Jeans, how do I describe thee? Do I describe you as denim? As blue? Am I capturing your true, effervescent beauty with the simplicity of my speech? But, then again, that’s just the effect jeans have on me — absolutely speechless. I wholeheartedly stand by the fact that everyone needs a pair of homey, cozy, go-to and lovely jeans. No matter what fashion you’re going for, a pair of jeans never fails. Unless you’re a denim hater. If so, jeans would probably not suit your style. However, the paradigmatic pants remain highly respected throughout history. This week, I wanted to explore clothing, but in a different light, so, let’s take a stroll through history, shall we?
As much as we all love to accredit Mr. Levi Strauss as the grandfather of America’s pant, “denim” isn’t originally from America. Crazy, I know! Well, according to a very advantageous Wikipedia article, rustically titled “Jeans,” what we know as “denim” today is actually sourced from Italy and France. I never thought of where the name “jeans” comes from, right? Well, you guessed it, the dude’s name was Jean. That’d be like me naming a fabric Kelly. Anyway, I digress. So, then, Mr. Levi Strauss pops into the situation. He sailed over from Germany and exclaimed, “I literally love jeans.” His schtick was that there needed to be little rivets holding the pieces of denim together. I mean, I gotta give his denim-obsessed self some credit because if you told me the appeal factor of your pants was METAL, I would be on my merry way.
Nonetheless, Mr. Strauss met a jean-inspired buddy named Jacob Davis, and they were set as distinguished tailors. Good for them. However, they didn’t always start with blue denim! They used this stuff called “cotton duck fabric!” It was like an almost olive-y green type deal! Très chic! Although, at this time, they made men’s pants with a zipper down the middle and women’s pants with a zipper down the side for seemingly no reason at all. Maybe it’s because, at that time, women were supposed to ride horses with their legs on the side? That is an assertion with no backup evidence, so take from that what you will. Nonetheless, their jean-esque business took off, and they got happily married. Just kidding, they didn’t. Wouldn’t that have been cool, though? A jean-fueled passionate romance … I can see it right now — an ornate denim-themed wedding. Despite my lies, the jeans became popular among factory workers, northwestern “cowboys” and miners.
Despite all this history and lack of jean-themed weddings, it seems like jeans cannot even be classified as a singular thing. Jeans now come in all different cuts, lengths and you name it! I remember rocking the Old Navy boot cut jeans back in third grade, and I looked phenomenal. Jeans are something of a sweet dream to me. I believe they can pair with an extravagant top or just a plain t-shirt! Who cares! I got my first pair of Levi’s last winter on Black Friday, and I fell in love with them. The ribcage style is one for the books: classic, well-fitting and delicious. Although, my only bone to pick is that “wearing them in” leads to a lot of squeezing, like crescent rolls coming out of the can squeezy. Other than that, I will support my denim through thick and thin, through any wash, through however many buttons and whatever other kinds of ornaments are on it.