short shelf life of my jeans (venting) - YouLookFab Forum

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short shelf life of my jeans (venting)

Mochi

Veteran

I'm an apple with relatively slim thighs. BUT, they are a bit fleshy in the inner thigh.

Which means that they rub together ever so slightly. But enough so that every pair of jeans I own, sooner or later, gets the fabric worn thin and holes result in the inside of the upper thigh.

I just found a hole in my Gap skinnies that are about 14 months old. You are probably glad because I'm sure you got sick of seeing 98% of my WIWs featuring this pair of jeans. Well, now I need to replace them. The hole is way too close to the crotch to pretend I'm just being RATE and edgy. Sigh.

Well, now that I think of it, this is probably one good reason I don't see myself investing in a high-end pair of jeans anytime soon. And now I have to toss these pants that are in otherwise perfectly good condition. The hole would be too big for a patch and I don't want one anyway. Sigh again.

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33 replies

Latest reply was from christieanne

Aziraphale

Veteran

Do you think high-end jeans would be able to resist this type of wear pattern?

Here's another idea. Once I took in a pair of my husband's jeans that had a small hole. They patched it from the inside, and sewed rows and rows of stitches in the same direction as the grain of the denim, to reinforce the area. You could barely tell it had been patched.

sarah

Veteran

Aarrgh...that is so darn frustrating. But I'm also wondering whether a thicker, higher end denim might hold up longer?

Mochi

Veteran

Hmm. Thanks for the suggestions, ladies. I would have to hear from people who've had this issue and then didn't have it (or did have it repeat) with the pricey jeans. In my mind, I feel like I'd be buying some extra time but eventually it would happen? Maybe next time I'm at Nordies I'll take a look at the fabric.

Thistle

Veteran

This is how I lost my last pair of jeans. I feel your pain!

If you ever come across a solution, please share!

Anonymous

I used to have that problem but I am not sure as of how I got rid of it. Boo... I can relate. I'm sorry:(.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Wow, that's annoying!

I've never had that problem. Yay, saddlebags? :-/

Mochi

Veteran

Hah, Janet, I was just thinking about how I have inverse saddlebags. Fun!

Zap, it's a tiny little first world problem for sure. Just....I liked those jeans...and I HATE shopping for jeans. Well, off to Gap tomorrow before the predicted snow gets heavy.

Mochi

Veteran

Oh, yeah, I forgot. There's always lipo.

I'm kidding.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

LOL, inverse saddlebags! It's always so odd to me that so many women have trouble with their thighs rubbing together, and here I am with my enormous thighs and no such problem -- I finally figured out its because my hips are wide and I carry my extra thighage on the outside, not the inside. Ah, bodies. So many variations.

tarzy

Veteran

That must be so frustrating! I wonder if a different style of jean would help? I'm a total convert to premium denim now, because they just fit differently.

I'm not saying it definitely would solve the problem - I just wonder. I stalk 6pm and Amazon for my premium brand on sale or closeout (they're always bringing in new washes each season) - I never pay full price.

DonnaF

Veteran

I have saddlebags AND fat inner thighs AND bow legs. Never thought bow legs might be a blessing to help me avoid this bullet! I have no experience at all with premium denim so don't know how they'd fare.

pil

Veteran

No suggestions to offer - just commiserating and cursing that darned "chub rub" : )

rae

(website)

Veteran

I am not sure if premium denim would help... most of my Gap jeans seem to be pretty much the same thickness as my premium ones. It might be different if the hole was on the seam, or from poor workmanship, but from friction, I think all thin denims are probably the same. Just a theory, though!

Would it be possible (or even attractive to you) to replace with the same size and style from Ebay? You could stock up at a low price point. Or if you do find another style you like better, get a couple pairs of the exact same item and rotate them out so that no one pair takes all the wear n' tear.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

The solution to this problem may or may not be premium denim.

I can offer a couple of options to you:

1. Don't move. (HA!!!!!)

But seriously, reclining on the divan and munching bon bons is party of a dandy's proper due in life, is it not?

No?

Okay. Solution 2:

Buy MORE jeans and put them into rotation. You need a bunch.

And since you dislike shopping for denim (and I hear you there....big time) maybe buying a couple at once would be a good idea?

Also, as an aside, if it will make you feel any better, although the Gap jeans look reasonably sturdy, I tripped on the sidewalk in mine last winter and went down on my knee. Just a scrape, just for a second, on regular pavement. But it sure didn't take much of that real -life distressing to make them show a big hole. I had to cut them off for shorts.

Anonymous

Poor Mochi! On the bright side, at least your jeans didn't have time to become dated looking. Every time you wear a pair out, you will be forced to get out there into denim land and see what's new and exciting. Here's hoping the pain of finding a new pair will be worth it in the end.

Mochi

Veteran

rae, I sense that you're right. The difference between premium and non-premium jeans, I suspect, is in the stitching and the design. Maybe you could find some particularly shoddy denim, but this was The Gap, and it was a pretty good weight. But no matter, just like the Grand Canyon got created eventually, after 140 million years or so, fabric will break down. You're all correct that I should rotate more, buy a few extra pair...I have a lot of bootcuts, but somehow always grab this pair. I'm going out shopping today to stock up on some new ones.

Suz, lounging with bonbons sounds fab, but I think I'd need to start stocking up on larger sizes then.

I also have the knee rip in my Target khaki skinnies (luckily inexpensive). I still wear them. That was from that nasty spill off my bike, that fractured my shoulder. I can deal with a knee rip in a casual pair of jeans...a hole near the crotch is inexcusable!

Claire, I'll go back to The Gap today and just for fun, try to find some other cuts and see what's up. If anything works out, you'll be hearing it here! I've been the only one on YLF who hasn't said a peep about boyfriends, right?

