Jeans: A Reflection of American Values
Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis did not know they were creating an American legacy when they patented the process for riveting pants on May 20, 1873, nor did they get to see the enduring influence of their product before their deaths in the early 1900’s ("Levi Strauss & Co. Timeline"). Nevertheless, since their creation, denim jeans have become symbolic of various American sentiments over the years: the romanticizing of the American West, the social rebellion of countercultures, and a paradoxical preoccupation with individuality.
Denim jeans were born out of necessity in the American West during the gold rush of the nineteenth century. Miners there found that their pants weren’t durable enough to withstand the strain of their grueling work. Levi Strauss, a successful dry goods store owner from San Francisco, collaborated with Jacob Davis, a Reno tailor who had figured out how to rivet pockets on to men’s pants. The two men patented the process and began selling “waist overalls” to miners and other hardworking laborers ("Levi Strauss & Co. Timeline"). By the 1920s, their waist overalls, or jeans, were “the top-selling men’s work pant in the West” (Gromer).
The popularity of jeans spread, diffusing eastward with the help of the media. Images of cowboys and other jeans-wearing Westerners turned jeans into symbols of the independent lifestyles of the American West. Gary Cooper and John Wayne films contributed to denim’s status as the fabric for the “rugged individualistic lifestyle” of the “authentic American” (Gromer). Sociologist Fred Davis says that jeans appealed to the imaginations of many Americans because of the pant’s historical “mystique” that emanated themes of “democracy, in...
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Having invested 27 million dollars and eleven years of research, Du Pont de Nemours Inc. roused world-wide interest when the company displayed the first ever nylon stockings in the New York World Fair in 1938. Nylon apparel, including women's lingerie and foundation garments, soon appeared on the American market in wide varieties. Unfortunately, the quantities were limited. Women paid deathly high pre-war prices to obtain a pair of these famous nylons; they quickly became a symbol of status and wealth (Ewing, 111). Its heyday, however, was brief, for in February 1942, America's nylon literally went to war with the soldiers, and nylon stockings temporarily became extinct. Post-war attitudes toward nylons and other underwear drastically differed from those of the pre-war. This 1952 Du Pont Nylon ad coincides with this change. The advertisement indicates not only the remaining post-war patriotic sentiments, but also the progress women made since the 1930's in obtaining more freedom, independence, and simplified lifestyle.
New fashions were surfacing in both men’s and women’s fashions. Men were wearing Bermuda pants, baggy pants that were cut off at the knee, while women were wearing capris, tight pants that cut off just below the knee. Men were wearing tailored jackets and making a slight move towards the casual dress of today’s workplace. Women were wearing natural shoulders as opposed to the heavily padded ones of the war years. Flat, neck-hugging collars replaced the mannish collars of the late 1940’s. Waists were tightly fitted and skirts were long (Melinkoff 46). The jeans of the time were often lined with plaid flanel and dungarees were worn to the most casual occasions. The sandals of the fifties were not much different than the sandals of today.
In the mid 1960s more and more women started to look like men (maga 103). Although the trousers suit for women was launched, people suspected that some of the inspiration of the way women started dressing came from father down the ...
The 1970s was a tumultuous time in the United States. In some ways, the decade was a continuation of the 1960s. Women, African Americans, Native Americans, gays and lesbians and other marginalized people continued to fight for their freedom, while many other Americans joined in the demonstration against the ongoing war in Vietnam. Due to these movements, the 1970s saw changes in its national identity, including modifications in social values. These social changes showed up in the fashion industry as well, delivering new outlooks in the arenas of both men’s and women’s clothing.
Material politics is about the relationship between fashion and social action. This paper will examine the material politics of the zoot suit and the headscarf.
Stempel, Jonathan. "Lululemon Prevails in Lawsuits over Yoga Pants Recall." Chicago Tribune. Chicago Tribune, 04 Apr. 2014. Web. 08 Apr. 2014. .
