DENIM DAYS! — Violinkit

May 5

May 5 DENIM DAYS!

I've recently fallen in love with Denim again.......Why? Well I've realised its probably the only material I can think of that has a truly dateless and durable quality and appeals to all generations.

The first item of clothing made from Denim was of course the "Jean". The word itself came from Genoa in Italy in a place called Jeane where cotton corduroy was manufactured.

In 1851 a German named Levi Strauss moved from Germany to New York to join his older brother who had a dry goods store there. In 1853 Levi moved to San Francisco to establish a western branch of the family store where he sold, among many things, cotton cloth.

One of his customers , a tailor named Jacob W. Davis from Reno Nevado bought some cloth from Levi . A customer of his had requested he make him a pair of "Strong Pants" so Davis placed copper rivets in the vunerable places most likely to rip thus making the trousers stronger and the rest as they say is history..........

Levi Strauss and Davis became partners and opened up a factory producing the trouser made from the cotton from Jeane in Genoa and thus the "Jean" was born.

Jeans were first produced as working clothes but quickly found their way into fashionable wardrobes. They became symbols of rebellious youth and were worn by movie stars in the 1950's like James Dean and Elvis Presley. Movies like "Rebel Without a Cause" and "Jail House Rock" ensured the Jean's continued success.

These Denim Jeans quickly became the most accessible and popular item of clothing worn equally by Prince and Pauper.

Over the years Denim ( which is the name given to the modern cotton used associated with the making of the Jean etc ). was produced by a group of French Weavers from Nimes in France. They tried to produce the cotton corduroy that was made in Jeane in Genoa but with no luck. Instead , with trial and error they produced another cotton twill fabric that later became known as "Denim" and is commonly used today .

The fashion world embraced Denim and it is used to make a multitude of various garments from the Designer Catwalks to the High Street.

Jeans be they Skinny, Boot Cut, Straight or flared are probably the most popular item of clothing ever worn. Now thats saying something!!!!!!

I've put together some of my favourite Denim looks. Hope you enjoy them.