The ubiquitous blue jean
Commenter Promethea recently wrote of women’s fashion:
Thank goodness for blue jeans. If the right size, they look good on almost everybody.
Almost everybody? I agree that some women look absolutely fantastic in blue jeans, especially if young and fit. And models who look good in anything look really, really, really good in blue jeans.
But I think most women look bad in them, or at best mediocre.
Yes, I know I’ll get flak for saying that. It’s almost un-American, isn’t it? But I’ll stand my ground.
And blue jeans are bor-ing. Everybody wears them almost all the time, like Mao jackets in China during the Cultural Revolution. I am heartily sick of them. What’s more, they’re not especially comfortable, either, especially tight ones. Everybody says they are, but I don’t see it.
Take a look at the photos here on how to choose the correct pair of jeans. The complexity of the decisions involved re pocket placement, pants leg width and shape, darkness of wash, stitching, feathering vs. fading, and more, sound so daunting that it’s no surprise that so many people just wear their favorite old jeans till they disintegrate.
Although I studied all the photos at that site and read which jeans are supposed to be undeniably superior to the other jeans on the same women in the side-by-side pictures, most of the time the difference was not all that apparent to me.
Here’s a single example. Which pair of jeans do you think is supposed to be best? Well, I know you know, because the caption above the photos tell you—but seriously, do you think the pair on the right is so very much more flattering than the pair on the left? I think vice versa:
And that’s a person who looks relatively good in both jeans, although she’s certainly no fashion model. Here is a more typical sight; and believe me, I’m not trying to make fun of these women. They’re more or less normal-looking, and would look a lot better in the right pants:
In case you wonder—yes, I’ve got some jeans. They’re dark, and wide-legged, and they look pretty much like this, only without the contrasting stitching:
In other words, they look pretty much like slacks. And that’s why I like them.
I agree that many women don’t look good in blue jeans. I’m one of them. My legs are relatively slender, but a little on the short side, and I have wide hips, and a tummy. A bad shape for jeans. Instead, I wear J Jill Wearever pants in various shades. They have an easy, flowing look, and lengthen me much more jeans do. They have the effect of harmonizing my legs with my hips and torso, and they have a slightly arty look, which I like. I recommend them!
In hot weather, I wear the cropped Wearevers. so J Jill gets a lot of my $$.
One of the great joys in life is going to ROSS for Less after you’ve dropped 10 or 12 pounds and allowing youself to believe it is 1970 again. Remember when the bell bottoms you just had to have were $75? I do. Now they are $10. Do I think about the “slave labor” when I put them on with my also slenderizing $10 T-shirt? Yes, it passes through my mind. Heaven will be nice – the place where all these paradoxes are unparadoxed.
Did you get to see Niall Feruesson’s Killer App episode on Commercialism where he laid out the blue-jean-ization of the world? It was great. YouTube had all Niall’s killer app vids – but now they are no where to be found. He is brilliant and, yet, knee-jerk disdained by “the left.”
I hate the feel of denim. Always have.
My mother likes to tell the story of her attempting to dress me at three years old. As soon as she tried to put blue jeans on me, and the denim touched my skin, I threw a colassal fit (which was unusual to say the least. I wasn’t that kind of kid).
We had a stand off. I won. I have never worn a pair. I also don’t particularly like it when my wife wears them but , hey, it’s her body.
Blue jeans. Yuck.
The complexity of the decisions involved re pocket placement, pants leg width and shape, darkness of wash, stitching, feathering vs. fading, and more
Wow. None of those variables have ever even occurred to me. Just waist size and pants leg length, and where’s the cash register?
I did regret that one time when I inadvertently bought the euphemistically-named “relaxed fit” jeans. The waist and length were OK, of course, but I could have fit a phone book in there with me.
I love that mizpants got the first word on the jeans thread!
Ah those jeans. THOSE jeans. THOSE BELL-BOTTOMED TROUSERS…
“Now she sits aside the dock a baby on her knee
Awaitimg for the sailing ships acomin home from sea
Awaiting for the jollytars and navy uniform
And all she wants to do my boys is keep the navy warm
Singing of bell bottom trousers
Coats of navy blue
Let him climb the rigging
Like his daddy used to do”
Reticent: I didn’t even realize that myself!
Just thinking as I got dressed this morning that even though most of the men where I’m going will wear jeans, I won’t.
To work I wear dickies. To dress I wear Dockers or such.
Blue jeans are far too heavy in the summer, and therefore I’m not in the habit of wearing them as winter approaches.
Well, I gotta disagree about the pocket placement. Generally speaking, the farther apart the pockets are the bigger the butt looks. I speak from painful experience. Although I agree that in the picture you posted, there is not a discernible difference. And the camera adds pounds, blah blah blah. A dark wash is better than light wash and thank goodness the acid wash of the 80s is passé.
Jeans can be pretty constricting and uncomfortable, especially on a hot day. The weight of the fabric matters and even better, a touch of spandex!