Mr.Lauren had more dreams to fulfill. He chose the name Polo for his line of ties because the sport repsented to him a lifestyle of athletic grace and discreet elegance, an image of men who wore well-tailored, classic clothes and wore them with style. With that image in mind, Mr Lauren established Polo as a separate menswear company in 1968, producing a complete line of men's clothes. Using only the finest fabrications, Mr. Lares's menswear was distinctive, innovative, but always classic and refined. His suits blended the American Ivy League natural shoulder silhouette with the fitted shape and expensive fabrics of the best European custom tailored clothing. His shirts were all cotton, richly patterned and expertly made. This same care was, and still is, applied to every element of...
Peacock, John. The Chronicle of Western Fashion: From Ancient times to the Present Day. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1991. Print.
“For as long as men and women have been wearing clothing, there has been a hierarchy based on garments. The clearest example arose when the sexes were segregated into skirts and pants: women would only wear dresses (a symbol of submission) and men would only wear trousers (proof of domination). Women’s clothing was created to impede and hamper movement (through tight or many layered skirts), while men enjoyed the ease and comfort of pant legs.” (Meza, Echazarreta) Women’s fashion throughout the ages can be used to trace the history of equality between men and women. As women achieved greater independence, they claimed the right to choose what they wore, and that included women being able to wear pants. There are three things that were instrumental in making it socially acceptable for women to wear pants, they include: the invention of the bicycle, WWII, and influential women.
In the world of fashion, there is denim. It is one of the world’s oldest fabrics, and has been modified and remodelled to go with the latest fashion trends. The first ones who wore this fabric are workers in the California Gold Rush era, designed by Jacob Davis because of its sturdy material that withstood the harsh working conditions. Not just them, even sailors from Italy use this material too as their sailing uniform. Then, it started appearing as an actor’s apparel, and that’s when denim started to become one of a fashion item. People started wearing jeans as part of their daily apparel and even adding their own ideas, such as studs and colouring it with different shades of denim. It doesn’t only stop around that era, but today, they are seen everywhere and has become a major clothing piece for almost all of the age groups. As a reference, we can see young children already wears jeans as part of their clothing, the teenagers added jeans to their wardrobe, and even for the seniors, they consider jeans as a simple and comfortable clothing pieces.
The market for the school uniform business is growing at a record pace (King 3). Public schools are introducing uniforms into the school environment, and Parochial schools are expanding (Allen 2). Yet these school students have to rely on getting the supplies from out of town retailers. Now is the greatest opportunity to open into the school uniform market. Expansion into this market now is an especially good idea due to the resent development of the 'National Goals Program ' in the U.S.A. (pic 1). Among the policies of the reform is the mandatory use of school uniforms (pic 1). Young adults all have the desire and need to fit in with the norm, and the norm today is to be fashionable. Everyone likes to look great and clothing plays a large part in achieving this goal. What of those children who come from families that lack the financial resources to keep their children in the latest expensive styles? Children from less fortunate families may envy other children's clothing, resulting in dire consequences as pointed out by Keith A. King "children have been violently injured or even murdered for their designer clothes, sneakers, or professional sport team paraphernalia". Knowing th...
To begin with, I shall look at what fashion is; it is a currently popular style or practice involving clothing, footwear or accessories. It mostly refers to the current trends in looks and dressing style of a person (Cumming 234). In most cases, fashion is confusedly related to costumes; when a person talks of fashion they are seen to mean fashion in terms of textile. Fashion is seen to originate from the Western world and it is copied by other places. In this paper, we shall look at how fashion affects lifestyles and the group of people who are affected most. The paper further investigates how media is used to transmit fashion from one region to the other. Although it has been seen to affect people’s lives many people have different perspectives on fashion and dressing.
That day at school seemed like any other day, boring. I remember my friend walking into class with bright red skinny jeans reminding me of the color of a cherry. “Skinny jeans didn 't go anywhere... In fact, they were more popular than ever thanks to a widening range of color options available everywhere from J. Brand to Forever 21”