Fashion History

Looking Back At Some Of Our Favorite Jeans

Glamour

Did you know that our all-time favorite jeans were accidentally made? This proves that accidents sometimes could be admirable. We never get bored of jeans, whether they are baggy, tight, shredded, or plain. The 148 years old jeans have ruled fashion all over the world. Fashion trends come and go but they are here to stay forever in our closet. They are perfect for any outfit, easy to maintain, durable, and get more comfortable with time. Hence, 95% of people prefer wearing them.

Jeans’ Old Days

Denim is the prime material of the jeans. Nimes, France gave birth to the first-ever denim. Hence the “de Nimes”, we call it “Denim”. The weavers of Nimes were actually attempting to copy the cotton corduroy of Genoa, Italy. But there was no luck. Accidentally or let’s say luckily, they produced a twill fiber which we now call denim. They used blue dye to color the denim which still is the most prominent color passing through all the decades.

Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis’ names come along with Jeans as they were first invented by them. Levi Strauss traveled to New York from Germany in 1851 to join his older brother’s work at dry goods. Jacob Davis was one of his customers. He was a tailor.

Looking Back at Our Favorite Jeans
Hawthorn

One day, Davis’ customer ordered a pair of hefty pants. The customer was a worker at a factory who wanted a strong durable pants. Davis made them from denim that he bought from Levi Strauss & Co. He in fact innovated the pants by adding screws to the parts. The parts that were more likely to be frail. That’s how the first pair of jeans were made in 1873.

Jeans & Fashion

The first-ever pair of jeans that made an entry in the 80s were more durable and strong rather than being stylish. Moreover, people who worked in factories and mines wore them.

Looking Back at Our Favorite Jeans
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It took decades to become a fashion staple. Hollywood has a big hand in bringing the pairs into fashion from the 1950s.

Here is the transformation of jeans throughout decades,

1954-1956- Keep them rolling.

Boxy jeans were quite popular. The cuffs were rolled from the ankle. They fell in between baggy and tight jeans.

Looking Back at Our Favorite Jeans
Byrdie

1964-1965- Keep jeans loose.

These were the years for flare pants. Tight on the waist, loose at the bottom. Jimi Hendrix made these pants even more popular. Boot cut pairs quite caught attention too but by 1969 flare jeans were back again.

Looking Back at Our Favorite Jeans
Zalando

1972- Wider the better?

Bell-bottom jeans caught all the spotlight in 1972. They were tight at the waist and wider as they went down to the leg. They were wider than the flare pants. Bell-bottoms were more popular between men.

Looking Back at Our Favorite Jeans
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1977- Wait, straight?

This year was all about straight-leg pants. They started proportionally equal from waist to leg in fit. By 1978, it got even darker and tighter.

H&M

19800- Hip-hop, spiff up!

The year 19800, was a huge turnover for jeans as the hip-hop trend ascended. They were more oversized and baggier.

eBay

1985- Flaunt ’em socks.

By 1985, tighter and cropped jeans got back their fame. However, these cropped jeans went together with showing off your thick white socks.

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1986-1989- Wash wow.

These were the years where fashion-focused more on the wash pattern rather than the shape of the jeans. Acid-washed were taken over by stone-washed pairs later.

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1994- Bow down the low Jeans.

The low-rise was quite popular at this time. It gained more popularity when Madonna and Alexander McQueen flexed the pairs in an ad.

ELLE

1998-1999- Wash clash.

The hard wash pants were more popular in 1998. While by 1999 medium wash stole the limelight. Stars like Britney spears flexed these pairs even on the red carpet.

Getty

2000- Bling Bling.

Bling pants were going trendy. We could see these pair going all around on Television. The 2000s is considered to be the most fast-evolving period of jeans. The trend changed every year passing by.

Poshmark

Also Read: Pink Tax: The Cost of Being a Female Buyer

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