What’s with the global love of denim?
Since when are blue jeans considered more formal than “casual” and okay for cocktail parties and business meetings?
Blue jeans were invented in 1873 by Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss. The design was patented in that year for its unique “Fastening Pocket-Openings”—the little metal grommets that reinforce where your hand goes in and out of pockets. Denim was used for its durability because blue jeans were invented for working men who were rough on clothing, working in occupations such as construction, ditch digging, bronco busting, and etc.
In the 1950s blue jeans became the garment-symbol for American, post-war rebellion, see the fims “Rebel Without a Cause” and “The Wild One” for prime examples of denim as the badge of sartorial revolt. James Dean and Marlon Brando each play disillusioned, disenfranchised youth acting out their individual disgust against society and societal norms. They were not wearing blue jeans to be in or hip or fashionable, they wore their denim in anger and to make establishment mad.
“In the 1960s, the Soviet people were slowly introduced to the new Western counterculture personified by the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Elvis Presley. These musicians offered new seductive and subversive rhythms, rhymes, and appearances. They sported long hair and wore blue jeans.
The Soviet authorities went ballistic. They had a tradition of being wary of foreign influences. In the 1920s, there was a slogan: today he listens to jazz, tomorrow he’ll sell out the motherland. The 1960s’ reaction was no less strong. The long hair, hip shaking, and blue jeans were declared to be alien and incompatible with the “moral profile of a builder of communism.” A true builder of communism had to sport a crew cut, dance waltz or polka, and wear traditional style, well-ironed pants. LewRockwell.com’s readers are smart and know that the forbidden fruit is sweet. To be sure, young people around Russia embraced the new Western “abominations.” There was a problem though. You can always grow long hair and whiskers (unless you have strict parents or are in the army). Almost anyone can shake hips. But… not too many of us could make our own blue jeans, especially if there is no denim for sale.
As time went on, blue jeans became less a statement of rebellion and more a status symbol. The Soviet government would neither manufacture, nor import them. But the blue jeans would still trickle into the “Evil Empire.” Some were brought in by Soviet diplomats, sailors, or military advisers to Arab regimes such as Egypt or Syria. Some were smuggled in by foreigners. Blue jeans gave life to “fartsovshchiki,” a special kind of black market “profiteers.” Those would buy jeans and other stuff from foreigners in exchange for traditional Russian wares, such as fur hats and caviar.” —lewrockwell.com
By the 1970s, “In many non-western countries, jeans became a symbol of ‘ western decadence’ and were very hard to get.” —atozbluejeans.com
And by the late 70s, Jordache Jeans arrived as did Sasson Jeans “Ooooh, la la, Sasson!”
Oooo la la on youtube.com
By the 1980s, Calvin Klein adopted denim and all hell broke loose, magazine and billboard advertising featuring the 15 year-old Brooke Shields reciting “Nothing comes between me and my Calvins.” inspired a new craze for dry cleaning blue jeans with front creases so crisp they would cut like a sharp knife.
Calvin Klein Jean commercial on youtube.com
Another Calvin Klein jean commercial on youtube.com
This respectable-ization of the rebel blue was something new (Brando and Dean sported a grittier, grungier blue jean look that was slouchy and unkempt.) Even still through the 1990s, no executive would dare wear a pair of blue jeans into the office nor would a hostess be pleased if a cocktail guest arrived in denim.
French fashion designer Yves Saint- Laurent is credited with having said,
“I wish I had invented blue jeans. They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity – all I hope for in my clothes.” Saint-Laurent was one of the most emblematic designers of the “Swinging Sixties”, he went on to design and garner press coverage for fashion and the fashion conscious. In 1985 he was awarded the Chevalier of the Legion d’Honneur by the president of France, François Mitterand and in 1999, he was awarded Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Award from the Council of the Fashion Designers of America.
By the lat 1990s, with stock prices rising, real estate in the west and some places in the east keeping pace, what was once a casual expression of fashion broke into polite society and expensive jeans were born. Crisp, creased, thigh hugging Jordache, Sasson and Calvins gave way to $200 and $300 blue jeans that looked like the had been wrapped in an atomic bomb. The dirtier, more thread bare, patched and broken looking a pair of jeans appeared the greater the purchase price. Chic shops in fashion havens such as Soho, New York City and Rodeo drive were devoted to these denim decadence. By 2000, middle America had caught the blue bug and wearing jeans for any occasion had become okay.
Oh, if you don’t recognize the face, it’s Madonna (we know, it’s getting difficult, she’s looking more and more like Ellen Barkin—remember her?).
This cover is for the latest release from the Decemberists (definitely worth a listen).
The exhibition “Warhol TV” currently showing at the Maison Rouge in Paris proves yet once again that although the Andy mystique can still draw a big crowd, time has sadly taken its toll, and has unintentionally deemed to offer up this query:
Well, almost without comment, we can’t help ourselves on this one. We were looking for examples of “McMansions” but found this specimen of great American excess. Check-out the number of zeroes in the price and the button saying, “Get Pre-approved for this Property”.
Hello… planet Earth to Lt. Jacobs…