The thing that has always mystified me is the difference between $300 jeans and $20 Lee jeans from Walmart. I just don’t get it.
Funny, this.
As mentioned in a diet thread in early summer, I’ve been losing weight (more slowly than before, but now I’ve added in a daily regimen of situps & pushups, and so the waistline is definitely showing some visual improvements lol).
The biggie was digging my chino’s – casual slacks – out, and finding they fit just fine again.
Now, I do wear jeans, and all the time. Especially for yard work and hobby’s and such: they’re very sturdy.
But comfort? – It is too laugh. Even granting that old ragged, well-washed ones get softer over time (and the closer to falling apart, the better).
Now chinos? Even new, they’re more comfy. And if they’ve aged a bit? – They’re a gift.
I have had a mixed relationship with blue jeans. As a child through 6th grade, I wore blue jeans practically every day. That is what my mother bought for me. One year my grandmother sent me some farmer jeans, which I proudly wore every day in emulation of my farmer grandfather. In 7th and 8th grades, when I was first given a choice in what to wear for clothes, I went for regular pants. I saw blue jeans as what little kids wore.
I became more pro-blue jeans in high school. The regional high school I attended forbade the wearing of blue jeans. Not surprisingly, that meant that I wore blue jeans more in high school than I did in 7th and 8th grade. The high school’s student handbook implied was there was an Asphalt Jungle aspect to blue jeans- da hoods wore dem. That would not do for a high school whose unofficial motto was “We Send 10% of Our Students to the Ivy League or its Equivalent.”
The Principal was a bit of a curmudgeon but basically a sensible guy. He once picked me up hitchhiking, which resulted in a good conversation with him- a continuation of his presentation of Yankee City in my Economics class. The Principal eventually gave into reason and the tides of fashion by dropping the regulations on blue jeans and long hair in my senior year.
While I wore blue jeans after high school, I found them too hot for summer and too cold for winter. By necessity, corduroy or wool were my winter choices.
Now that I am in TX, I wear shorts from March to December, whenever I can – which is nearly all the time. While TX winters are warm enough for wearing jeans, I still prefer cords for winter- though lately it has been difficult to find cords in stores. I haven’t bought any blue jean pants for 20 years and have given away a lot of the jeans that no longer fit me. I do have some blue jean shorts.
I grew up wearing Levi’s button-fly 501s along with all of my classmates (CO thing – there were real cowboys at my school). *Sigh* There’s nothing like worn-in pair of 501s. When I went to college on the east coast I was surrounded by women and men in designer jeans – just dreadful!
Now that I’m older & curvier, I’ve found that the best innovation in jeans is stretch denim. It makes such a difference in comfort and fit. I stick to the more basic, classic cut, though. None of that low rise, fancy pocket stuff.
I love to overdress.
Jeans are only for doing house chores and maybe going to the supermarket. Blue jeans must fit in size (not too tight), be the right length, not bunch at the knees, and as you said, “pocket placement, pants leg width and shape, darkness of wash, stitching, feathering vs. fading,” and all that. By the time you consider all of that, might as well buy a nice pair of washable trousers (I just ordered these) that will look good without all the fuss.
And, IMO< NONE of the people in the photos look good in their jeans.
The thing that has always mystified me is the difference between $300 jeans and $20 Lee jeans from Walmart. I just don’t get it.
That would be $280.
I’ve worn jeans all of my life and still do for every activity I can including working as a professional. The best are Levi’s and particularly the black Levis. The best of the best are, as Lizzy confirms, faded button fly Levi 501s. Straight leg and very faded are the cream of the crop.
I don’t know what other men think, but for me I really like it when my wife wears an old pair of Levis. I could give a hoot if the pockets are too far apart. Tight around the butt and crotch is a turn off, although snug is good. And a slight impression of panty, seen from the back, is a definite plus. It’s probably the casualness in spirit that attracts me and makes me happy. Coupled with a creative T during the summer or a light sweater during the fall and winter- nothing she wears is better for an everyday look from my view – except for the occasional mini skirt of course.
I must agree with Mizpants. I love the JJill Wearever pants. I have them in several colors and panic whenever I think they may be discontinued. They are comfy, don’t stretch out of shape, wash and dry easily, pack well, and the basic colors go with lots of tops, both casual and dressier. I too opt for the cropped styles in warmer weather. (Check out the PureJill brand also for more of a yoga pant look. They are very soft and also wash well.) No, I don’t get a kickback from JJill but I wish I did.
As for jeans, they are practical for some tasks, but I am not able to find some that fit and are comfy. I admit I would like them to be relatively stylish as well, but the older I get, the less that matters. Makeup, good shoes, and the right accessories can help a lot. (I am, however, accessory challenged – I always feel like I’m playing dress-up.)
Oops, I forgot. I do like to see a well-built man in Levis or Wranglers. If he’s wearing anything fancier, forget it.
mizpants,
Thanks for the info about J Jill. I am so out of the loop on American clothes that I’d never heard of it. But the website shows the kind of clothes I like–classic with a twist–and they have petites. Next year when I visit the US again, I’ll seek out a store and try on some things. A favorite of mine is the knit cords from Lands End. They are great for curling up on the sofa with a book, but the knees don’t bag if you have to run out to the supermarket.
