What is denim? Is it casual, a status-symbol, a work uniform, timeless, necessary? The answer is all of the above and much, much more. I can’t think of any of my red-blooded American friends or family who do not own at least one piece of denim in their wardrobe. Whether it’s wide leg, skinny, boot - It’s an American manufacturing icon that is still well-made here in the U.S. to this day. With hundreds of washes, lengths, and fits this closet category will continue to evolve each season in response to the mob’s trend-driven demands. Keep your true-blue jeans that took years to break in to fit your body perfectly. Come back to the crisp white denim shorts you break out the second summer hits. Throw on your irreplaceable denim jacket whenever you feel that chill coming on. Pack your perfect white jeans in every weekend bag from spring to fall. And always rely on your favorite black jeans when you just can’t seem to figure out what to wear. They will always look perfect. How old is your oldest pair? How many memories and pictures do you have wearing your beloved jean jacket? I keep my favorite denim until it is quite literally falling to pieces, and sometimes even then it just stays neatly folded in my closet as an homage to the memories that are tied to them.
I’ve successfully erased the memory of getting rid of a pair of jeans I bought during a trip into Manhattan in college when the city was just opening up after 9/11. The memory has been erased because I kept those jeans for almost 20 years. They hit my hips in the perfect spot, their length was somehow made perfectly for my legs, the boot-cut was obvious and subtle at the same time, and their wash seemed to compliment any top I threw on with them. I kept them and wore them regularly until it was apparent that I shouldn’t any longer.
The fact is that denim, especially denim that is quality-made, will always have a place in our hearts and closets.