

You are bidding on a mistake.

We all make mistakes. We date the wrong people for too long. We chew gum with our mouths open. We say inappropriate things in front of the wrong people.

And we buy leather pants.

I can explain these pants and why they are in my possession. I bought them many, many years ago under the spell of a woman whom I believed to have taste. She suggested I try them on. I did. She said they looked good. I wanted to have a relationship of sorts with her. I’m stupid and prone to impulsive decisions. I bought the pants.

The relationship, probably for better, never materialized. The girl, whose name I can’t even recall, is a distant memory. I think she was short.

Ultimately the pants were placed in the closet where they have remained, unworn, for nearly a decade. I would like to emphasize that: Aside from trying these pants on, they have never, ever been worn. In public or private.

I have not worn these leather pants for the following reasons:

I am not a member of Queen.

I do not like motorcycles.

I am not Rod Stewart.

I am not French.

I do not cruise for transvestites in an expensive sports car.

These were not cheap leather pants. They are Donna Karan leather pants. They’re for men. Brave men, I would think. Perhaps tattooed, pierced men. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say you either have to be very tough, very gay, or very famous to wear these pants and get away with it.

Again, they’re men’s pants, but they’d probably look great on the right lady. Ladies can get away with leather pants much more often than men can. It’s a sad fact that men who own leather pants will have to come to terms with.

They are size 34×34. I am no longer size 34×34, so even were I to suddenly decide I was a famous gay biker I would not be able to wear these pants. These pants are destined for someone else. For reasons unknown – perhaps to keep my options open, in case I wanted to become a pirate – I shuffled these unworn pants from house to house, closet to closet. Alas, it is now time to part ways so that I may use the extra room for any rhinestone-studded jeans I may purchase in the future.

These pants are in excellent condition. They were never taken on pirate expeditions. They weren’t worn onstage. They didn’t straddle a Harley, or a guy named Harley. They just hung there, sad and ignored, for a few presidencies.

Someone, somewhere, will look great in these pants. I’m hoping that someone is you, or that you can be suckered into buying them by a girl you’re trying to bed.

Please buy these leather pants.





Questions & Answers:

Q: Seen your ad on VBMX.com…..are you gay? LOL Just kidding!! I would claim these on VBMX!! Now all the guys are gonna think of you as a sissy!! LOL!!! Good luck bro!!

A: Thanks. That’s a lot of exclamation points.

Q: Hi, Sorry I don’t want the leather pants but just had to write and say I really had a good laugh at your description!! I really hope you sell them …. and not to a guy! Good luck! Jeannette

A: If you change your mind and want the pants, I’ll be waiting patiently by the keyboard.

Q: For Mr. VBMX: If he were gay, he would know what boot cut means. What does VBMX mean?

A: I’m not sure. It sounds like a missile.

Q:Well, it looks like you’re going to sell them. They’re too big for me anyway and I’m female. You’re a great writer — so natural, so funny. I think you should be in standup. Thank you so much for making my day.

A:Thank you for the kind words. In lieu of standup I post things on Banterist.com. The hours are better and there’s no drink minimum.

Q: Bsack, I’m an editor for Poor Mojo’s Almanac(k) (http:// www.poormojo.org), a weekly online magazine now entering its sixth year of publication. We’d like to run the text of your posting, with the image of the glorious pants, as a rant on our site. May we do so? Our submission guidlines can be found here: http://www.poormojo.org/submission.html (Long story short: we owe you a beer for one piece–provided you came to Ann Arbor or SF, CA to pick it up–or will reward you with a PMjA t-shirt after we’ve published 5 of your pieces.) Interested? Best, Dave . . . Editor and Technologist PMjA

A: Sure, if you don’t mind that it’s already on Banterist.com

Q: I am in a band, but do not wear leather pants. However, if I DID wear leather pants, your pants are the ones I would buy because your description is…eloquent and touching in a leatherish sort of way. May we post your ad on our site?

A: I think I answered this already, but eBay is asking it again for some reason. Thank you for being polite and seeking permission. Sure, you can post it. After all, I’m trying to sell pants.

Q: you enjoy stereotyping people that wear leather dont ya, you think owning leather is gay, let me tell you something i am not gay, i am not famous, dont ride a bike, and unlike i aint a coward. i do own 2 pairs of them, to me they are more comfy than blue jeans ever will be, i where them anywhere i want including church, no ones ever said nothing about them

A: More important: Do you need a pair of 34×34 leather pants?

Q: You express yourself exactly like my ex-fiancee. I had to check if you lived in Boulder, CO just to see if you were him. I really didn’t think anyone else had his matter of fact mixed with twisted humor personality. Ten years ago I was just ending our relationship so I was going thinking that possibly he bought these pants to try and woo a little waitress vixen with an IQ half that of her bust size. By the way, the last person that claimed that you were stereotyping, did you for some reason envision Dueling Banjos playing in the background with a man sporting a greased back mullet and a makeshift spittoon, and, of course, comfy leather pants, or was that just me?

