President Obama took a quick break from solving the world’s economic, energy, Middle East and health care crises to throw out the first pitch at the All Star game this week. A man who knows how to dress for the occasion, Mr. Obama correctly selected the quintessential American wardrobe item for this event. He paired his blue jeans with his beloved Sox jacket (clearly he’s not trying to make any friends in St. Louis, anymore).
image from Kyle Terada/US Presswire
Mr. Obama rarely fails to impress; however, we think his denim look could use a slight fashion upgrade. While appropriate attire for a baseball mound, white running shoes are a big no no paired with blue jeans. We think the Pres could do better with some trendier kicks… perhaps a retro look with another American favorite, Converse. Just like at indi, you can even design your own Converse shoes. And while we’d like to see the President in a less baggy jean and maybe a darker wash, our denim philosophy is you have to make it your own. Unfortunately, the pres did commit one unforgivable faux paux. Someone should have advised him against those highwaters before he left the (white) house. We recommend custom jeans, Mr. President.
Just because your office “allows” you to wear jeans to work, doesn’t mean you should abuse the privilege. Oh wait, were you one of those give an inch, takes a mile kind of kids? Well, if so, here is a much needed lesson on your “jeans for work” etiquette.
Unless you work at a custom jeans company (this is where we forget about our 14 hour days and remember why we love our job), you should be mindful of the unwritten rules of wearing jeans to work. When choosing your jean for the office, keep in mind that you (probably) still want to look polished and professional. When you wear a dirty, tattered jean, people tend to not take you so seriously. Take Brandy, here, for example. Odds are you wouldn’t want anyone in those jeans in charge of much more than, uh, acting or singing.
image from usmagazine.com
But I digress. The point is—a dark wash jean without any serious distressing/destruction treatments will looks crisp and clean. People like that. They respect it. Another solid option is a trouser jean because it resembles a more traditional dressy pant. Its slick lines will look sophisticated, and its wide legs will give a stylish draping effect.
Now since you’re going to go casual with your jeans, you want to dress up the rest of the outfit with a feminine blouse or button-down and some cute high-heels or flats. Do not, try to pair your jeans with a t-shirt or sweatshirt and tennis shoes. Those items should *never* be seen in the office. Really, do we have to say it?
And, if you do find yourself craving a little adventure, you can always shake things up with a bright colored vest or blazer. Just make sure you know what you’re doing here. No need to ruin a perfectly good outfit with one bad yellow vest decision. Case and point, this guy, below…
Some wonder why denim lovers often pay a premium for pre-worn jeans. Although purchasing holey and tattered jeans may seem like a bizarre practice, distressed denim, in various forms, has been in style for close to fifty years.
In the 1960’s, those hoping for a worn look ran their jeans in the washing machine for a full day or soaked them in the ocean for a week. Some even dragged their jeans behind speedboats to achieve the desired effect.
But the love of distressed objects is hardly a product of the 1960’s. Distressing, in various forms, is an age old practice. Take, for example, the ancient Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi. This world view holds that imperfect objects are more beautiful than bland flawless items.
The bowl below typifies the wabi-sabi aesthetic. Its bumpy texture, uneven glaze, and wobbly shape add to its charm.
bowl from Elm Studios http://www.elmstudios.com
Now compare this pottery to the 120-year-old jeans below. Despite the differences in materials, the colors and textures are remarkably similar. If you can believe it, these antique jeans sold for $60,000 in an Ebay auction!
image from http://www.forbes.com
Most denim consumers do not want to pay thousands of dollars or wait 120 years to achieve the distressed looks they desire. That’s why manufacturers have invented a wide range of techniques—from washing jeans with golf balls to treating them with ozone—to create the looks that we crave. Here at indi, we’re constantly perfecting new washes and finishes, so get excited for our next round of finishing treatment—coming to indiDenim.com next month!
That’s right. Cuffed jeans CAN, in fact, be fashionable. The key is starting with the right jean. Remember, a cuff can’t perform miracles. So if you start with an ugly jean and add a cuff, you will (surprisingly) end up with an ugly cuffed jean. On the other hand, if you have a great skinny, tapered, or even straight leg jean that already compliments your curves, try rolling it up once or twice. Go a little crazy; see what happens.
Now you should know, cuffing is truly an art. And as an art, it may take you years to master. Cuffing your jeans requires creativity and vision, because there isn’t just one way to cuff!
Your cuff (clearly) depends on your outfit. Feeling traditional? Stick with a smaller cuff (~1.5 inches). When you’re ready to mix it up a bit, try venturing out a little further to the land of the the high cuff (recommended for cuff experts, only).
Like most things, practice makes perfect. And when you are experimenting with new fashions, you may want to test your new style in front of those who know and love you for who you are on the inside. Who knows what trouble one bad cuffed jean decision may cause…
So to help you out with you cuffed-jean trials and tribulations, we suggest you take a look at some of the pretty people who are doing their part to bring fashion to the plebs. Aw, they are sooooo self-sacrificing, aren’t they?
Skinny jeans for men have been all over the place recently (in case you are slow to the uptake), being sported by everyone from Kanye to Zac Efron. But the man skinny may not be new to all of us. Indeed, my high school years were spent at punk rock shows where the coolest of cool men wore skin-tight women’s jeans. Back then we always thought, the tighter the jeans the hotter the man. And although I digress, the same skinny jean logic may still apply today.
