I don’t know about anyone else, but I find the history of fashion SO interesting! I recently read Tim Gunn’s Fashion Bible in which every chapter told the history of a different article of clothing. When flipping through a fashion magazine the other day I came across a brief history of jeans and it reminded me of the whole chapter that I read on that subject. So, I thought I would tell you all about the history of denim jeans according to Tim Gunn, chair at Parsons and mentor on Project runway.
The jump start for jeans was the California Gold Rush of 1849. Levi Strauss was the first person to make denim that would withstand the stress of mining. Levi’s were the first brand to patent jeans and now the words “Levis” and “jeans” are interchangeable. The first pair of jeans was nothing like today’s jeans, they had to be rolled up and belted, and with a belt on they looked like today’s paper-bag styled waste band and were not comfortable at all. Women didn’t even start wearing jeans regularly until the 1970’s. I think it is so interesting that the pants that most people wear every single day didn’t even exist for women until 1934 when Lady Levi’s were created!
