here at The Jeans Blog and that’s our love of denim. Whether that’s our fascination with vintage washes, our obsession with the right fits, keeping up with the latest trends, or memories from childhood, the one thing that’s certain is the fact that we all love it. Since all of us have so many different reasons behind our intrigue towards the beautiful blue fabric, I’m interested to know about your shopping habits and how you buy your jeans!
I, myself, mostly opt to buy the newer jeans that come out so that I can review them, test them, keep up with the trends etc and have the latest denim, much like the rest of the fashion world, but I’m not opposed to getting some great deals and shopping out of season either. As premium denim can be expensive, especially when purchased at retail, my question is, do you prefer to buy them brand new at retail or do you prefer to go out of season at outlets and sales?
When I first got into premium denim, I was just 17 and money was scarce (teenage life!) so I was always opting for pre-owned authentic jeans. A lot of the pairs I acquired were pre-loved and I still love them today, but I would also spend hours scouring the racks of TKMaxx for bargains! If you are in the US, it’s known as TJMaxx, but as they get all of the old season stock, you can get some absolute steals there! I used to pick Diesel and Rock & Republic for around 80% off their retail price! In the last couple of years I have even been known to get a pair of J Brand, Rag & Bone and Diesel for less than £20 each! I even found a pair of Paige jeans for about £12, but of course they’re out of season (perhaps 2-3 seasons old), so you need to choose wisely.
If you have time to spend rummaging through the rails in the stores, you can find some treasures, but if you do most of your shopping online, it’s even worth checking out things like Groupons latest TKMaxx voucher codes as you can even get more discount at the checkout! Other great online stores for older stock are The Outnet and Yoox. Both of these shops are hugely stocked with designer denim and for just a fraction of the price sometimes – especially around sale season. I know buying jeans online can sometimes be tricky though with sizing, and some past season jeans are marked as final sale and cannot be returned sometimes, so it does run a small risk.
If however, you need to have the latest trends and you love the new styles that come out because you follow the celebs in denim or keep up with what denim fashion bloggers are wearing, then obviously shopping the ‘new in’ section on places like Shopbop and Revolve, or heading to your local department store, is clearly the answer. It’s always a great feeling when you get something new and cool, or a pair of jeans that look so funky you can’t wait to show them off, or a new cut from a brand that’s coveted by everyone… sometimes it can be the highlight of the day!
So, with all of that in mind, what do you do? How do you shop your premium denim? Discounted and out of season or do you buy them when they’re released at retail? The poll is below for you to vote in, but for me it’s always a mixture of both. I’m not opposed to scoring a fantastic deal on a pair of jeans I like and would wear by going for an outlet store, but I’m also really partial to getting the latest jeans due to my job and obsession with denim. Vote below and let me know!
[poll id=”9″]
Hi Lorna
I have been buying them as discounted and out of season for many years now because the styles are far more appealing and priced significantly below MSRP sometimes discounted 70% or better if lucky on ebay and Poshmark. They might even be NWT to boot so it’s brand new with substantial discount. Back around 08 when this trend was early I’d buy new from sites like Revolve and Shopbop if they were discounted 30% or better. That said there have been discontinued ones I regret not buying from a retail site because they never showed up in the secondary market as expected. Last time I bought from a primary retailer was probably around 4 or 5 years ago. The styles these past couple years are very unappealing.
Author
I fully agree with you on the trends at the moment being unappealing. There’s barely any that I like either. I miss those good old days back in 2006-2010!