Recently Who What Wear featured "The Best Boyfriend Jeans for Summer" with the additional tag of ("Yes, They're Still Cool"). I love, love, love, my boyfriend jeans, hell, I wish I had a "boyfriend" to go with them, but I digress. I was however unaware that boyfriend jeans were about to be placed on the Fashion Trend Endangered List, but luckily they missed that bullet.
This sudden shock to my fashion system got me thinking about trends.
Trend, in fashion, is defined as a fad, current style, but in all actuality, these current styles were current once, twice, etc., before. While yes there are some current fashion trends that I consider a fad and can't wait for them to go on the FTEL, ie. "ugly shoes", yes shoes that are intended to be ugly, Birkenstock's. Trends are born on the runway (and some need to stay on the runway), then they trickle down to us mortals. Nine out of 10 current fashion trends featured on Glamour, to my knowledge, have been around season after season, so aren't trends just good fashion, classics even? If I happen to like a "trend", I will buy it and, gasp, wear it again (as long as I still have the physique to pull it off) even when it is no longer considered "in fashion", it's all in how you present it the second time around that keeps it fashionable.
I think trendy is a better word for a short lived (hopefully short lived) fad. Jeans, boyfriend or otherwise are not trendy, unless they have so much bling on the butt that it's hard to stand upright after sitting down. And maybe the destroyed jean is a bit on the faddish side, but distressed will live forever, in my world at least. I bought my first pair of boyfriend jeans in 2005, before they were even called boyfriend jeans, $50 Levi's with a 3" cuff and some slight distressing, similar to the $250 Phoebe Jeans from MIH. My second pair were $20 from Old Navy in 2006, again they were not considered boyfriend jeans, just awesome! I do have skinny jeans, but my definite go to for style and comfort are a pair of boyfriends. I think they are uber sexy because they hang and we are our most sexy when we are comfortable, confident, and cool.
Denim jeans or dungarees, were first invented in 1873 by Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss. The three most historic brands were Levi, Lee, and Wrangler. It's funny, these brands were all sooooo different. You were either a Levi person or a Wrangler person, never both. My family was a Levi family. Jeans weren't really considered fashionably cool (sorry Coco) until the 50's, until then they were worn for work.
Below are a few photos of the original Hollywood babes in denim; cropped, straight leg and boyfriend styles, including my fave fashion icon Brigitte Bardot. While the waists are a smidge higher than I find comfortable, they are a true testament to the staying power of a classic.
circa 1952
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