As a store owner, I hear exclamations of both shock and adoration when customers are faced with a table full of $200 jeans -- shock that they are actually $200, and
adoration that they are actually $200.
Most consumers are familiar enough with the
premium denim craze to expect the high price associated with the jeans. I do, however, get a customer once in a while who (and I can hardly blame them) seem completely offended by the cost. "Who would spend this much on
jeans?" they ask. "And what in the world makes them so expensive?"
As in most fashion-related questions,
the answer is fit -- fit and fabric, specifically. Premium jeans are almost always created exclusively from Japanese or Italian denim (read: softer, hand-finished washes) and contain at least 2% stretch fibers. The stretch fibers are then specifically positioned in the thighs, hips, and seats of the jeans, allowing for the perfect amount of give where women typically need it most, but preventing unwanted bagginess overall.
It wouldn't be fair to completely ignore the celeb factor when discussing premium denim prices. The fact that Jessica Simpson, Lindsay Lohan, Uma Thurman, and Jennifer Aniston publicly profess their favorite premium denim brands on a regular basis and prance around exhibiting just how cute the jeans can be certainly doesn't hurt the product. If you've seen the item in a magazine, on a celebrity, you can pretty much assume you'll be paying for the privilege to advertise the brand.
The final reason you're paying out the wazoo for your premium denim? In today's society, jeans can be worn anywhere. Going out for dinner and drinks? Pair a dark pair of skinny jeans with some killer heels and a silky little tunic and you're good to go. Grocery store shopping? Throw on your comfiest pair of broken in jeans, the ones that aren't too tight and still make you look like you made an effort. Quick business lunch? Jeans and a blazer look confident and put-together. Consumers are viewing a good pair of jeans as an investment on par with the classic little black dress and a good interview suit. Besides, when you divide the total cost of the jeans by the number of days in a month you're likely to wear them, it doesn't seem so expensive at all.
First off, let me say, like many of you ladies out there, I *heart* Ralph Fiennes. I adored him in the English Patient, drooled over him in Quiz Show. Heck, I even thought he was hunky in Schindler's List. But my favorite Ralph movie has to be The Avengers. 
