Whether it’s for a date, meeting friends for lunch or running to the grocery store, blue jeans are a staple fashion choice. Paired with the right shoes, top and accessories they can transform for any occasion. They come in all shapes that range from classic straight leg to skinny to trouser to overalls. The options are endless, as are the washes and color choices. But the classic continues to be blue.
No matter the season, jeans are always a good choice. Designers like Dior feature the material in every shape and style, using the material in pants, blazers, overalls and more on both the Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 runways.
Why do we love jeans so much? Is it their durability, their comfort or perhaps their style?
It’s amazing that a clothing item with roots in mere functionality has become so central to the style lexicon. As miners and men of the gold rush headed to the mountains and hills of America's Wild West in the late 19th century, their paints couldn’t handle the wear and tear of the jobs.
It took a shopkeeper named Levi Strauss and a tailor named Jacob Davis to discover the power of blue jeans. Using heavy canvas material and rivets, they found the solution and patented the jeans that birthed Levi Strauss & Co.
The pants continued to serve their durable purpose as a uniform of sorts for the working class for many decades. Cowboys also adopted the fashion item as they faced the rugged working conditions of ranch life.
As time rolled on, people outside of laborers welcomed jeans into their closets. By the 1930s, young people started donning the pants as a fashion statement. But it wasn’t until the 1950s that they hit mainstream popularity. Once James Dean smoldered on the silver screen in Rebel Without a Cause in a pair of blue jeans there was no stopping the increasing love for jeans. They began to embody a spirit of freedom, exploration and rebellion.
Starlets and style stars like Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and Brigitte Bardot cemented the style for women everywhere as they showcased styles like the high waisted straight leg and cropped skinny.
Even as styles continue to evolve around us and some styles fade into mere memories, blue jeans have staked a permanent claim in our wardrobes.
Though the styles, cuts and washes may vary over the years, the blue jean remains a classic we count on.
Runway Images: Vogue
Jean History: The Smithsonian and Racked
