Ron Herman Exclusive: Paige Premium Distressed Laurel Canyon at Distressing Prices

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The exclusive Paige Premium jean for Ron Herman we posted about earlier, which was said to be available Memorial Day, is now online. In the denim label's Laurel Canyon style, the 5-pocket jean is distressed with a flared leg, and has a little bit of Spandex. It's $218, which, exclusive or not, seems a bit much. Not only that, the inseam is the usual 34 inches, which means alterations, adding onto the expense, unless Ron Herman does that gratis. Are the days of spending ridiculous amounts of money on jeans, especially not particularly special ones, over?

Per an article in Women's Wear Daily: "Over the last several months, the prolonged war in Iraq, the subprime mortgage crisis and soaring fuel prices have stoked fears of a recession and left consumers thinking twice before parting with their disposable income. Denim hasn't been immune." Though, apparently, market research group NPD found "Women's jeans sales...totaled $7.77 billion for the 12 months through March, a 4.9 percent increase over the $7.41 billion reported in the same period a year ago." Though, most of these sales are not at premium prices: "...the bulk of the market is made up of affordably priced denim. Jeans priced between $10 and $30 account for more than 53 percent of the overall market, and the average price of women's jeans came in at $24.50, a 7 percent increase from $22.91 the previous year." How much would you spend on a pair of jeans these days?
· Ron Herman [ronherman.com]
· By The Numbers [WWD, subscription req]