DENIM DILEMMAS

Sometimes a pair of jeans is just a pair of jeans--but usually it is most definitely not, which is why so many folks out there fuss, fight and fixate on getting something different and interesting. But what to do when something catches on and soon your favorite brand is emblazoning the pockets of everyone in your zip code? A reader wrote in: "I want to try out another jean brand, it seems like everyone around here wears Sevens...I mean my little sister's fifteen year old boppy friends wear them. I need to find a more mature jean."

There are two ways to handle this: you can either keep ahead of the crowd and scout out cutting-edge and obscure brands, or you can go the "classic" route. The former method will drive you crazy and possibly bankrupt, but at least you will have the satisfaction of having something that very few people have and know about--for about three months. (This is one month in Internet time.) Sticking to tried-and-true will free up finances and valuable mindspace so you can read deeply and contemplate the wonders of the human condition, reflecting on love, passion, boredom, disillusionment, torment, agony and total utter despair...which will only send you shopping, I suppose, or off to an ashram where no one cares what jeans you are wearing because you'll never be able to do a proper downward-facing dog in them. On a more practical level, I think the key to a more mature jean is foremost something that doesn't have an easily identifiable label on the back pockets advertising your know-how like a Las Vegas neon sign. Instead, grown-up jeans derive their stylishness from the attention paid to details like seaming, washes, sanding, stitching, etc., which will garner the admiring glance of a discerning denim expert. (So what if you don't impress the mall rats? You're beyond that!) It all depends on what works for your body, of course. I still like Earls for their fit and comfort, and Habituals have great detailing with a definite workmanlike edge. And don't forget that designers like Helmut Lang, Katayone Adeli and A.P.C. all make jeans that were big with the fashion tribes well before Sevens, Paper and Blue Cult hit. (I've always loved Adeli's trousers and pants, actually, and it's interesting to note that all the stylist girls I've met all wear Katayone Adeli.) It's also nice to remember that not every jean has to be the tight lowrider style in vogue right now. What with fall's focus on the waist with corsetlike jackets and tops, belted coats and motocross fashion, I'm predicting that the eye will be trained to appreciate higher rises within a few seasons. After all, Balenciaga made that high-waisted jean a few seasons ago. While it seemed sacriligeous to a lot of people clutching their stretch lowriders, I kept remembering when Calvin Klein did the knee-length skirt in the early 90s after a decade of 80s minis. Everyone clucked back then, too.

Posted by Kat in Denim
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