A: Yes, the grammar and tone said ‘Deliverance’ but the leather pants in church said ‘Wham UK’. So I’m confused.

Q: I don’t actually need the pants… and they wouldn’t fit my less than womanly curves even if I could pull them off- but I could not resist telling you what a fabulous ad this is. While reason prevailed in the end, I was almost convinced to buy the pants if for no other reason than to see if I could be coy enough to get a man to wear them in hopes of a relationship with me… fabulous ad, just fabulous.

A: Sadly I lack the ability to sell people things they don’t need – unlike Ron Popeil and The Sharper Image.

Q: No question, just wanted to tell you this is the best listing i’ve ever read. I’m sorry it didn’t work out with the short girl, but am so proud of you for never wearing these. :) Good luck with your sale!

A: Thank you. I’ll be free of them in less than two days, and at least $76 closer to owning a yacht.

Q: If they did still fit.. and I wasn’t married, would you wear them for me? LOL.. best of luck!

A: Yes, but only if I was wearing a pink tank top and re-enacting Billy Squier’s regrettable ‘Rock me tonight’ video.

Q: I would like to be tough, gay or a rock star. Do you think purchasing and subsequently donning these trousers will help?

A: Probably not if you call them ‘trousers.’ A true rockstar would say ‘pants’ or ‘duds’ or something more rock-star-y, like ‘ladykillers.’

Q: FUNNY!! I too have a pair of leather pants to sell and for very similar reasons. Mine also have severe case of closet shrinkage. Thanks for the laugh and happy selling. tom

A: Hmm. Maybe we know the same girl.

Q: Thank you for the inspiration. I am now thinking of ebaying every little thing….and I do mean little thing that I ever wore to be a man pleaser/enticer. That would have to include stiletto heels, leather bustiers, gstrings and the like…..hmmm, wait a minute….now that I think about it….I might have to bid on those pants and create an ensemble….for myself. Did I mention that I am 5’2?

A: Hello Senator Clinton.

Q: I just wanted to tell you that you made me laugh aloud! First, when my husband was in high school he apparently bought a white satin Michael Jacksonesque multi-zippered jacket from The Chess King under strikingly similar circumstances. I wonder if it is the same chick . . . Second, my husband and I recently hosted a white trash party, Trailerpalooza. We had been to a 38 Special concert and decided to knock off thier look. So we each bought pleather pants (though these beauties would have been perfect!) and I then sewed flame fabric to the bottoms, as if it was lapping up the legs. We also got leather jackets which we adorned with a bit of flame fabric. Well, somehow, I came out looking like a badass, but my poor husband looked like a homo. In fact someone actually said, -It’s amazing how pleather makes Shari look so bad, and Rick so gay.- I wish I had a picture on my computer, because I think it would make you laugh! Anyway, good luck with the sale of your magic pants!

A: When I was a busboy at El Torito I remember a waiter who saved up hundreds for a replica Michael Jackson ‘Beat It’ jacket. Zippers everywhere. At the time I thought he was a god. Now I think he’s probably buried in someone’s tomato garden.

Q: Are these pants worthy of cruising for transvestites while in my Maserati? I just got one and need an outfit that would go with my new car.

A: I think leather pants would accent that mid-life crisis quite nicely.

Q: Love the pants but . . . I wonder, how many thongs do you think could be made from them? Fruitcreek.

A: For Americans? 15. French? 45.

Q: LOL. I once knew a guy who actually wore leather pants, loved them, and was very popular with them. That was 15 years ago…he was Italian…and my uncle’s boyfriend. Enough said.

A: Italy shares France’s reputation for adultery, leather pants, and aggressiveness to women. Except for your uncle’s boyfriend, of course.

Q: I have a friend that emails these types of auctions to me for a good laugh and I must admit, yours is the best I have seen in a long time. Your wording and demeanor are perfect. If I had the cake to spend on something I would never wear right now, I would buy them just for the simple fact you made me laugh that hard. I wish you made commercials on TV so I wouldn’t be forced to channel surf when they came on. Kudos to you. Are all your descriptions this funny or is this a fluke? Your replies are excellent and this auction should be on Letterman or something. Good luck and thanks for the laugh.

A: I used to write commercials, but they’re hard to make funny because the people who make the final decisions are idiots. But maybe you’ll like Banterist.com or Sixtysecond.com

Q: I’m confused, is Donna Karan a rock star or a transvestite?

A: It’s a very fine line, really.

Addendum: My pants sold for $102.50 to a gentleman in Tallahassee, Florida. Why? I don’t know. It’s humid there. But the listing continues to attract folks, over 3 million so far. What happens when that many people see your listing? Read: The History of My Traveling Pants.