Denim - Quintessential American Style.

Since it is the fourth of July, why not pay tribute to that all American wardrobe staple, jeans. While the history of denim goes way way back, it is always noted as being quintessentially American - Like Coke and baseball, and all out action movies. Jeans were worn by the people that built this country, farmers, factory workers, cowboys etc. They were loved by baby boomer teens, the greasers the hippies, and of course by mall rats and sorority girls - they are loved by your mom your dad, grandma and uncle Joe, Geez even babies have Osh Kosh dungarees.

They are comfortable, easy to wear, there are so many options for jeans too- dressy trouser pants, stretchy skinnies, shredded boyfriend jeans- then there are so many washes. The possibilities are almost never ending.

Most people don't own just one pair of jeans - the average American woman owns 7.6 pairs of jeans (is the .6 a pair of cut offs?)

Yes, jeans are as American as apple pie. I love apple pie, but not as much as I love a comfortable well worn pair of jeans - But when I'm trying on a pair of blues I stop to think about where they came from. I know I've posted on this already (here ), but the mass production of denim takes a massive toll on the environment, not to mention that most are made overseas where working conditions are, to put it mildly, terrible. When you are contemplating purchasing a new pair, do something patriotic - make an informed decision, research the jean brand and use your purchasing power to support items that are made in the USA and/or that are produced in ways that are environmentally sound. We should all do our best to insure that (for our future) the world around us is greener, and that it has better conditions for all people. At the risk of sounding hippy-dippy here, this is a 'global' age and we all (no matter what country, or state, or city we are from) have to work together to make life on Earth better.

Some companies that produce denim in the states: J Brand, Earnest Sewn, AG denim, Found Denim, Freedom of Choice.

Some Ethical and Environmentally sound (internationally produced denim) brands: Pierce Jeans, Nudie Jeans, Cheap Monday, 18th Amendment, Loomstate.

And, there are others out there! But this is enough of me ranting on this subject - especially on a holiday!

For fun:

Last year, way back in the day, before the birth of this blog, I had two denim outfits chosen for Nylon magazine's online, Out of the Blue denim feature. You can read the online article and view the other photos chosen here.





I am wearing Cheap Monday's in the top picture, and 18th Amendment jeans in the bottom picture. Both these jeans were purchased from a local boutique. I love both these jeans, and I want to be able to have them in my closet for years to come.

I welcome you to leave comments and to send photos of your favorite jeans, as it would be a lot of fun to do a favorite denim round-up post.