KeepTheKey

(website)

I'll throw in my 2 cents on this one as I'm a wearer of both premium and cheaper denim, as well as a lady with, *ahem*, generous thighs

1. As Rae said, cheaper and premium denim are usually the same thickness. I find that all of my jeans (Joe's, CoH, Goldsign, JBrand, Guess, Gap, Zco) eventually wear out in the spot you're talking about.

2. Suz makes an excellent point. I've found that my jeans last a zillion (rough estimate) times longer when I rotate them. For you, this might mean buying mutiple pairs of the same style. I duplicated my favorite Joe's and marked the tag of each one with a different number, so I would know I wasn't wearing the same pair twice in a row. I did this because, like most people (I hope), I don't launder my jeans every time I wear them. Speaking of which...

3. Laundering makes a big difference in the life of your jeans. Are you washing after each wear? Unless you're getting dirty and sweaty, you probably don't need to. I find that every 3-4 wears is just fine.Also, I like to wash all of my jeans in cold water and hang them to dry. The less you stress the fabric, the less likely they are to shrink and wear away in the thigh area. I'm also a bit obsessive about my laundry habits, so I use a perfume and dye free powder, as it seems more gentle on fabrics in general.

4. Finally, the repair. I've found that if I check my jeans regularly, I can see when they start to get a little wear and tear in the thighs. I take preventative measures and patch them before all hell breaks loose. I buy the small iron on patches you find at fabric stores, which can also be found in most grocery and drug stores, and place them on the *inside* of the pant leg. A hot iron and a few minutes later, and my pants are ready to go

Of course, this is just my crazy denim preservation and repair regimen. Your mileage may vary!

Niefern

Mochi, I too wear holes in the crotch/upper thigh area - all my jeans have died that way. And I have noticed that the thicker the demin, the sooner the holes seem to appear.

To me, this is a good reason not to spend too much on jeans.

Mander

(website)

Veteran

I've never found a good solution for this, but eventually all my jeans spring a leak here. Sometimes I can patch them and extend their life a bit, and I even tried an experiment in which I sewed parts of two pairs of jeans together, but they are strictly for gardening and lounging.

I keep thinking that there must be something clever that I could do with silicone spray or wax or something to reduce friction in that area but I haven't had a brainwave yet.

Raisin

Veteran

Mochi that does sound frustrating. Maybe try jeans that have less stretch to them, you know the thicker kind. They seem less comfy, but I have a pair and have gotten used to them, and they don't bag out which is nice.

Also, I'm picturing you in jeans with leather patches on the inner thigh! Lol, leather insert jeans are very popular, so I bet you could find them, and that would solve things!

I couldn't find it exactly, but like this but the leather goes up to the thigh area. Hehe...

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Echo

Veteran

I have this issue, too, and always have. No matter how low my weight goes, my thighs just are too close together. Laundering makes the biggest difference for me - washing in cold and hanging dry. Running jeans through the dryer really takes the life out of them quickly (even though they end up more comfortable). But when you are built this way, your jeans will wear in that area and there isn't much that can be done. Rotating isn't really a solution because it all comes down to less wear, but whether the number of wears to make holes takes 6 months to achieve or 3 years, it is the same number of wearings that will achieve it. If you wear them daily for 100 days and they wear out or every other day for 200 days, the number of wears is identical, they were just spread over a longer time-frame in the latter instance.

Robin M

+7 for the rotating your jeans votes. The only time I have had that problem is when I wore the same pair of uniform pants every day for 6 months. In my defense, I did wash them 1 or 2 times a week. IMO, this could be good or bad. If you only have one pair of jeans you really love and you have a goal of downsizing your closet, this is an excellent way to get there. And it allows you to experiment guilt-free with new jeans once a year But I sympathize with the hating to buy pants.

Kalli

Well, didn't get through all the comments above but I'm sure unless you're really model thin your thighs will rub. Mine do and people always comment on how skinny I am. That means you are NORMAL. I do think higher end jeans may be able to handle the excessive wear better since they do use thicker fabrics.

Nicole in OC

Eeek, I've been restocking my jeans (all I wear are jeans) with premium denim in the hopes that it will curb this exact problem or problems like it. Now I'm worried that it wont solve anything and I'm just doomed to replace frequently.

Glory

Veteran

One trick I have used if the hole is reasonably small. Fusible interfacing ironed on the inside. You only need a small square and can find it at any sewing centre - even Walmart. It might be worth a try.

Liz A.

Veteran

Believe me. This problem does not go away with premium denim. All my most favorite Joe's have gotten holes there, and I've even ripped a pair of 7's wide open right in that spot. I will no longer be buying jeans with no stretch.

Mochi

Veteran

Whew, thank you, everybody (KeeptheKey, I'm sorry I never thanked you for your very in-depth suggestions).

Tiny little first-world problem. Just a bit annoying. And the holes are too high up for those leather inserts. In colder weather I could probably wear similar-colored tights underneath to camouflage. That's the best I've got.

Anonymous

What if you put on a patch on a brand new pair of jeans before you have holes? I don't know if the patch would be annoying or not but it seems like they are made out of stronger material than jeans.

Kristin L

Veteran

I totally understand and can commiserate. I like to pretend I don't have chubby thighs, but that's one of the spots where mine wear out first. The fun part is when the wear is towards the back so you don't notice it until you are out in public and feel a breeze where you shouldn't. I'm very thankful I was at least wearing cute underwear that day!

I think where they wear has a lot to do with how you're built. I think I could work out until the cows came home and thighs would still rub. When I was at my thinnest in high school with very little body fat, my thighs still rubbed.

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