According to NPD, jeans that cost more than $100 make up only 1% of the $14 billion industry, but it's a quickly rising business. In 2004, women's jeans sales were $7.4 billion, up 12% from $6.6 billion in 2003. At department stores such as Saks, the best-selling jeans are brands like Seven for all Mankind, Citizens of Humanity, True Religion and Hudson jeans to name a few.
Vintage Jeans
$60,000
In 2005, a pair of 115-year-old Levis similar to the Nevada jeans pictured were sold on eBay to a Japanese collector who paid what some spend on a luxury automobile.
Costume-Made
$800 to $1000
In creating a one-of-a-kind jean, Ernest Sewn takes into consideration your exact measurements and style preferences. But it doesn’t come cheap. Custom-made jeans start at $800 and can go up to $1000 depending on the denim, buttons and rivets used.
Premium Lines
$675
Jeans in Diesel’s Denim Gallery start at $400 and go to $675. They are hand-dyed and distressed (a process that puts minor rips in the material), and no pair are alike. What’s more, they are only available in New York City and Japan.
Celebrity Favorite
$450
Worn by the likes of Brad Pitt and other A-listers, PRPS jeans are made of rare selvage denim that is hand-dyed with natural pigments. Expertly distressed in strategic places, you would have to be making some serious cash to rock these jeans.
Rock-N-Roll Denim
$1,000 to $3,000, depending on embellishments
Rockers such as Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler have been known to indulge in a pair of really great fitting jeans. Their True Religion jeans, worn at the Citicard/Advantage private concert series in New York City on Dec. 3, were embroidered and embellished by Tyler, but stylists such as Oligo Tissew can create similar pairs.
Jewel-embellished Jeans
$4,000
What makes these dungarees so expensive is the hardware used. Designer APO uses diamonds on the front clasps and back pockets instead of metal. No wonder these jeans are some of the most expensive in the world.
Designer” Jeans
$1,185
Never one to be described as “understated,” Roberto Cavalli incorporates his over-the-top aesthetic into his designer jeans. This includes replacing rhinestones for rivets and using multiple denim washes, all of which are loved by celebrities like Beyonce and J-Lo.
Crystal Encrusted
LRG Jeans
$500
When it comes to jeans, sometimes the more bling the better. Luxirie, the women’s line of LRG, pushes the envelope with jewel-encrusted detailing on the back pocket, adding a little excitement to an otherwise normal piece.
Plain Premium Jeans
$700
For women who want to steer clear of rhinestone and fancy rivets, the Triple 5 Soul jeans have virtually no detailing and come in a heavy dark wash denim that has a small amount of stretch in
them.
