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Faded lustre
BLUE JEANS came into their own during the Great Gold Rush of California of the 1800s. It took a 20-year-old Bavarian trader called Levi Strauss to convert some cloth unfit for tents and wagon covers into trousers. But when his customers complained that the tough material tended to chafe them, he substituted it with a softer twilled cotton cloth from France called Serge de Nimes. The rivets were added later to reinforce the pockets that were usually stuffed with gold ore.
By the 1930s, denim jeans became popular, thanks to cowboy Westerns. Post-World War, it became the symbol of rebellion. James Dean wouldn't have been the icon he was if he hadn't worn jeans.
Blue jeans became the uniform of Flower Power during the Sixties, and were much prized in non-Western countries. In the eighties, high fashion co-opted blue jeans. Internationally known designers jumped into the fray, seeking a slice of the burgeoning jeans market. Jeans, once the preserve of the working class, were being worn by celebrities who sweated only during workouts and whose pampered bodies knew only Armanis and Versaces.
It was only a matter of time before blue jeans lost their lustre with the young generation, who wouldn't be caught dead with anything worn by their parents.
Today's youngsters prefer khakis, chinos, and branded sportswear to make a statement.
S.R.
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