| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| texdane |
Posted - Nov 15 2011 : 2:15:14 PM
Okay, gotta rant. What is going on with denim these days? I dislike shopping for pants, and when I find jeans that do fit right I am loyal. Well, I wear my jeans out and then buy more. As a SAHM I wear jeans...a lot. Haven't bought any in awhile. Found myself needing some new ones. I have gone everywhere, every price range...just looking for old-fashioned, nice, strong denim. I hate, absolutely detest stretch denim and that is all anyone has anymore. Every price point. I have been to Nordstrom, Macy's, Target, Penney's, Kohls, Kmart, Sears, Walmart, Gap, and Tractor Supply. Desperation. They all look the same. Thin, stretchy, fake denim. Stretch denim doesn't hold up, and I find with my short legs, thighs that aren't so small and small waist, the jeans are either too tight in the thighs, but fit my waist, or they fit my thighs, and then get bigger in the waist. I ended finding the best ones at Walmart, for only $13. Less stretch and more polyester, so they don't shrink too much. What happened to good, ol'fashioned rugged denim? Even the ones at "Tractor Supply" were stretchy. I see everybody constantly pulling their pants up because they lose stretch and fall down! I have a hard time imagining "real" farmers wearing this stuff...where are they getting the real denim?????? Whew. I feel better now. Thanks girls. 
Nicole
Farmgirl Sister #1155
KNITTER, JAM-MAKER AND MOM EXTRAORDINAIRE
Chapter Leader, Connecticut Simpler Life Sisters
Suburban Farmgirl Blogger
http://sfgblog.maryjanesfarm.org/ |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Annie S |
Posted - Jan 31 2012 : 4:29:38 PM
I too second Duluth Trading Company and also try Cabela's - both on-line and catalogs. They make clothes for the outdoors and hard working women (and men too). Everything I've gotten from both of these companyies have lasted forever and just don't seem to wear out. Same for my hubby's clothes and he's a lot harder on them than I am. Well worth the money. |
| marlee |
Posted - Jan 30 2012 : 3:43:04 PM
I am with you Nichole .I cannot stand those stretchy jeans.You ever wear them in 98 to 100 degree temp.
You pull them away from your leg and they snap back.I have one pair and got rid of those. And in the crotch area they feel creeping up or down and then a gap so everytime you take a step they dont move with you. I could just scream thinking the one time I ever wore a pair.Yucky.
Marlee
God is the painter, he paints the picture. And his son builds it, for he is the Master Carpenter! |
| countrymommy85 |
Posted - Jan 30 2012 : 3:33:12 PM
Yeah, its not just the material but its the way they actually fit!!! I need to go shopping for some jeans but I've been putting it off... Now I'm on my last wearable pair so its getting to the point where if I can't find something I like I won't be wearing jeans at all, will have to find something else I guess. Unless of course I find a pair that fit me properly. Hoping to get some time to go thrifting for a pair or two!
Mothers are those wonderful people who can get up in the morning before the smell of coffee. ~Author Unknown
http://countryrenaissance.blogspot.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SunflowersAndHoney |
| texdane |
Posted - Jan 30 2012 : 05:53:22 AM
Glad to see I'm not the only one frustrated with denim these days! Very thankful for the links!
Farmgirl Hugs,
Nicole
Farmgirl Sister #1155
KNITTER, JAM-MAKER AND MOM EXTRAORDINAIRE
Chapter Leader, Connecticut Simpler Life Sisters
Suburban Farmgirl Blogger
http://sfgblog.maryjanesfarm.org/ |
| queenmushroom |
Posted - Jan 29 2012 : 4:32:36 PM
I know what you're saying. Was disappointed in the Lee jeans that I looked at in Wally World (Walmart). Did end up getting a black pair. Try wranglers. You might also try Levi's. Also go into your local thrift shop. They may have good name brand jeans (no spandex) for a reasonable price.
Patience is worth a bushel of brains...from a chinese fortune cookie |
| MissLiss |
Posted - Jan 16 2012 : 11:23:26 AM
I have this same problem! For outdoor work, I buy denim overalls from Duluth Trading Company's womens catalog. Nice think denim that holds up well to kneeling in the garden and anything else I put them through. I know it's not "fashionable" but I do have thin denim jeans that fit me nicely for going out and about with friends. They just aren't any good for doing any work, at all.
Melissa ~ Farmgirl #724
Mother Hen to The Knitty Gritty Farmgirls of the Inland Empire
http://fabulousfarmgirl.blogspot.com/ |
| GirlwithHook |
Posted - Jan 15 2012 : 09:33:40 AM
Bit late to reply, but right now I'm wearing my Eddie Bauer jeans: 100% denim, wear like iron, and I even found some flannel-lined ones on clearance. Also, they don't fall off my rear!
