LA Lady, Blue Jean Baby

thanks to James Dean, denim became sexy pretty early on

70s Farah Fawcett

80s Guess ad

 

Blue Jeans are easily the most crucial international wardrobe staple ever. As much as I could never live without a leather jacket or 3 I would be so bold as to say the blue jean has outlasted any other item in the fashion world. The longevity of blue jeans is astounding.

Buying a new pair of jeans is the hardest fashion purchase one can make but nothing can beat the exhilaration of buying a new pair that fit well. When they're so tight after the wash you have to lie down with your legs in the air to put them on is when they look their best, and when they have just the right kind of bum-flattering space between the back pockets..I could get very excited over this humble garment that started life as practical and hard-wearing work wear.

It is pretty easy to get stuck in a denim rut, jeans have become like our uniform. I mean, I haven't branched out of skinnies for like, 7 years, I don't know when I will...I've got skinnies in indigo, black, stripes, utilitarian khaki, I have bit of a penchant for stone wash, a burgundy pair and a snakeskin print pair. Summer for me is also a long-term love affair with denim cut-offs - I love shorts, full stop - they are my favourite garment ever. High waisted, low waisted, racer style, with frayed edges or turn ups, I'm all over it!

Blue jeans are just the most versatile item of clothing ever, because they can look baggy and boyish or sleek and sexy. How nutso is it that Levi's was founded by  Loeb Strauss during the 19th century California Gold Rush, the trousers were then worn by miners. And Levi's is still synonymous with jeans and one of the biggest global brands, the 501 being commonly regarded as the most classic fitting jean to this day.  

Blue jeans have also  had political connotations - in the 60s women wearing the previously male garment sparked controversy and a nod toward sexual equality. The 70s spawned a new cut - the flare - a shape which sums up the decade of oversized fashion. The 80s saw high waisted, peg and carrot legs in stone wash and pale blue. The 90s was characterised heavily by branding campaigns like CK Jeans, and Diesel and Miss Sixty were denim giants in the early noughties. Now it is all about J Brand and Topshop are flying the high street flag. 

Jeans strike a cord with everyone I think. Andy Warhol famously said "I want to die with my blue jeans on" and Yves Saint Laurent said“I wish I had invented blue jeans. They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity - all I hope for in my clothes.” Everyone has a jeans story they can remember, I'm sure it's a pretty standard rite of passage to lust after a certain pair of jeans as a kid or a teen. I remember getting the pair of Diesel fray jeans Mya wore in her 'Case of the Ex' video, in 2001 - as a teenager this was a pretty monumental deal - I thought they were the bees knees. What is your jeans story?

truly 90s