The first denim pant, developed by 24-year-old German immigrant Levi Strauss, was made during the height of the ‘Gold Rush’ when he discovered the need of “sturdy” pants for the miners. He fashioned a pair of waist overalls, using the canvas he was selling for wagon covers and tents. Strauss switched to a twilled cotton cloth from France called ‘Serge de Nimes’, when the miners complained of chafing. It later became known as denim and the first pair of blue jeans was born.
Levi Strauss and Nevada tailor David Jacobs came up with the process of putting rivets in pants for strength. On May 20, 1873, they received U.S.Patent No.139,121. This date is now considered the official birthday of “blue jeans”.
Boy, has denim changed since then, and it is no more evident than in the collections of Spring/Summer 2011. From designers as big as Stella McCartney to the more mainstream J Crew, everybody is in on the trend-Levi Strauss has even teamed with Opening Ceremony designers, Humberto Leon and Carol Lim, to reinvent the classic looks they love from Levi’s archives.
With ‘Bubble-Gum’ pinks being the latest trend in jeans, color has even honed in on the act. No matter what you fancy-from accessories to dresses, traditional denim to the more outrageous-this Spring/Summer, denim has something just for you.
Clockwise from top left: Stella McCartney Denim Dress from Summer 2011 http://www.stellamccartney.com, Dani Black Resort Denim Wedge $84.00 http://www.jilldor.com, Helmet Lang Denim-Paneled Cotton Jersey Jacket $ 245.00 www. netaporter.com, J Crew Cross Hatched Chambray Shirt $78.00 http://www.jcrew.com, James Jeans Bubble-Gum Skinny Jeans $145.00 http://www.jamesjeans.com, Levis by Opening Ceremony Indigo Chambray Jacket $225.00 http://www.levis.com.
