From Blue-Collars to Catwalk

Fashion can be easily defined as a style of dress that is popular in a certain culture at a specific time.  Styles come and go, and sometimes this happens quicker than we would like.  Certain styles will recycle themselves after decades of being out of style.  The one fabric in particular that has remained loyal to the public throughout the years is undoubtedly denim. Whether used for workers due to its durability, a staple for cowboys, an outlet for rebels, a statement for hippies, or as a runway essential, denim is everlasting. There is a wide range of denim for every style, trend, body type, and budget.  Whereas denim used to be unpopular among women and necessary for field workers, it is now one of the most commonly worn fabrics, for both the workplace and night out. From straight leg to bell-bottom to skin tight and back to wide legged, jackets and now button ups, the style of denim is constantly changing and at times, recycling itself.  Denim has upheld a certain revolution, whether it be cultural, social, political, or sexual.  It is ultimate democratic fabric – anyone can wear it and understand it.

Due to this recycling nature of denim in the fashion world today, it is highly recommended to keep any style of jean you own rather than to throw them on the curb, thinking they will never be “in” again.  Abercrombie ripped jeans used to be all the rage in junior high – I gave away my pair as soon as they went out of style.  Much to my dismay, those baggy, destroyed $80 pair of jeans would have been excellent to find in my closet today, seeing as a pair of similarly destroyed “boyfriend” style Current Elliot jean goes for over $250 a pop. Jeans will always fight back and reinvent the classic styles it once knew.  Good thing denim is as tough and durable as it is; it would not have been able to last throughout so many years and so many cultures.  Jeans have come a long way in history since its initiation as a sturdy workman’s fabric more than 200 years ago.  Denim has been dyed, bleached, acid-splattered, embroidered, stone-washed, and ripped until now, where it sits on the racks of stores today as an icon of over-priced, everlasting, and constantly changing high street fashion.

Denim in all its variety: shopbop