Blue Cult

A pair of stylish Diesel jeans

Johnny Strabler wouldn't be caught dead in these jeans. Marlon Brando's brooding anti-hero, the centerpiece of "The Wild One," was a Levi's man. So was Jim Stark, James Dean's rebel without a cause. Their rebellious credibility was enhanced by their choice of fashion: rugged, cheap, working-class denim.

But 50 years and countless yards of fabric later, the denim universe has been transformed: into a pair of form-fitting expertly tailored blue jeans, a fashionable calling card with a hefty price tag.

On a weekend afternoon in Manhattan, scores of young women were leafing through stacks of high-end jeans on the eighth floor of Barneys, the posh Madison Avenue department store. A sign on the wall displayed the names of all the hottest brands. Juicy Couture. Seven. Earl. Diesel. Paper Denim and Cloth. Blue Cult Jeans. And yes -- even Levi's. With price tags ranging from $120 to $170. According to a saleswoman (clad in jeans herself), and judging by the assembled crowd, Blue Cult and Seven were the most popular.

Janni Plattner, 25, fingered a pair of Blue Cult jeans: pale indigo, curvy, boot-cut, slightly frayed at the hems. She looked at her shopping companion, her mother, Laurie, who was eyeing the pants with skepticism. "She doesn't understand why I would pay this kind of money for torn-up jeans," said Plattner.

But for Plattner, the price is justified by a flattering fit, and a certain, if self-defined, utilitarianism. "I wear jeans enough," she said. "That's why I'm willing to pay for them." Still, she acknowledged that, to some extent, "I guess you pay for the label."

And the label is hot. Blue Cult jeans, which Plattner called "more L.A.," have been making appearances on the behinds of celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Cameron Diaz. This fall, fashion Web site DailyCandy.com named Blue Cult "the new 'it' jean." And Seven for All Mankind jeans, commonly known as "Sevens," have turned up on the NBC comedy "Will & Grace" and the rears of fashionable men and women from New York to California. Read more...