This and That....

Tired of pictures yet? I'll bore you with a funny (to me anyway) experience from our Gatlinburg trip.

We have an annual "Christmas in the Mountains" trip we make every year to Gatlinburg. It's our last chance to spend time with the whole family and our extended family in Pigeon Forge before Christmas. We always hope to get MOST of our shopping done, plus catch a good meal at Bubba Gump's or one of many new restaurants opening in Pigeon Forge. It's also a great time for Mom and Sue Jane to catch up on their Girl's Night Out adventures.
   While getting our last minute shopping in before heading home last year I stopped by the Levi's outlet. I was somewhat surprised but very happy to see vintage jeans on clearance.... and Levi's at that! I only bought one pair due to a bad experience I had at the outlet in Cookeville with some Wrangler jeans that were on sale. I wonder now how many other people jumped on the $10 a pair sale only to find that these jeans rip at the back pockets.... at the most inopportune time.... and with no warning what so ever! These Levi's were nothing like that, though. Good quality and had that worn feel like they were jeans you'd had for years but weren't worn out yet. Most people that know me know I don't follow trends. I buy what "I" like. I prefer vintage jeans for many of the same reasons I prefer vintage cars and anything else old for that matter that I can still put in to good use.
   So, I had waiting nearly a year, checked the Levi's website quite often and saved a little extra money to make sure I could get a few more pair of these jeans. When the moment finally came I was faced with a rack full of same-old-same-old new jeans that looked just like the jeans on shelves around the walls at every store we'd been in. I was very disappointed but at the same time knew the vintage jeans were the only thing I wanted and I wasn't wasting my money on anything else. About that time Mr Helpful walks up and asks if he can help me find anything? My first instinct is "Is it the gray hair? Do I look like I wondered into this store by accident, kid"?  But I do realize he's only doing what he's been trained to do,,,, bother the shit out of customers. This kid reminds me of Jack Osborne and judging from the piercings and the hint of a tattoo this "i'm overweight but i'm trying really hard to act cool" bothersome kid thinks he needs to help me. I tell him I was looking for some vintage jeans. He quickly tells me "Sorry Sir, we're sold out and anyway, those jeans aren't "in style" at the moment". Judging by his reaction to the look I just gave him he feels a need to back pedal and explain (or a sudden need to regurgitate his vast knowledge of clothing and the industry itself). "You see" he continues, "we get these jeans in and they sell out within a couple of days. No one has any interest in them until we get our next shipment in. Then we sell out again within a couple of days. The industry as a whole seems to be up and down. Just be sure and check back with us again. We should get more in soon". Let me see if I got this. Although you can't keep them in the store, Vintage jeans are not in style because your store doesn't have any at this moment in time. Rather than argue my point, I noticed a pair with the old style label in them. I pointed them out to Jack and told him mine were very similar. With renewed interest he perks up and tells me "Oh, you meant the Old School jeans. Damn, those things sell like crazy! I wish I owned stock in them. I'd own this store". He seriously didn't get it!!! I thanked him for his time and got out A.S.A.P. Maybe they'll have more in next year. Maybe Jack will own the store. What a wonderful weird world we live in.
 On a side note, if you or someone you know is interested in similar jeans, Ross has a line of jeans by Marc Moto that are better than the Levi's, cost less and are the best fitting jeans i've ever worn. Again I only bought one pair. Not that I didn't learn from past experience. This was because they are skinny jeans and well..... if you know me... skinny and I don't get along!!!