I Bought Jeans Today

I wear my jeans until they are absolutely toast. I’ve sowed up my favorite pair at least 3 times in the past year. But, the latest rip has made them pretty much unwearable. 

So, it’s time for a new pair. The other day a friend recommended Ponce Denim Company — which happens to be in the same building as my co-working space. 

The manager was super helpful. I told him what I was looking for: tapered fit, not too slim, but a good cut that would be relatively fitted. 

He started pulling jeans from several racks. Some of the brands I’d heard of, many I hadn’t. It was a very good retail experience. I expressed what I wanted. Then I was shown several solid options. I tried on 8 pairs of jeans in 10 minutes, and walked out with two new pairs — Levi’s and a pair from G Star. 

It reminded me that in person retail can be powerful. I’d never even heard of G Star and this will be my first pair of Levi’s!

Two things made this experience special — the curation and the speed. 

Online brands and influencers are trying to replicate the in person experience and make it better with scale, online purchasing and curation. Case in point, Man Repeller is launching Hold The Phone!, a text-based service with style advice and shopping recommendations. 

As I was checking out, I asked the manager, Amari, ​“do you ever have sales”? He told me they have sales twice a year. Cool, I wanted to be on the list.

Instead of an email, they announce the sale via text. How do they do it? They send an individual text, one by one, from their phone, to everyone in their database. Crazy. Meredith was with me, and as she does, adamantly told him that he had to check out Bottle. We’ve messaged back and forth a bit and it seems like he might give it a try.