Quoth <em><a href="http://www.readymademag.com" target="_blank">ReadyMade</a></em> magazine, <p class="quote">Once upon a time, there were three brands of jeans: Levi's, Lee, and the Gap. They only came in one style, and buying a new pair required going to the store, finding your size, and plunking down $18.99. Suffice to say, there wasn't a whole lot of thought involved.</p>
Obviously the magazine is run by a bunch of young whippersnappers who don't even remember "once upon a time"&mdash;never mind "back in the day"&mdash;'cause in MY kinder gentler time, which was way back in middle school, the three brands of jeans were Levi's, Lee, and Wrangler. By the time I darkened the door of Bibb County Junior High, buying a pair of jeans had been complicated by the appearance of "designer denim"&mdash;Jordache, Chic, Gloria Vanderbilt, Calvin Klein. My parents being who they are&mdash;unwilling to shell out the bucks for a name brand&mdash;I didn't own a pair of "designer" jeans until I was in high school. In 10th grade, I scored a pair of Calvins (as in "nothing comes between me and my") on sale for $10. Granted, these were brown denim, not the classic blue jeans, but the back pocket sported the all-important label. That year my wardrobe encompassed the full spectrum of brown, as I recall. 

I agree that the proliferation of types and brands of jeans has made dungaree buying more of a hassle, particularly when the type you're looking for is out of style. For the past couple of years, I've complained that I couldn't find straight-leg jeans anywhere (bear in mind that I HATE shopping, so my search has doubtless been less than exhaustive). That seems to be changing: I purchased a pair of straight jeans at the Gap last October, and now even tapered (aka "skinny") jeans are making a comeback. I guess I should stock up while 80s styles are in.