Ripped Jeans and Patched Jeans

By Danielle Levinson

Ripped jeans have been worn as a fashion statement since the 1970's. During the 1970's many chose to deform their jeans in an effort to separate themselves from mainstream culture. Ironically, the mainstream eventually embraced ripped jeans.

Today ripped jeans and patched jeans have become part of the fabric of American culture. Both styles are now welcome in places that range from the dorm room to the board room, the art studio to the art opening, and the vegetable garden to the garden gala.

The truth is, we just love to abuse our jeans. Since their invention, jeans have been ripped, bleached, shrunk, permanent pressed, cut off, torn, shredded, distressed, sanded, stone washed, and acid washed. On the other hand, they've been lovingly embroidered, beaded, patched, painted and sequined. We definitely have an intriguing relationship with our favorite article of clothing. Through the good times, and the bad ones, our loyal jeans still love us. And we still love them.

Which reminds us, in the 1970's, during the height of the free love movement, the US also saw an outpouring of denim love. Americans were using their jeans to visually express their hopes, political views, and religious beliefs. In 1974, Levi's held a denim art contest and received thousands of entries.

The worst part (or best part!) is that people actually wore these jeans. That's right, take a look at the bad boys and their jeans from Levi's Denim Art Contest Catalogue of Winners by Richard M. Owens, Baron Wolman, John Burks.

You can design your own custom jeans with holes and rips online.

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What is Fashion? What is Style?

By Monica Barnett

I have often used the words "fashion" and "style" interchangeably but, I'm not sure they mean the same thing....or do they? The Fairchild Dictionary of Fashion says fashion is, "a sociocultural phenomenon in which a preference is shared by a large number of people of a particular style that last for a relatively short period time, and then is replaced by another style...". Fairchild defines style as, "in fashion, an individual and distinctive type of dress, coat, blouse, or other item of apparel or accessory...to have a certain flair that is specific and individual."

The fashion industry has left us parsing words and syllables to come up with an answer and, in the end, have we made an perceptible progress? We track backwards to style icons like Valentino, Gabrielle Chanel or Yves Saint Laurent to use their words..."fashions fade - style is eternal" in hopes of an answer.

With each day, I become more brazen in my defiance in saying there is an difference but, the problem is, I'm still not sure what it is. Rather than try to answer this, I am now working toward understanding the question. To do that, there are a few items I am using to factor into my evaluation of the validity of the question at hand:

(1) time - as in 'today' versus 'in the days of ole' - did we ever parse hairs (i.e. fashion vs style) back then?
(2) location - as in do you live in Paris, France, South Bend, Indiana, Seoul, Korea, or elsewhere? - can fashion and style be dependent on where you live and perhaps what information or media you have access to?; and
(3) exposure - as in are you Gabrielle Chanel, a self-proclaimed Fashionista or Fashionelle, a WWD editor, or an unknowing fashion victim?

I'm positive there are many other elements to consider but, consider this the proverbial 'line in the sand' as I move down the road to (possible) differentiation!

http://www.blueprintforstyle.com

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