I like jeans if they fit, but it’s really hard for me to find basic styles in petites here in Germany, where jeans tend to be treated as a young person’s fashion statement rather than the hard-wearing work clothes they were meant to be.
I have worn BLUE jeans ever since I was a kid on horseback in TX more than a half-century ago. Straight-leg. Only change was going to zipper instead of buttons (what a relief!) many decades ago; naturally faded due to heavy wear and lots of washings in the day we could only afford 2 pairs/person.
I am repelled by all other colors, and especially by the Beatles/hippies-inspired bell bottoms cut.
I also wear real boots. I wear pressed jeans to business meetings…go just fine with a sport coat.
Suits today are only for bankers, lawyers and politicians….all cut from the same (pun) cloth.
My only other uniform was in my 20s: army green chinos with Brooks Bros blue button downs, in a concession to establishment Eastern standards. There is no blue quite like the Brooks blue, suble yet distinct, not that awful French blue.
A shapely woman with red hair wearing jeans stepping out of the driver side door of a Ford pickup in a beauty to behold. Fortunately, that is my 61 year old wife.
Parker…Good on’ya and I relate. My 67-year old Pixie of a wife is 4’11”, 97-lbs and a Sicilian firefly. She regularly wears overalls. Yep, the ones with their own suspenders, etc. and looks cuter than any female I’ve ever seen in my ‘bidness(entertainment). Has them in cut-offs, full length, whatever. A little baggy drawered Girl and gorgeous.
Some can wear’um. Some can’t. But, few look drop-dead adorable in the things. A Lucky Man is what I is. (-:
Fausta’s in the house? Neo, you have truly “arrived!”
Parker, your wife is one lucky gal.
I prefer jeans only on colder days, when the extra fabric is welcome, and I think stretch denim is a wonderful invention.
Those jeans that ride really low on the hips (http://cbskymx2.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/muffin-top.jpg?w=420) ought not to be worn by anyone who requires more than a size 0. Just saying.
I wear blue jeans year round here in hot Texas and I work outside and drive a truck with no AC…..I figure the soldiers wear lots more gear than that in hotter weather….I often view the wide spread wearing of shorts by mostly ac dwellers as a symptom of our national decline…people just tooo soft 😉 Always prefer loose fitting jeans-thats the key to comfort. I sometimes wear them to church, but my girlfriend does not approve. ): If I went to the local cowboy church I would fit in, but I go to the mega church in town, where I met my does-not-approve of-jeans-on- sunday-morning girlfriend. ha
Jeans are functional wear. I prefer khakis myself for going places. But, jeans are great for utility. If you see an airline crew on an overnight almost guaranteed they will all be in jeans–no care needed.
Dungarees for working outside. (Remember them?)
My wife wears jeans all the time now. Gloria Vanderbilt with a little swan emblem. She gets them at Costco. Can’t complain aabout the price. She loves them, must be comfortable.
jon baker:
I often view the wide spread wearing of shorts by mostly ac dwellers as a symptom of our national decline…people just tooo soft
I cannot speak for others, but I go with shorts and go without AC in the summer. Al clima- adapt to the climate. I similarly keep my house around 60 in the winter, but wear a sweater. I realize I am in a small minority in doing without AC in 90+ weather. Not too many people consider me soft for doing without AC.
I once put on a sweater in 115 degrees when hitching through Needles, CA, so I can see that wearing heavy clothing in hot weather -with good air circulation[as you point out]- can be a solution. The Arabs did it.
Random Thoughts: I already tackled that “jeans that ride low on the hips” topic quite some time ago.
Enjoy.
So many wonderful choices. Aren’t we all lucky we live in America or can order online?
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If one is a shapely woman with a long rise there is no possibility of finding a decent pair of jeans these days for under $100.
Young women don’t seem to mind what they look like in those things. Age is not on my side, however, when it comes to this.
Promethea: hope you don’t see me as picking on you, but…
Who can buy blue jeans online, without trying them on (unless you just buy a type you’ve already worn before, that is)? Blue jeans are one item of clothing that must be tried on, IMHO.
Hi Neocon,
You’re right. I wrote that because one of your commenters lives overseas. I didn’t want to exclude her. I would never buy any clothes online except for T-shirts.
I have two pair, and rarely wear them. I like cargo pants, wallet on one side and guns, knives, swords, and hand grenades on the other. Don’t like sitting on the wallet, and it’s easier to get to when I need to.
Wow, I feel so shallow! It’s been Levi’s 517s, boot cut, for my whole life. Now I understand how my wife can come out of a store stacked to the ceiling with denim and say, “They don’t have any jeans!”.
Spotted this one at
Sarcasm. Because beating the hell out of people is illegal.
It seemed appropriate to the topic.