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Women
dominate the denim marketplace, 75 years after
Lady Levi's
were introduced.
———
Years
before jeans were worn in the boardroom and on the red
carpet, they functioned as work wear. Back then, denim
was made only for men, and today's popular boyfriend fit
for women was developed when women, having no other
choice, wore men's jeans.
Seventy-five
years after the first jeans made for women, the Lady
Levi's, were born, women now dominate the denim
marketplace.
"They're
part of our staple now. Women wear jeans every single
day for so many different kinds of events and
activities," said
Lynn Downey
, historian of Levi's, which has been celebrating the
75th anniversary of the Lady Levi's across the nation
this fall.
The first
jeans for women, from Levi's lot 701 in 1934, were
manufactured to be sturdy and feminine, she said. They
were preshrunk, used a softer fabric than the men's 501s
and featured a high, pinched-in waist.
Denim,
which is any twill weave of a white cotton thread and a
colored cotton thread, has taken on many forms since
then.
As
interest in women's denim picked up in the decades after
its introduction, slimmer silhouettes dominated the
market, foreshadowing today's popular skinny style. The
'70s brought about a much more voluminous shape, the
bell-bottom.
"It's
all about flare," Downey said, "from the
really modest flare to the complete crazy, you can stick
a small child up its leg."
Premium
denim made its first significant mark in the '80s, with
brands such as Diesel leading the way. During that time,
Calvin Klein
and Guess promoted the cotton twill's sex appeal and the
cache associated with a fashion label. Actress and model
Brooke Shields
is still remembered today for her famous declaration
that "Nothing comes between me and my Calvins."
The '90s
were characterized by denim's entrance into formerly
more sacred areas, such as the office and the red
carpet. Downey thinks the casual style of
Silicon Valley
and, in particular, Apple co-founder
Steve Jobs
, helped make jeans acceptable for the workplace.
"It
was a mental change for a lot of people. It was
Generation Y or maybe Generation X that decided that
jeans weren't their mom's jeans. They reflected the way
young men and women live their lives," Downey said.
"Every single generation since jeans were created
has changed what jeans mean."
The
amount of choices in fit, wash and embellishment
blossomed during this time as women became the primary
consumer. The variety has grown in the past decade as
new premium brands have entered the marketplace, often
demanding well over
$100
and occasionally up to
$400
for each pair of jeans.
Among
these labels, 7 For All Mankind arrived in 2000.
The
Los Angeles
-based brand took "a very utilitarian, almost
workwear type of product and built in a sophistication
and wash and finishing that gives consumers the ability
to wear that product day to night, on the red carpet and
out to dinner," president
Topher Gaylord
said. "It's a much more versatile product than it's
ever been."
Women
have shown they are willing to pay for that added level
of versatility and style.
"If
you have a pair of jeans that fits you well, it is one
of the most powerful and emotional experiences you can
have," Gaylord said. "They give you unrivaled
self-confidence."
True
Religion, which was founded in 2003, wants to
differentiate itself, too.
"What
the consumer gets from premium denim is quality and
comfort, but it's mostly about fit," CEO
Jeff Lubell
said.
For
Lubell, jeans are not just jeans, particularly True
Religion's women's jeans, which run from
$172 to $341
.
"Levi's
or 7 For All Mankind, compared to them, I could spend
two hours describing the intricacies," said Lubell,
referring to True Religion's elongated stitches,
multi-colored thread and hardware.
There's
no slowing down the customer's desire to appreciate
those differences. True Religion plans to open 20 to 25
stores a year around the world, with 70 in the U.S. by
the end of 2009. 7 For All Mankind will have opened 12
this year by its end, for a total of 27 in the country.
Still,
more designers are getting into the arguably saturated
premium denim market.
Los Angeles
-based MEK Denim, which launched in 2006, is one of the
latest. Founder and creative director
Kevin Chen
, who has a background in custom menswear, admires jeans
for their Americana appeal.
"All
the cowboys and even the president wears denim," he
said. "It's not the blue-collar work wear anymore.
They mix it with couture now."
Chen
infused the idea of travel into each design to make it
unique; each model is named after and inspired by a
destination from around the world. And he wasn't put off
by the immense amount of competition.
"I
saw a tremendous opportunity in the premium denim
market. Many premium houses are over their heads (with)
$300
,
$400
,
$500
jeans," said Chen, whose jeans retail at
$125-$135
.
Whatever
a woman's budget, it's now practically unthinkable for
her not to wear jeans. Magazines and makeover shows
regularly provide tips on what fits, washes and styles
work on what kinds of bodies.
Clinton Kelly
, a co-host of TLC's "What Not To Wear,"
didn't return a call requesting a comment. But there's a
good reason for that.
"Clinton
and I are sick of answering questions about jeans,"
begins co-host
Stacy London
on a video on the "What Not To Wear" Web site.
It's a subject they must tackle often, if not always,
with their makeover clients.
On this
video, the longest of 11 style tips on their show's Web
site, Kelly and London describe the basics of denim:
Don't wear mom jeans. Do wear boot-cut, skinny,
straight-leg or trouser jeans.
So what's
the next stage in women's denim?
Said
Downey of Levi's: "I think it's going to be a
surprise."
———
WOMEN'S
LEVI'S AT 75
17th
century: Denim is likely to have originated in
France
and was called "
Serge de Nimes
," reflecting its beginnings as a serge, or twill,
fabric in the city of Nimes.
1873:
Levi Strauss and
Jacob Davis
receive a patent for an "Improvement in Fastening
Pocket-Openings" and begin making jeans with metal
rivets.
1920s:
Levi's Waist Overalls are the most popular men's work
pants in the western states. Women begin wearing their
husbands' or brothers' Levis 501 jeans.
1930s:
Lady Levi's
are created in 1934 and assigned lot 701 to distinguish
them from the men's 501.
1940s:
American soldiers introduce denim to the world when they
wear them overseas while off duty. Due to the popularity
of dude ranches, sales of women's jeans take off and
their styles switch from button-fly to zipper.
1950s:
Denim becomes the symbol of the teenage rebel on TV and
in the movies.
1960s:
Jeans becomes an icon of rebellion adopted by both men
and women. Levi's introduces a slimmer fitting jean
while stretch jeans become popular among teenage girls.
1970s:
Levi's offers a variety of fashion fits, including full
leg, straight leg, flare and bell-bottoms.
1980s:
Levi's 501 jeans for women are introduced in 1981, then
stonewashing in 1983.
1990s:
Levi's offers a series of premium denim along with a
wide range of women's jeans, including the 501, 550, 512
Slim fits.
2000s:
Super Low jeans for women are launched in 2002.
———
(c) 2009,
The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.).
Visit the
Register on the World Wide Web at http://www.ocregister.com/
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by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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