Don't Forget The Staple: Jeans

Marlon Brando in his Levis

Blue jeans are the most recognizably American piece of clothing on earth outside of the T-shirt. There are very few if any American households where jeans don't exist. The reason why they are such an American staple? Because they were invented and made right here in the US. The Levi Strauss was the first mass marketed blue jean, and yes Levi Strauss was a real person. His claim to fame really took off when he decided to put rivets ( those little metal dots on the sides of your pockets) on jeans. Why? Because working men would hang their tools from their pockets for convenience and they would always end up tearing, the rivets reinforced the pockets to prevent that from happening. P.S. If that is ever a question on Jeopardy you owe me a turkey dinner. 

The Original Marlboro man 

 Originally advertised as a working mans jean, blue jeans originally were worn by blue collar workers, most notably during the California gold rush of 1849. Fast forwarding to the 1930s and 40s where jeans started gaining popularity through Hollywood. Hollywood really started to embrace blue jeans and the thought that they were a "manly mans" piece of clothing, so naturally cowboys in westerns wore jeans. Zipping through history again with the increasing popularity of Jeans you started seeing advertising companies of the 1950s really taking this tough man concept and this is when you started seeing jeans being associated with the all American look. This was most evident in, you probably guessed it already, the Marlboro man. Ladies (and gentlemen) Lets just take a moment to think about the hunky Marlboro man...ahhhh.

We of course know that after the 50s jeans became the norm especially in youth generations with people like Marlon Brando and James Dean being walking advertisements for blue jeans. From then on jeans and American culture frolic off into the sunset and live happily ever after, The End. Now on to the good stuff. 

There is nothing better than a great fitting pair of jeans, but how do you know which pair is right for you? As you all know women come in many many different shapes and sizes so in order to save time, your attention span, and my fingers I will keep it basic.  The one piece of good advise I can give you is don't feel obligated to buy designer jeans. You know why? because jeans have a certain formula in order to be made so whether you are getting those God awful, over priced demon spawn Ed Hardy jeans or a pair from Target, they are made the exact same way. There might be a quality of fabric difference but its rare, feel the jean if it feels like a hospital gown don't buy it. Please don't go out and spend spend an extra 75 dollars for an ugly, tattoo graphic on your ass. Find a nice pair of classic, dark denim pair of jeans that fit well at the waist, crotch,  thigh and you are set. You can dress those babies up or down and you will always be in style no matter what. Play with different cuts and lengths to find which pair fits you best. The only cut I would avoid is a tapered leg jean because that is where you get the famous "mom jean" look. No human, vegetable, or mineral should subject themselves to wearing mom jeans. 

What's up with low rise and high rise jeans? The rise measurement is the measurement you take from your natural waistline, through your crotch and up to the other end (and yes we had to do this unfortunate measurement in sewing class) If you were blessed with a booty it might be your best bet to get a high rise jean to avoid looking like a plumber when you bend down. Also avoid small pockets on the back of jeans if you have a butt. Hopefully this very basic jean advise will help you find the the perfect pair of jeans to add to your wardrobe. 

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