In our opinion, there are no black and white rules about any jean style—even the skinny jean. Wait, control z. The rule is, if the style makes you look bad, do yourself (and us!) a favor and don’t buy it. When a jean looks bad on you, it hurts us all. Especially those of us who work in the custom jean business. So when you shop for your skinny jean (men this is your cue to listen up), just make sure the jean flatters your body. And for those who like their skinny jeans, well, skinny, please note that the bulge is not yet a fashion statement we endorse. Sorry boys.
Bulges aside… the skinny jean has begun to penetrate white collar conversations, so much so that even The Wall Street Journal felt obliged to weigh in (see video below).
And although you can’t yet get a man skinny at indiDenim.com, we suggest you cross your fingers and wish really hard. Who knows what the future will hold…
posted by: Julien on July 6, 2009 at 4:20 pm
filed under:Trend Alert
TAGS:
skinny jeans,
mens jeans
Denim is not always just about covering our ass-ets. Sometimes, it’s about making a fashion statement, toning down an outfit, or even something as simple as keeping covered on a windy day—and there’s nothing like a denim jacket that gets the job done.
Take, for example, the denim jacket trend. We see denim jackets popping up all over Hollywood. While the celebs definitely don’t all get it right, the indiDenim experts agree the ones pictured below were able to pull it off. What do you think about these celebrities and their take on the denim jacket?
Khloe Kardashian breaks up her black on black casual fit by adding a denim jacket and an oversized bag. Is the denim bringing it all together?
Photo Source: GossipGirls
This light wash denim jacket over the little white summer dress has Reese Witherspoon looking a little confused. We think the outfit is adorable. What do you think?
Photo Source: justjarded.com
The Dream is seen here, sporting the latest double denim trend, and in our opinion, doing it with some serious style. Are you a fan of double denim. . .?
Photo Source: WireImage
. . .Cameron Diaz is. In this photo for Marie Claire, Cameron is showing us with confidence that double denim is in all the way.
Photo Source: MarieClaire
And last, but definitely not least, we have the King of Pop. Oh wait, never mind. That’s just Rhianna sporting a Michael Jackson inspired denim jacket—along with his curly do. Is MJ the man you want to see in your mirror? For Rhianna, it works!
Photo Source: x17online
posted by: rupa on July 2, 2009 at 3:21 pm
filed under:Trend Alert
TAGS:
denim jackets,
double denim
We all know guys who swagger down the street, clutching their belts and spreading their legs, so that their sagging jeans, four sizes too big, don’t fall down. Prefer a visual? See the example below.
image by Hiroko Masuike for The New York Times
Hip hop baggy style jeans became popular in the late 80’s, but the style didn’t become mainstream until the mid-nineties. Some people hope that this fashion statement would slip away just like the jeans themselves do in many a wardrobe malfunction. In fact, some hate this style so much that sagging is actually outlawed in parts of Georgia, Louisiana, and Michigan. Unfortunately, I have bad news for those who want to ban sagging—baggy jeans are not a fad; they’ve been with us for twenty years and they’re here to stay. Neither laws nor lectures will keep jeans up.
Baggy clothing itself has been in style much longer than twenty years and has always symbolized wealth and opulence. Excess material shows that the wearer can afford to purchase more fabric than necessary to cover the body.
Some might be surprised to hear that medieval monks preferred clothing similar to the style that upstanding citizens are now prohibiting. That’s right! Monks liked to sag, too. The monks wore their sleeves several feet longer than their arms, dragged their hems on the ground, and had hoods large enough to fit multiple heads.
Need proof? Check out the hip monk with his sweet threads below.
Two and half years ago, Anne Whitacre left her home in Seattle and moved to Los Angeles to start a new job at a high end design firm. She soon found out that her work wardrobe (which consisted mostly of wool skirts, sweaters, and dress suits) wasn’t going to cut it in the LA designer jean world.
“The entire office dressed in jeans and black t-shirts or sweaters,” Anne said. For a lot of us (and all of us here at indi), a “jeans and tee” work environment is like a dream. But for Anne, it was a different story.
“I’m 5’9” and usually wear a size 12, but have a round backside, a flat stomach, and athletic thighs,” Anne explained. “In a designer jean, I typically wear a size 31, which fits my waist, but strangles my thighs and backside. And I’m small enough in the waist that I don’t fit into “women’s” sizes either. This leaves me stuck in between the two size groupings, without a single pair of jeans that fit.”
Struggling to find a pair of designer jeans made for her body, Anne surfed the net and came across indiDenim. “I was able to choose the style of jean I want and then finely tweak the fit and sizing - this was very appealing to me,” Anne said. “And the jeans at indi are comparable in price to what I was paying for designer jeans that weren’t custom made for my body.”
Anne ordered a pair of straight leg custom jeans that fit comfortably around both her waist and her thighs. “My custom indiDenim straight leg jeans are the perfect length, have a medium low rise in front and a high enough rise in back - and most importantly, they do not cut off the circulation in my thighs!”
“I had this theory that if I could have found the perfect jeans in college, I would still be wearing them. That didn’t happen! Now, at age 55, I’ve finally found my perfect pair of jeans.”
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