These Trompe L'oeil Jeans are Priced at $27,000

Let's face it- the only reason in the world to spend a ridiculous amount of money on clothing is so that everyone around you will know that you have enough money to waste it any way you want. Or enough power to get them free. Last month, Balenciaga staged their 52nd couture show during Paris Fashion Week. One of the more astonishing overpriced creations unveiled was a pair of jeans that retail for $27,000.

Ah, but these are no ordinary jeans. They aren't even jeans at all. These are regular cotton and linen pants, hand-painted in trompe l'oeil fashion to resemble worn and faded denim. Each pair represents more than 100 hours of labor, and you can't even throw them in the washer. Let's break this down. Consider that the materials and company overhead could cost as much as $2,000 (a very generous estimate), that means that the artist, or more likely a team of artists, should have earned around $200 an hour to paint the pants and still give the company a $5,000 profit per pair. Nice work if you can get it, but is it believable? And do they have them in stock in a variety of sizes, or would you have to commission them? Read more about Balenciaga's trompe l'oeil jeans and other new fashions at Highsnobiety.  -via Nag on the Lake

(Image credit: Balenciaga)