For fashion blogger Jessica Morgan, finding the right jeans is almost a religious experience.

Morgan just bought a pair of $100 Madewell jeans, but her denim nirvana comes from True Religion Apparel Inc. of Vernon. Even at $170 to more than $300, the designer dungarees represent a sacrifice she’s willing to make despite the fraying economy.

While consumer spending remains woefully depressed, expensive designer jeans have been one of the few bright spots for manufacturers and retailers, according to NPD Group Inc., a market research company.

Sales of premium brand jeans grew by 17% during 2008 and eked out a 2.3% increase in the most recent three-month period that ended in February, making premium denim one of a few “pockets of growth in an otherwise fizzling fashion market,” NPD Group said.

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