Love, exciting and new. Step inside, we’re expecting you…

If clothing could sing, that’s what the pair of 7 for All Mankind jeans I found at T.J.’s last week would’ve crooned.

Not only were they cut like a dream, but they cost about half what they normally do at boutiques. Therein lies the rub (and for once, the rub wasn’t a too-tight seam cutting into my thighs). Even at half off, they cost more than I normally pay for four pairs of jeans.

When it comes to shopping, I have a split personality. On the one hand, I’m a bargain hunter extraordinaire. I scour the racks for ridiculously inexpensive finds. I boast about the deals I find – the dollar shirt I found at Marden’s, the $15 Ralph Lauren cashmere sweater I picked up at Sylvia’s. The 25-cent faux fur coat from the Orono Thrift Shop. Fabulous, I tell you.

On the other hand, I am a bit of a label hound – I can’t help it. I love my Coach bag. I proudly wear my cashmere Burberry scarf, which belonged to my grandfather. And I’ve coveted 7 for All Mankind jeans for years. No exaggeration. Every time I go to Bliss in Portland I try them on. My friend Emily treated herself to not one, but two pairs last summer and it was all I could do not to turn emerald green with envy.

I live in jeans. They’re my uniform. They’re flattering, versatile and always just right. But I could never bring myself to bite the bullet and spend $150 on denim – even if it was 7 for All Mankind. Gap and Old Navy are more my speed, though I did score a pair of Lucky jeans on clearance at Marshalls a few years back.

Still, 7 kept calling. I thought maybe I’d splurge on a pair last month, when I got paid for a freelance gig, but my too-huge cell phone bill dashed my denim dreams. I have other priorities, I told myself, far more pressing than expensive jeans that you can’t even throw in the dryer.

For the uninformed, 7 for All Mankind (along with Juicy Couture, Blue Cult, Paper Denim & Cloth, True Religion, A.G. and other boutique brands) are the Tom Brady of the jeans world – attractive and swoon-worthy, dreamy in a sporty kind of way. For me, they were a safe crush because at that price, it’d never come to pass.

Then the unthinkable happened: I ran into Tom Brady at T.J.s – and I was having a good hair day. OK, not really, but I did find the jeans – my jeans – in my size.

I immediately started talking myself out of it. “They make your butt look big,” the angel on my shoulder whispered. “Tight jeans are hot,” the devil retorted. “You could feed a thousand hungry children in third-world countries for the same price,” the angel pleaded. “Your budget is designated for shopping and only shopping, not charitable donations – it’s your job,” the devil (who doubles as an accountant) countered.

Ultimately, the devil won, but I still had my doubts. Racked with guilt, I brought them to the office and consulted with my rational, less frivolous colleagues.

A few scoffed at the $79.99 price tag, which I left on in case I changed my mind. But a surprising number of them didn’t.

My stylish but level-headed photographer friend urged me to go for it – she owns several pairs of Citizens of Humanity jeans and doesn’t have any regrets about spending over $100 on them. Of course, my friend Jess, who chipped in to buy me a Coach bag last Christmas, had no qualms.

My protegee Kailee not only supported the purchase, she planned to pick up a pair for herself. After a few cracks about sending the money to New Orleans, my pal Alicia admitted that I needed to wear tighter pants anyway. My editor had no objections whatsoever – she loved everything about them, and said people spend more than that on jeans all the time. Of course, we agreed, they also spend less.

The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like it was meant to be. Imagine wanting something for so long, finding it at a discount and walking away because of guilt. Sure, I’m going to have to scrimp for a few weeks, but it’ll give me an excuse to go thrift shopping. I have no regrets.

Better to have loved and bought than never to have loved at all.

ShopNotes

. Wear your heart on your sleeve: Justice Clothing on Main Street in Bangor is selling union-made, sweatshop-free T-shirts (the smalls are organic cotton) that declare, “I Love N.O.” to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina. They cost $15. For more information, call 941-9912.

ShopGirl would love to hear from you! Send questions, comments or suggestions by e-mail to: kandresen@bangordailynews.net, by U.S. mail to: Kristen Andresen, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402-1329, or by fax to: 941-9476. Tune in to ShopGirl at 5 p.m. Fridays on WLBZ-2.