Strange, isn’t it, how far denim has come? If my grandfather knew that a $600 pair of jeans even existed… let alone that human beings were actually willing to pay that kind of money for them… he would, as my mother would say, roll over in his grave.
When I learned of this week’s theme, it was actually my grandfather who first came to mind – a hard working mechanic who, in the 1930’s, repaired trains in the belly of Grand Central Station. He essentially lived in ‘dungarees’ and durable blue denim overalls back when denim was considered “work clothes”. I can’t remember if it was from my Grandfather or a school assignment that I first learned of denim’s tie in with the San Francisco gold rush, but that’s another image that came to mind with this assignment… again, denim as sturdy work wear.
So, as is typical when I ponder anything relating to fashion, I’m left scratching my head over that NY Times article on jeans [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/29/fashion/29JEANS.html?emc=eta1]. Possibly BECAUSE I’m no fashionista, I kind of “get” denim, I really do. Or at least I thought I did. I mean, I practically live in my Levis. So I’m perplexed here… HUNDREDS of dollars for a single pair of jeans?! Am I the only one that finds this slightly insane? Sure you can acid wash ‘em, embellish ‘em, sandblast ‘em… you can even give ‘em whiskers, but at the end of the day, they’re still ‘dungarees’.
In a piece by Levi Strauss & Co. about the history of denim, I read, “If we were to use a human term to describe a textile, we might say that denim is an honest fabric – substantial, forthright, and unpretentious.” Boy, does THAT conflict with the current image of denim as high-end designer commodity!
Perhaps, in the long run, the impact of our current economic downturn on the designer jeans industry is a good thing. While I find spending even $100 on a pair of jeans excessive, at least prices have come down substantially from those of 5 or 10 years ago. Maybe denim will even return to its roots and again become the clothing of the hard working, industrious American… I’m thinkin’ this country could use a little more “substantial, forthright and unpretentious”!
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Cathy, I have to confess I was one of those ding-dong premium jeans buyers. I wear jeans every single day of my life so it makes sense (I tell myself) that I buy the ones I really look good in and want. It’s funny though, when I see the poll that people spend the most on dresses? I cannot remember a dress I have ever owned that I wore as much as I wear my favorite jeans. I do think my cost per wearing for my jeans is now about down to a half a penny per. Anyway, I do hope to right my wrongs in this department and commit to the $100 denim standard. For now, I will just continue to wear my overpriced dungarees in style.
How do you wash jeans that are over $100? Do you dry-clean them?
All my jeans are under $30 and they last a year or two. I too am amazed at how much jeans can cost these days.
My All Time favorite jeans are Levi 501s.
Tried calvins (made my butt look flat), Dittos, vintage sailor patch pockets, and lucky brand (returned). I have 3 pair that I took from my Dad, and one pair I bought in Chicago for $100 (vintage Redline reserved for California evenings out).
Levi 501’s each develop a custom fit and style that works just for me.
I’m happy how they fit then and now. 5 pairs make regular trips to the tailor to be artfully patched via my instructions, and every visit, I’m greeted with, “are you sure you just don’t want to buy a new pair?”. Yes, I’m sure.
Yujin~ I forgot to mention: My Dad said he Never washed his Levi 501’s (in high school) Thats how they used to get each their own character and fit. I wash mine on gentle/cold/no soap/line dry. Dry cleaning denim will result in a permanent crease. Which actually was very popular during the Eighties.