Personally, I would groan a bit if I had to spend more than $100 on any pair of jeans/pants. However, since jeans can last for a long-long time with a lot of wear, $100+ jeans doesn't seem that crazy unreasonable.

I currently have 2 pairs of Old Navy Diva low-rise skinny jeans. Both the same wash. That's it haha. My boyfriend kept trying to get me to try Diesel and stuff. I'd rather just buy cheaper things because I feel like I'll move on to a different style and will have wasted my money.

I think the most important thing is how they fit. I would suggest going to a high end department store, like Saks or Nordstrom, and just try on a bunch of designer jeans and seeing what brands and styles fit you well. Take a camera and snap pictures in the dressing room so you can go home and see how they look from the other perspective. This way you can weigh weather or not you think they are worth the price. I’ve come to realize that 7 for All Mankind fit me well, along with True Religion and Paige Premium Denim. I haven’t bought a pair of jeans under 170 in years and I do think they are worth the price tag. But then, I wear jeans on almost a daily basis so it is important to me to have great fitting and high quality pairs!
Of course the pain with a lot of designer brand jeans is that most of them have very long inseams so you have to get them professionally hemmed (although, I think some department stores will hem them for free if you buy from them.) But then at least this way they are the perfect inseam for your height.

@hophead Thanks for that advice. I went into one store last weekend, but got frustrated with their lack of selection. I did notice that they were all super long, I believe you and I are the same height if I'm remembering correctly. I'll have to keep checking other place though.

Ugh. So, I've paid close to $200 on a pair of jeans after tax, I think. Redonkulous. That being said, some of my favourite jeans have been under $100. My ass is hard to fit so I've come to the point where if I find a pair of jeans or trousers that fit really well, I buy them, regardless of what they cost (up to a point, of course). I'm lazy and tend to not get stuff tailored (and oftentimes I know that the tailoring won't be easy if, for example, the waist is significantly larger than the room I need for my thighs) so I try to find things that fit fairly well off the rack.

Several years ago, I bought my first pair of designer jeans. Honestly, it's hard to switch back. My work doesn't require me to dress up, so a pair of nice jeans works for almost everyday. I really think my jean purchases have been worthwhile investments. Also, you don't have to pay full price. I've been able to find deals occasionally. You just have to know what brands and fits work for you. My favs include James jeans, 7 for All Mankind and AGs.

Not to sound like a denim snob but once you go designer, it's really hard to go back. I've converted several of my friends throughout the years and they all can attest to that. A nice pair of jeans can really complete your outfit. I've paid over $200 for a pair of jeans and because I wear jeans every day, I think it's worth it. Rock & Republic, 7 for All Mankind and Citizens of Humanity are my favorites. R&R jeans are really soft and comfy but they tend to rip easily. They are also super long. I'm 5'8" and usually don't have to get my jeans hemmed but I have to for my R&R pairs. I think you just have to try different brands on and see which ones fit you best. You can also find designer jeans at discount department stores like loehmann's, tj max or nordstorm rack.

Honestly, in my experience, Levi's makes great jeans. For $50 or so you can get a great pair that fits well and lasts just as long, if not longer, than a pricey pair.

all my life i've hated jeans and i've never worn them except for one time when my mom forced me too. however, recently, i had become interested in buying skinny jeans, soon enough i was obsessed. i finally found the perfect fit, abercrombie maddy low rise size ten slim, and i loved it. it was a great fit, conforatable, and sexy

I'm a bit bottom-heavy and have difficulty finding jeans that play nice... so I'm a sucker for the carefully cut & crafted lines of the $150-and-up denim varietals. Paige denim is the nicest to me of the bunch, but I also love me some Chip and Pepper.

As for whether or not to take the plunge, I really like hophead's idea - I tend to see how things look much more clearly after taking a photograph!

as stated above, once you go designer you never go back... I guess if I had a perfect body I could pull off regular jeans and save my $200 but unfortunately for my wallet I have a body type that designer denim just fits so much better. I have wider hip bones compared to the rest of my body--good for baby birthing, bad for fitting in jeans--and I always have such a struggle with finding jeans that are wide enough for my hip bones but small enough for my legs are designer jeans. My fav jeans are my AG's, but 7 for all mankind and james cured by seun jeans have been good to me too. But if you fit fine in non-designer jeans then save your money and lucky you!

Since express works for you have you tried exress's DPD jeans? I have a couple pairs of those I really like and saved myself some money :)

I'd say if you're interested just go try some designer jeans on (try Nordstrom or boutiques in your area). If they don't seem so much more amazing to you then your express jeans then don't bother spending the money, but if you love them then I'd say it's definitely worth the money--I've gotten my money's worth and more on every pair!