A hook, a book, and a good cup of coffee.... |
| Ursula Norsedottir |
Posted - Jan 01 2012 : 12:51:38 PM
Oh, for the love of all that is good and holy, THANK YOU, Ashley, for that link! The original cut is just what I have been looking for and the sizing is such a relief. I can't stand the guessing game that is 1,3,7, etc.
http://theblackbearden.blogspot.com/ |
| knead2garden |
Posted - Jan 01 2012 : 05:03:49 AM
Have you tried Carhartt? Here are some that are only 1% spandex.
http://www.carhartt.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10101&storeId=10051&productId=156467&langId=-1&categoryId=15061&top_category=15058
I love my overalls and I find them at thrif shops all the time. I'm really short, so usually the boys overalls will fit or small men's clothes. When thrifting I always check the men's sections:)
Much love,
~Ashley
#1677
"In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we have been taught." -Baba Dioum |
| MelodyRose |
Posted - Dec 26 2011 : 8:35:37 PM
I don't know if this helps--it's 12 oz cotton canvas duck, not your traditional denim--but this site is one I found on this forum. Seems pretty impressive! On the pricey side, but it you like jeans that fit and hold up, here ya go! And I tend to pay more for quality, American-made products from companies that treat their employees well, sooo....
http://www.redantspants.com/index.php
Happy pants shopping!
www.aquietlittlelife.blogspot.com
www.MRSdesigns.etsy.com |
| cj6 |
Posted - Dec 08 2011 : 4:39:47 PM
What about hitting the local thrift shops! they always have plenty of older jeans...
I want to comment on the reply about the size of jeans...my 17year old wears a size 0 and she tried on my favorite pair of red tag Levis from High School a few weeks ago...they're a size 11/12 and they were just a tiny bit big around the waist,nothing a belt wouldn't take care of. Go figure...I keep saying they are changing the sizes on us... |
| brightmeadow |
Posted - Dec 03 2011 : 5:29:50 PM
I thought it was just me! If I don't wear a belt with my stretch jeans by the end of the day I have trouble keeping them on, they have stretched so much.
I have old Chic and Lee Jeans that fit me well and are the heavy, no stretch denim. They can't be found anymore. I even went on the Lee jeans web site and found that they do have some non-stretch jeans, just unfortunately not in my size.
I was so excited last month, because I found a pair of good Lee non-stretch jeans at the local Pamida store. I should have bought three pairs.
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my blog at http://brightmeadowfarms.blogspot.com [ or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
| levisgrammy |
Posted - Dec 01 2011 : 5:44:28 PM
L.L.Bean. I just purchased some myself. 100% cotton no stretchy and they are normal sizes.
farm girl sister#43
http://www.ladybugsandlilacs.blogspot.com/
O, a trouble's a ton or a trouble's an ounce,
Or a trouble is what you make it!
And it isn't the fact that you're hurt that counts,
But only--how did you take it?
--Edmund C. Vance.
|
| JessyLynn88 |
Posted - Dec 01 2011 : 3:15:02 PM
I wear women's carhartt workwear as well as Walls and C.E. Schmidt workwear. They seem to be constructed better and arent low rise! I cant handle low rise jeans! Except for the fact that Im to the point in my pregnancy now that NOTHING fits!
-JessyLynn
Farmgirl Sister #3675 |
| podsandpetals |
Posted - Nov 29 2011 : 7:15:18 PM
I hear you! Jeans are horrible lately- over priced, thin, stretchy, wear out way to fast and are so cold to wear in the winter. I'm a market gardener and there are constantly holes in the knees of my pants. Levis still uses non strech denim but it is very thin. I've ordered from Duluth Trading but their smallest size is a 6 which was huge on me- so they got passed on to my mom. But I will say the denim was nice and thick! To bad they run so big.
I think most Americans sit behind a desk all day and never do any real work. So..it's OK if jeans are thin.
Kids clothes have gotten cheaper also. My son can wear out a pair of pants in two months. Very frustrating!
Check out "Support a farm girl night" http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/snitz/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=38448
www.podsandpetals.etsy.com
ebay seller podsandpetals |
| Missus Miranda |
Posted - Nov 28 2011 : 07:40:55 AM
Saw this and had to jump in!
The only thing wrong with the cotton theory is that I see PLENTY of 100% cotton shirts, I buy cotton calico on the cheap, and muslin, too. Granted, the cotton crops down here and out west suffered from the drought, but I think it's more of a fashion crisis than cotton crisis.
This next part is not meant to step on any toes, by ANY means, but is an observation of "average America". Americans have gotten fatter and lazier and demand comfort over anything. How else to we explain "Pajama Jeans" (dear Lord they are ugly...) and the general public walking around in pajamas. I have to admit, I have a strange attraction to the People of Walmart website, and have seen entirely too many photos of grown ups in FEETIE PAJAMAS!! I didn't even realize you could BUY linebacker sized feeties!!
