2008 Woodie Awards
Foreign Fashion
Magdelena Jensen
Issue date: 2/13/07 Section: B Side
- Page 1 of 1
Jeans. Are they really the chameleons of the closet, possessing the potential to be ap-propriate for every single occasion pos-sible?
With our "dress them up or down" attitude, it seems Americans think they are.
Poles definitely don't. Even Polish people our age have limitations on when and where they wear jeans.
What is with Americans and our jeans addiction?
One could say that America is the birthplace of jeans. But, in reality, jeans were first worn in Genoa, Italy, as part of the Genoese Naval uniform. They were a tough, durable material that kept in form with the demands of naval life.
Later, in the 1850s, a German immigrant by the name of Levi Strauss started selling blue jeans to mining communities in Cali-fornia. Thus they became the uniform of the hard-working American man.
Today's jeans, however, are not only the cloth of choice for heavy labor, but are also the cloth of choice for fashion disciples. Jeans, in the U.S., are all about the label, the wash and the price. I know many girls - and guys - who pay over $100 for a pair of Sevens (or Citizens, or Joe's, or whatev-er newest brand is in style).
I say, OK, to each his own. But why pay that much for a pair of pants you wear casually?
The answer in the States is that the jean has transi-tioned from being an inci-dental, alternative clothing item to a wear-at-all-times wardrobe essential.
I'll readily admit: I love jeans. I wear them daily: to restaurants, to walk the dog, even to go out partying.
But last Friday night, I got a little wake-up call on the jean thing. I was getting dressed to go to my friends' gallery opening here in Warsaw and put on a pair of black, skinny jeans. One of my Polish friends asked me if I had a pair of trousers because, well, jeans are sim-ply not appropriate for all occasions.
What?! What Polish-talk nonsense is this? I wear jeans all the time! And true to my roots, I did keep the jeans on, but I added a nice sweater and black ankle boots.
Despite the fact that I love jeans, my encounters abroad have convinced me to slowly try to wean myself off them. There is a whole world of pants, corduroys, trousers and skirts out there.
With our "dress them up or down" attitude, it seems Americans think they are.
Poles definitely don't. Even Polish people our age have limitations on when and where they wear jeans.
What is with Americans and our jeans addiction?
One could say that America is the birthplace of jeans. But, in reality, jeans were first worn in Genoa, Italy, as part of the Genoese Naval uniform. They were a tough, durable material that kept in form with the demands of naval life.
Later, in the 1850s, a German immigrant by the name of Levi Strauss started selling blue jeans to mining communities in Cali-fornia. Thus they became the uniform of the hard-working American man.
Today's jeans, however, are not only the cloth of choice for heavy labor, but are also the cloth of choice for fashion disciples. Jeans, in the U.S., are all about the label, the wash and the price. I know many girls - and guys - who pay over $100 for a pair of Sevens (or Citizens, or Joe's, or whatev-er newest brand is in style).
I say, OK, to each his own. But why pay that much for a pair of pants you wear casually?
The answer in the States is that the jean has transi-tioned from being an inci-dental, alternative clothing item to a wear-at-all-times wardrobe essential.
I'll readily admit: I love jeans. I wear them daily: to restaurants, to walk the dog, even to go out partying.
But last Friday night, I got a little wake-up call on the jean thing. I was getting dressed to go to my friends' gallery opening here in Warsaw and put on a pair of black, skinny jeans. One of my Polish friends asked me if I had a pair of trousers because, well, jeans are sim-ply not appropriate for all occasions.
What?! What Polish-talk nonsense is this? I wear jeans all the time! And true to my roots, I did keep the jeans on, but I added a nice sweater and black ankle boots.
Despite the fact that I love jeans, my encounters abroad have convinced me to slowly try to wean myself off them. There is a whole world of pants, corduroys, trousers and skirts out there.
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