I miss when jeans were really jeans: the hard, rugged denim worn by farmers and cowboys that had to be worn in to perfection via hard work and sweat, not bought pre-torn with strategically placed “weak spots” achieved in a factory (one of my biggest pet peeves).
These photos come from Michael Wells’s Denim Legends project, a visual history of the most interesting jeans of the last 150 years. The textures, colors and seemingly disintegrated “limbs” (missing pant legs and sleeves) create such a compelling story: Who wore this clothing? How did it survive to the present day? And can jeans with spandex built in ever really achieve this level of durability and character? (Doubtful.)
[Via therine they're an inspiration]
very cool. just say no to jeans with spandex.
These are beautiful.
The most aggravating kind of pre-distressed jean is arguably either the kind with visible factory-done reinforcement stitches around each “distress patch”, or the jeans that come pre-cuffed. As if it costs $200 to pay someone to artistically roll up your pants for you.
Lovely! My husband had a pair of jeans for years and years that he loved beyond belief. When they were in near tatters I shipped them off to a company to be repaired (can’t remember the name though!). After some 6 weeks they arrived home reincarnated into a near perfect reproduction of the original pair. We turned then inside out to find the most complex restructuring of the weave. It was absolutely breathtaking. They lasted a few more years before succumbing. Now I wish we’d photographed them before sending them on though.
Thanks for so much incredible inspiration. I absolutely love your blog.