Due to the recession, premium denim design labels have slashed — yes, slashed — their prices by $100. For real? Now they’re only $200?

A couple of years ago, desiner denim was a hot commodity. People wanted to be seen wearing True Religions (such as in the picture from Nordstrom.com) and Rock & Republic. So when people went to department stores and bought the pants in droves, according to the New York Times , designers took advantage of the market and increased their prices just because they could. Can you believe it? (I know, it’s not that hard to believe.)

I used to work at a department store and my job was to sell these jeans like it was nobody’s business. I had to say, “Oh, of course you can wear these blinged out jeans with crystals. They go with everything!” And I clearly knew, I wouldn’t be caught dead in them because I am not trying to go to a club and looking like a disco ball. I would honestly try to make a woman make sure she picked the jeans that fit best for her, but the more money she pulled out of her wallet made my wallet fatter.

What made me a bad salesman (well, not really bad, but not the greatest) was that I didn’t wear the jeans I sold. Why? Because they were too damn expensive! (Duh.) Ladies would always say how much they loved my jeans. They would grab a pair off the rack and compare them to mine and then run to the fitting room. Little did they know I got mine from Forever 21 for $12.50 and not the $140 the store was selling them for. In fact, the only pair of desinger jeans — J Brands I cherish — that I have are the ones I got for free for working there.

I need to think of the value when I buy something. I’m not the greatest at math, but let me tell you if something is expensive, I have to get use out of it. A pair of J Brands that I have cost $158. I figured if I wear them 60 times, that’s only $2.63 a wear. Not bad. But not everyone thinks like me.

And to be honest with you, it’s not the jeans that make someone look good. I have seen women stuff (so much so that she Incredible Hulked them)themselves into a pair of jeans because of the brand and spend half their paychecks to do it.

Am I glad that the prices of designer denim has gone down? Of course, it’s ridiculous that jeans cost that much. Everybody should have a chance to buy what they want without breaking the bank (although $200 is still unimaginable for me). Are there downsides to the price slash? Absolutely. Now women who shouldn’t have been squeezing themselves into the $300 pair of jeans, will still be chokin’ her thighs in the $200 pair. Sigh.

But one good thing out of it ain’t bad.