There was a time in my life when I was all about the deals.
Honestly, in that economy—and, to be fair, in this economy—deals are relatively necessary in most situations. But eventually, I started realizing that it isn’t really the deal that matters. It’s the quality of the deal. Jeans are a perfect example.
For a long time, if I could find a $20 pair of jeans, I thought I’d scored. Who cares what brand they were? They’re jeans. I put them on, they look like jeans, and I’ve got $20 more in my wallet.
Except then you wash them once and they shrink. Or they fit awkwardly. Or they’re uncomfortable enough that they immediately get relegated to the back of the closet. At best, they eventually make their way to Goodwill. So was that really a deal?
I used to think about running clothes the same way. Technically, I can run in a cotton T-shirt and whatever shoes happen to be sitting by the door. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to enjoy it. There’s a difference between technically being able to do something and actually making it enjoyable. And somewhere along the way, I started applying that same philosophy to the rest of my closet.
A few years ago, I decided there were certain staples in my wardrobe that were worth investing in. Not everything needed to be expensive, obviously, but there were some things I wore often enough that buying the cheapest possible version didn’t make much sense. Socks and Jeans were two of those things.
Mugsy was one of the companies I ended up investing in with the latter, and I have some history with the brand at this point. I’ve owned two pairs since 2021, and both are still regular parts of my wardrobe. So when I got the opportunity to try another pair, I wasn’t exactly wondering whether I’d like Mugsy jeans. I already knew I did. This time around, I’m checking out the Fultons.
The Fulton
The Fulton is one of Mugsy’s classic styles and its second-most-purchased version. It’s also about as straightforward as you can get when it comes to the traditional blue jean look. The colorway I’m wearing is literally called “Classic Blue Jean,” which pretty much tells you everything you need to know about the look.
Mugsy has nearly 50 different denim and khaki colorways, and the Fulton itself comes in several fits, including Classic, Boot Cut, Slim Tapered and Relaxed Casual. So while the classic version I’m wearing has that familiar blue-jean look, there are plenty of ways to go depending on how you like your pants to fit.
Fit
I’ll admit that I avoided jeans for a surprisingly long time. Growing up, I found denim restrictive and uncomfortable. I didn’t like how some pairs felt when sitting, walking around or generally just doing normal life. Mugsy takes a different approach.
The denim is a cotton-rich blend that incorporates polyester, rayon and spandex, giving the fabric noticeably more flexibility than the jeans I grew up wearing. That’s really the difference I’ve appreciated most. They still have the look and feel of denim, but there’s enough give that I don’t spend the day thinking about the fact that I’m wearing jeans.
Why Does a Running Blog Care About Jeans?
This is probably the obvious question.
No, I’m not recommending that you go out and run a 5K in the Fultons. In fact, that’s exactly the point. We spend a relatively small portion of our lives actually running. The rest of the time, we’re doing everything else. Going to work. Going to dinner. Taking the kids somewhere. Running errands. Traveling. Hanging out with friends. Going to the post-race breakfast. Most of those activities don’t call for running shorts and a singlet.
And as runners, we’re probably a little more conscious than most people about how clothing feels when we’re moving around. We spend enough time thinking about shoes, socks, shirts and shorts that we notice when something restricts us or simply isn’t comfortable. That doesn’t mean everything in our closet needs to be technical apparel.
Sometimes I just want a pair of jeans that I can wear all day without thinking about them.
The Investment
The Fultons run around $118, which is obviously more than a $20 pair of jeans. But I’ve reached the point where I don’t automatically see that as a negative. I’ve spent plenty of money over the years buying inexpensive jeans that didn’t fit right, didn’t hold up or simply weren’t comfortable enough to wear regularly.
Those were the deals that weren’t really deals.
When you have a pair that costs more but becomes something you actually reach for over and over again, the math starts to look different. My older Mugsy jeans have been in the rotation for years, and at this point, the cost per wear is considerably more important to me than what I paid at checkout. A $118 pair spread across five years is roughly $24 a year, and that’s before considering how often I’ve actually worn them (a lot).
Not because every pair of jeans needs to cost $118, but because I’ve learned that something I wear constantly is worth paying a little more for if I actually keep wearing it.
Crossing the Finish Line
There’s a lesson here that I’ve learned through running that applies pretty well to just about everything else I buy: Sometimes the cheapest option isn’t actually the best value.
Running shoes are an obvious example. Sure, you can buy the cheapest pair you can find. But if they’re uncomfortable, don’t fit well and make you dread your run, what did you really save? I’ve come around to the same philosophy with some other pieces of my wardrobe.
Mugsy isn’t the cheapest denim in the closet. But the fact that I’m now on my third pair tells me something about how the first two worked out.
And maybe that’s the most relevant connection to running: We spend a lot of time investing in the things that make running better. Shoes. Socks. Watches. Shorts. Shirts. But we spend even more time not running.
For me, finding clothes that are comfortable, durable and actually get worn is just another version of making a good investment. And after several years of Mugsy being a regular part of my closet, I’m pretty comfortable making that investment again.
