My recent jean “splurge”

I haven’t really had a valid excuse to buy more jeans.

Until now.

Yes, I’m too small for my maternity jeans (thank you, Jesus!), but I’m not quite back to my pre-baby size. To squeeze into my old skinnies, I’d need a hope, a prayer, and a wire hanger, and even then it’s a longshot. So I needed a few temporary pairs to get me by; kind of like the sartorial equivalent of training wheels.

I love wearing used jeans. In fact, I haven’t purchased a pair of jeans brand new since 2009 when I bought a pair of Chip and Peppers from Marshalls for $60 (which I consider a steal because I love me some Chip and Peppers, but I digress.) I have a gazillion pairs of jeans – one, it seems, for every different look I want to create, depending on the day and my mood. I primarily buy used jeans for two reasons: One, I like my jeans a bit worn; broken in, if you will. And two, I have so many that, if I bought them all brand new, I’d go bankrupt. I’m funny about jeans: Every time I buy a new pair, I swear that I’ve found the holy grail of denim, only to grow tired of them weeks later. That’s when they are relegated to the back of my closet and will likely never see the light of day again. Then the process of searching for a new pair begins all over again.

I found just what I needed by way of a clothing Web site called Twice. The story of Twice is an interesting one, and you can read it here. But the short story is this: Twice is basically a higher-end online retail clothing consignment site that sells pristine used clothing for up to 80% off retail prices – and with free shipping. I’ve ordered from them many times, and their clothes – which arrive in pristine condition – and customer service are to die for. (And they’re selling handbags now!) Twice’s motto is “Find cash in your closet” and you can learn the details on how this works here. 

I recently bought the jeans pictured above (from left): a pair of The Gap Medium Blue Skinny Jeans for $17.95, a pair of Ann Taylor Loft Skinny White Jeans for $16.95, and a pair of Cheap Monday Medium Blue Skinny Jeans for $16.95. (Cheap Monday is a Swedish label that used to be available at Barney’s New York; they are known for their superior comfort.) This is what they looked like straight out of the box:

Unfortunately, the Cheap Mondays didn’t work out. They simply didn’t fit right. (Two out of three ain’t bad.) So Twice e-mailed me a free return shipping label, and back off to Twice they went. No muss no fuss. Turns out, I love the pair from The Gap so much that they are now my go-to jeans. I mean, really, this pair has true staring power.