Wear Denim More!

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Readers!

I realized looking through my closet that I have A TON of denim. Like A TON. That being said it has become a daunting task trying to put together different outfits with denim but still maintain an original look. After thinking about denim today I started thinking about the history of denim. Where did it come from? When did we start producing it? What year did denim appear? I hope this article inspires you to wear denim in a different way boys and girls; I hope it teaches you a little history on denim too. Happy ALMOST Friday!













(Original article from: The Story of Denim)

THE STORY OF DENIM

When and how was denim created?

Denim as we know it was never created but evolved and still does today over time. During the 1600’s historians believe the French made garments using wool-blended fabrics called “serge de nimes”. Around the same time, Italians produced apparel from a fabric called “genes” supposedly named after the city of Genoa. Both were natural indigo twill fabrics.
When was denim first made using only cotton fiber?
Historians differ on this matter and there is no definitive answer. During the 18th century is about as accurate as we can get.
Who made the first pair of jeans?
Levi Strauss historian Lynn Downey claims Mr. Levi Strauss “was the inventor of the quintessentially American and now global garment.”
Was denim just used for strong work wear garments?
Absolutely. Levi Strauss made durable garments for gold miners fusing rivets for reinformcemetns. Lee Jeans made overalls for mechanics who painted to protect their good clothes.
What happened to make jeans so popular worldwide?
Denim jeans blasted onto the international consciousness after the release of two moves, the Wild Ones (1953) starring Marlon Brando, and Rebel without a Cause (1955) starring James Dean. In both movies, the rebellious young protagonists wore blue jeans, black leather jackets and tight white t-shirts. The stars of these films became sex symbols.
This young non nonconformist image attracted youth all over the world. Who were struggling to define their own role in society? Jeans became a universal symbol and expression of individulism as did the t-shirt and leather jacket.
By the mid 1960’s youthful rebels on motorcycles morphed into long hair-haired hippies in the tie-dyed t-shirts and bleached faded or patched denim jeans. Girls wore many of the same boy’s cloths because there were no women’s jeans available on the market. Buying jeans was not easy in the late 1960’s. In Toronto where we grew up, the only place you could buy them was downtown in the equestrian shop named Thrifty’s where saddles, bridles, boots, and riding hats were available. As were jeans. Thrifty’s noticed customers coming to their store who were not even slightly interested in horses, just to buy jeans, so they started to carry Levi Red Tab products in all sizes. IN those days styles were few but sizes were unlimited. At the time this writer was a size 27 waist and 32 inch inseam. Thrifty’s carried every single size.
Gaps story is similar to Thrifty’s by offering an unlimited size range they turned themselves into a national retail phenomenon.
Jeans in those days were unwashed and Levi marketed their products as “shrink to Fit” which an accurate description of their products. Shrinkage was high and we’d always have to “guess” the shrinkage and buy jeans larger than our actual size. Then we’d take our jeans home and wash them, usually by wearing then into a shower and sure enough they shrunk. Sometimes excessively, sometimes perfect, in those days there were no returns. We just had to guess the right size and be lucky.
AS a retail store like Thrifty’s in Canada of the Gap in The USA or Miller’s outpost became famous, they expanded their concepts throughout the country, while Levi expanded across the world. And in every region Levi arrived, denim mills were built to support their new activity.
In those days, demand was so high it was even difficult to find enough indigo dyestuff which is why in some vintage stores you can find other shades of blue that don’t fade, Substituting indigo, denim makers used sulfur or pad azoic dyes because real indigo was simply not adequately available.
And in the late 70’s and 80’s what happened?
Disco and Harold Melvyn arrived in the mid 70’s. Jeans flipped from being symbols of freedom and rebellion to status symbols. Girls jeans were tight fitting, fabrics were dark and Gloria Vanderbilt introduced skinny stretch black denim jeans. And in clubs, “designer” jeans had wild designs on back pockets, and were marketed by unrestricted sex appeal, the most famous brands being Calvin Klein, Jordache, and Sassoon.

Rainy Day Outfit-May

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Readers,

If you are like me I can't believe it is raining/snowing on May 1st, 2013; however, I can believe it because we live in Kansas City. I want to post some of my favorite rainy day outfit ideas for you. On another note I have an event to attend tonight at The Nelson and if you want to go you should! It is totally free and supports an amazing museum. 

Joel Wachs: Embracing Risk, Reaping Rewards, Empowering Artists

I should have some exciting things on the blog soon including video of my friends/artists that are showing in the 18th Street Fashion Show in KC. I will have a lot of photos that I am taking too for you to see the exciting things they are working on for the show. Excited to share with you soon but for now just enjoy these cute outfits.












XOXO

JADATO

COUNCIL of FASHION DESIGNERS of AMERICA (CFDA)

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Hi everyone,

My heart breaks about I read about the collapse of a garment factory in Bangladesh killing hundreds of workers inside. This isn't the first time that garment factory workers have been crammed inside unsafe conditions and not the first time their lives were lost because of this. These events should make us take a deeper look at where we are purchasing our clothing and is that cheap price tag worth the cost of the underpaid wages/unsafe working conditions that got us this item. I am not trying to be negative about fashion but I do want to always educate readers on what is going on around the world

After reading what I wrote above I hope we can support good causes of ethical clothing instead of shopping for "disposable fashion" all the time. I recently purchased a handbag from CFDA's E-bay website for "You Can't Fake Fashion." Here is what that statement really means:

"Since 2011, CFDA has partnered with eBay to advance the You Can't Fake Fashion initiative. Educating shoppers about the dangers of counterfeits is now more important than ever, and it's an issue that's incredibly important to both eBay and CFDA. With 90 designers on board this year, each customizing a bag as one-of-a-kind to show their support, eBay and CFDA are dedicated to protecting original design and the integrity of the fashion industry."
Ebay Can't Fake Fashion

I bought just the standard purse made by the CFDA for $50.00 because some of the designer ones were a bit too pricey for my pocketbook. There are a few other designer ones out there and I think it supports a great cause.












XOXO

JADATO

history of bell bottoms

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Readers!

I don't know about you but I really want a pair of bell bottoms. Do you have any pairs that you already love? I think when I find the perfect pair I'm going to invest; maybe something from Free People? I took a few fashion courses during my time in college and love researching fashion trends. Here is a history lesson on bell bottoms for my readers.

Origin of Bell-Bottoms

The pants that the world has come to know and love as a fitted yet flowing fashion staple amongst young people originally were designed for much more practical reasons. Though the actual creation of the first pair of bell-bottoms is unknown, the first mention of bell-bottom pants was in 1813 in reference to the uniforms of U.S. Navy sailors. Bell-bottoms were a functional choice for sailors since they were easy to remove over boots, easy to roll up to avoid becoming water-logged, and--perhaps most interestingly--could be morphed into a floatation device by filling the pant legs with air.

I guess now we know why sailors may have some of the most iconic outfits but they also helped them survive if they were wrecked at sea! Heck yes floatation device, I think airplanes need to get a pair of these underneath seats :) Anywho...here are a few of my favorite ways to wear them. I will post some pictures of myself in them as soon as I find that PERFECT pair. I wanted to point out too that bell bottoms work well for most women's bodies because they draw attention from their waist downward.


















XOXO

JADATO