Manufacturers know this and add the spandex in to apease an ever growing (literally) market. I know Wranglers still makes non-stretch jeans, but again, it's the thighs and waist thing. I'm not even as big as I was ten years ago, and I can't find Wranglers to fit me, now. Even the stretchy ones were MUCH smaller than the tag said. A pair of 15/16s fit like a TWELVE! Yet, if I still had a pair of 19/20s from 10 years ago, I guarantee you they would be too big - they would fit like 19/20s.
I started making my own clothing, even a denim skirt out of material I got from Momma who got it from HER Momma. It fits like a dream and it's not stretchy. I've worn it and worn it and washed it and washed it, and the denim was washed several times before I ever used it.
I do agree that they are using less and less quality fabrics. I bought a pair of Levi's back in April and they have already gone threadbare in the thighs. It's the "rugged" look, I guess.
I think I'm just going to go make my own. Momma did when she was my age, why shouldn't I? LOL
"I'm not trying to be mean or cantankerous. I just wish people would do the right thing, and use a little common sense." ~ Farmgirl 3535
Pflugerville, TX
http://www.tawnycow.blogspot.com/ |
| Megan |
Posted - Nov 24 2011 : 3:32:16 PM
i get mine from the mens section of tractor supply. the wranglers i get are 100% cotton they hold up for about a year or so. ant ask much more that's longer then my boots they only last about 6 months before the leather gives way and im walking on dirt anyway
www.rockriverexoticsandkennel.net |
| oldbittyhen |
Posted - Nov 20 2011 : 3:47:12 PM
have any of you gone to www.levi.com, no middle man, and they still carry heavy weight denim, and I second L.L.Bean, they too have great denim...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
| texdane |
Posted - Nov 20 2011 : 2:19:23 PM
I'm glad it isn't just me that noticed this. The Lee jeans I had a few years ago were "real" denim, but what I found at the same store are stretch denim Lees. Audrey, that makes perfect sense about the price of cotton...now I notice I can't find a good, thick, all-cotton t-shirt. My favorite two brands are not near as thick, and the white ones are so thin, unless I have something over them they are near indecent! I have short legs, so it is doubly hard to find the right fit, so the Costco don't work. Maybe DH will like the men version, though. Thanks for all the recommendations!
Farmgirl Hugs,
Nicole
Farmgirl Sister #1155
KNITTER, JAM-MAKER AND MOM EXTRAORDINAIRE
Chapter Leader, Connecticut Simpler Life Sisters
Suburban Farmgirl Blogger
http://sfgblog.maryjanesfarm.org/ |
| Melina |
Posted - Nov 20 2011 : 07:55:48 AM
I noticed the trend a few years ago and now exclusively buy my jeans at our local thrift store. I can still get a very nice heavy Rider jean for $5.00.
The morning breeze has secrets to tell you. Do not go back to sleep.
Rumi |
| farmmilkmama |
Posted - Nov 20 2011 : 03:57:05 AM
Oh Nicole, I hear you, and you're not alone because we were just talking about this same thing in our homeschool group the other day. (Well, at least the moms were!) I am glad for the suggestions offered here. I find the last few months I've been in a skirt most the time, but when I do wear one of the three pair of jeans I own, I always end up crabby because they just don't fit right! Denim should be denim. I'm with you, girl!! I know...let's get together and have a denim shopping trip!
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com
www.thehmmmschoolingmom.blogspot.com |
| Rosemary |
Posted - Nov 19 2011 : 5:04:42 PM
Have you tried L.L. Bean? They have several styles for women that are 100% denim, no Spandex. |
| acairnsmom |
Posted - Nov 16 2011 : 3:04:21 PM
I heard that due to the price increase of cotton all denim is being manufactured with the stretchy ingredient(can't think of what it's called right now). I think that goes for any fabric made of cotton. 100% cotton is become hard to find. Hmmm...what will that do for our quilt shops I wonder?
Audrey
Good boy Hobbs! I love and miss you. |
| tammyknit |
Posted - Nov 15 2011 : 5:06:05 PM
I get Lee jeans at our local farm store. One of the few brands we can find that are still real denim.
Tammy |
| YakLady |
Posted - Nov 15 2011 : 3:43:17 PM
We like the Kirkland jeans from Costco. They're the good, thick denim and they are 17 bucks a pair, I think. Unfortunately, they only come in mens, so my big butt requires a bigger size. However, they outlast anything else. My DH has about 5 pair in circulation at any given time, and he really abuses them. We only have to replace 2-3 a year, it's a real budget saver when your hubby has a propensity towards getting dirty, oily, and literally slicing up his clothing working on the ranch :)
~Natalie~ Just a farmgirl in Western Montana. http://mtnme.blogspot.com
Starting a family and raising Tibetan Yaks, Nigerian Dwarf Goats, Laying hens, Muscovy ducks, and a few dogs. |
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