Try going to a store like TJ Maxx or Marshalls, they have all the designer stuff for alot cheaper. I have so many 7 for all man kind, true religion, and antik denim jeans that I got for like half of what I would have paid at any other store. That way you don't have to spend as much to get a good pair of jeans.

i wear jeans pretty much every day so i can justify more cash. sometimes in the winter i forget to wash them for weeks. is that gross? well i'm in college. besides, this isn't your prom dress, you will wear your jeans again.

my general rules when i am legit jeans shopping:
if they are under $150, if they fit (can you sit in them? i squat down like a frog/stripper to make sure there's no plumber effect), if i love them, and most importantly- if my ass looks great then i say YES!

no brand is alike so big bucks doesn't always equal a good fit. joe's jeans are really comfy and they have a variety of fits for different shapes and if you have a butt, their honey jeans are a good friend. for joes jeans you need to buy a size smaller in the honeys (not sure about their other ones) i learned that the hard way cause they're now my fat day jeans. try on as many brands and fits until you find a perfect pair that fits you.

if you want to save some money, anthropologie may still be having a sale (i got some adriano goldschmied's for 116- used to be 160), TJ's, bluefly, outlets, etc. theres a neiman's last call and a off saks pretty close to my house and the disounts on sevens, chip & peppers, true religions, etc. are ridiculous. do some googling in your area. we've got a designer jeans new and resale store with all the top brands and i hear good things.

btw- i've tried on thousands of skinny jeans and as a normal sized girl i can honestly say i looked dumb in each pair. and then i met express's stella skinnies. oh they are so bomb it's not even funny. they are blue jean's best kept secret. AND their bootcut jeans are killer too ( :

I love the way all my guess jeans fit.. they always seem to hug my body perfectly. The most ive payed for jeans was probably around 125. They have really good in-store sales at guess all the time so ive ive gotten 50% off on a few of them

I should have also mentioned that I'm a hugh fan of ebaying designer jeans. Like, there were these Paige ones that were somewhere around 160+ bucks and I REALLY wanted them. Just kept checking ebay and ended up winning them for 50 bucks (they were used but you can't tell at all.)

I definitly think that designer jeans are worth the price tag. I have paid over $100 many many times. usually I end up buying $200 jeans on sale for $120 or so.

i got a pair of seven jeans and i fell in love. they were so comfortable, and finally i felt confortable in something! i'm bottom heavy, so finding a jean that can go around my curves but still fit my waist was difficult. its funny reading this because i always feel like i'm the only person with finding pants that fit, goes to show we all have different problems with fitting into jeans!

also if you've ever heard of indigonation, they have great sales on designer jeans at the end of the season. like a huge table in the back of the store, with big red mark down signs. :)

I've spent more than the average human being would normally spend on a pair of jeans, just find what fits you right and don't look at the price tag, surprise yourself :]

When I find a brand that fits, I usually stick with it because I have a hard time finding pants long enough (i'm 5'10") . I try to think of it as an investment because they do last a long time. Also, when they start looking worn, their cool factor goes up so that's always a plus. The designer ones do seem to outlast the bargain brands and they are definitely longer, ....perfect example of "you get what you pay for". On the bright side, there are ways of finding them cheaper...resale shops, ebay, overstock stores, etc....

oh ...for those of you who also have trouble finding jeans long enough, try looking at Buckle. They have a great selection of styles and offer "extra long" (35" & 36" inseam), which is hard to find sometimes. They always have great sales, too.

I've bought some jeans over $100... but a great reason to it was because they fitted me perfectly. Still, you can find awesome jeans that are really cheap :) so keep looking. The perfect jean is hard to find, but when you do, you feel great! Personally, I am completely obsessed with skinny jeans now, so I wouldn't doubt to buy the next awesome air I find. Good luck finding the perfect jeans for you :)

The most I've ever paid is $50. And that was on authentic 7 For All Mankinds. I assume they were overstock or out of season, because there was nothing wrong with them and they had all of the symbols and tags as they should. I love them even though they no longer fit me. They were worth that and more because they (used to) fit just right. I have no butt and those wonderful jeans made it look like I did! That is rare...

I've paid p to $45 for jeans, or at least my grandma did for me when I was 9. I wanted these jeans with all this embroidery on them for my 9th birthday from Limited Too. Now I don't spend more than $35 on jeans. I would be willing to pay $70-$100 for when I do find the jeans that fit me like a glove and hug my curves beautifully.

these jeans are probably about $85

well, it kinda depends on the pair!!! if u have a crapy peice of crap...then ur not gonna wanna pay 80 bucks!!!butt if its a great quality pair...then mabey its worth it!!!