Designer jeans are all the rage these days, as America’s young and old delight at innovation in denim that hasn’t been seen since the time of bell bottoms. Flared legs, boot cut holes, and low-riding waste styles known as “low riders” – not to mention the ubiquitous back pocket decoration that is now the norm – are ubiquitous among the ragged and the rich alike. These basic ‘innovations’ — which are, historically speaking, symbolic of a return to more 19th-century-style tailoring – all serve the wearer: men look taller and thinner, and women are made to look fitter and more salacious. Yet beyond just the innovations in cut are innovations in washes. Who wants to wear jeans that look new?—new jeans have no character, and in that sense, fail to be what jeans are truly meant to be: a testament to past hardship.
New washes and rips aim to make jeans look well-worn before the would-be buyer even tries them on. Dirty wash jeans, for instance, are jeans that have been stained with rust, grass, or grease coloration to give the denim the appearance of having been through a farmer or car mechanic’s career – many times over. Other washes reveal neat patterns in natural fabric, while others still bleach out color to give the appearance of fading, often in a horizontal pattern that will cause the upper legs of the wearer to seem more stretched out. Some companies now offer you the ability to add character to your new jeans. They’ll mess them of safely and cheaply, letting you save big money over what the designers charge.
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