Today in WTF Fashion: TopShop Sells Clear ‘Jeans’ While Nordstrom Charges $425 For ‘Muddy’ Ones

In the annals of fashion, Spring 2017 may be remembered as the high-water mark for laughable, high-priced jeans. TopShop is now doing its knee-sweat inducing “window” jeans one better by just selling clear plastic leggings, while Nordstrom wants to charge you a small fortune for the privilege of looking like you fetched your pants from a flooded dirt-floor basement.

The MOTO Clear Plastic Straight Leg Jeans are available for $100 on TopShop, while Nordstrom.com is selling the men’s Barracuda Straight Leg Jeans — complete with painted on mud and dirt — for $425.

TopShop describes its jeans as an “out-of-the-ordinary clear plastic jeans — guaranteed to get people talking.”

The “clear” plastic jeans feature everything you love about traditional jeans — including classic pocket detailing — except the actual denim.

TopShop suggests the pants are “ideal as a statement piece for a festival or costume party, take the look to the extreme with a bikini and sequin jacket or dress down, layered under an oversized jumper or asymmetric hem dress.”

Like TopShop’s earlier clear-knee mom jeans, the latest pant offerings quickly garnered attention on Twitter.

These clear plastic jeans. I have questions
1. Wouldn't they be INCREDIBLY uncomfortable?
2. Surely they'd steam up in warm weather?
3. WHY?

— Niall (@Notinaboyband) April 25, 2017

Clear plastic jeans?? Smh 🤦‍♂️

— ㅤ (@andrehumber_) April 25, 2017

Hey, @Topshop! You should have made clear plastic shirts, instead of clear plastic jeans. You would get more sales that way, imo. #topshop

— Connie (@cfoxlove) April 25, 2017

As for Nordstrom’s Barracuda jeans, they include denim — it’s just under layers of “caked-on-muddy coating.”

The $425 jeans are described as evoking a “rugged, Americana workwear” vibe. However, in reality their appearance makes them look as if they’ve been worn for 30 days straight and smell… earthy.

Of course, that might be the idea, as Nordstrom says the jeans are meant to show “you’re not afraid to get down and dirty.”

As with the clear jeans Twitter users were ready and willing to immediately mock the dirty, dirty jeans.

$425 would probably get me a better turntable, not a dirty pair of jeans that I can easily cop at the Salvation Army

— Roberto (ロベルト) (@FunkyFreedom) April 25, 2017

@TheLadyJaye Well, you wouldn't want to actually get dirty getting dirt on your jeans.

And boy, am I fashionable!

— Terri (@CantBelieve10) April 25, 2017

Nordstrom selling pre-dirtied jeans for $425. I'll save you money. $100 wear clean jeans & hang out with my child. Dirty for cheaper.

— I AM CAM (@TheLevesqueView) April 25, 2017

Just in case you needed a place to throw away your money $425 will get you dirty jeans at Nordstroms https://t.co/CbYJ2iBypB

— Annette Vanderzon (@LaMagie_) April 25, 2017

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist