Demon Denim - Down With Denim

[Bugbear]

So... The Highland attire which was proscribed to only military use for a time?

[thescot]

So... The Highland attire which was proscribed to only military use for a time?

'fraid so, Ted. Along with all tartan, swords, and bagpipes.

As to George Will's article: I think he was lamenting the sad state of affairs in the state of dress in the US. But then, I didn't read Will's intire article, even though I really do like his writing and thoughts.

Few people--at least few people under 50--care to dress well anymore. The general mantra is "we will all be very different and individualistic by dressing exactly alike." It's supposed to be a flag of solidarity with the common man . . . or something.

Then, of course, those who can afford it, pay $100 for worn looking jeans that the "common man" cannot afford. And adorn them with Rolex watches and Gucci shoes. No need to carry that common man thing too far, you know.

Thus it is, thus it has even been, thus it shall always be. The fact is, folks with money can afford stuff others can't; doesn't reflect well or badly on either, it's just the way things are.

And . . .newer generations have tended to come up with new styles and gimics to express themselves and set them apart. But I do tend to think that before my generation, the younger folks outgrew their youthful proclivities.

Personally, I wear jeans often as good utilitarian attire. (Kind of like the sound of that, "good utilitarian attire." Sound a little like William F. Buckley.) But I also wear nicer slacks with jacket, or a kilt with just about anything else when appropriate.

But then, I am old and do not like change any more than anyone else.
And I was raised by folks who "dressed appropriately." And just in case you suspect I was to the manor born, let me assure you that our manor consisted of railroad workers, blue collar to the bone.

[g koch]

So where does my beat-up denim UK fit in this?

[CDNSushi]

I can definitely relate to both authors. I grew up in a ****storm of bullying because my parents, being old central-Europeans, didn't believe that junior high school should be a fashion runway and that kids were supposed to be there to LEARN and not to compare what clothes they were wearing.

As a result, I didn't even own a pair of jeans until 7th grade, and when I finally did, it wasn't any of the cool brands that the other kids wore... So the bullying subsided somewhat, but I was still the object of scorn for not following the pack. When I told this to my parents, it all fell on deaf ears as they reminded me that they did not both go to work just to pay hundreds of dollars just to win my classmates' approval.

By the time I got to high school, I was pretty much wearing what everyone else was wearing.. Jeans, T-shirts, sneakers... All the "right" brands... Didn't help my popularity much but at least I stopped being made fun of and was able to fade into the background. (That's why I still have some POSITIVE recollections of high school -- my senior year was pretty good, all things considered).

Come university, not much changed -- not for the first few years, anyway. It was merely an extension of high school. Only by about the 3rd and 4th year I started to realize how much bigger the world was and that other countries and cultures could actually enrich life immeasurably. When I first started wearing a Burmese-style sarong on campus, I finally got to realize how narrow our Western perspective on fashion had really become.

Nowadays, my closet is still filled with many T-shirts, although I'm working on that. But as far as below the waist goes, I have only 2 pairs of jeans -- one blue and one black, a variety of slacks, several pairs of dress pants for work, two Sri Lankan sarongs, 3 or 4 Japanese ethnic informal outfits (that I wear around the house regularly), one custom-tailored yukata (cotton kimono) that's a lot more formal, and of course, 5 kilts. (FWIW, I even have two pairs of black leather pants that I enjoy wearing)... ;-)

If I never saw another pair of jeans in my life, I can't say I'd be at all upset. Years ago, had you told me that I'd be saying this now, I would have called you crazy. We all change and evolve, and for some, the moment of enlightenment in denim is a harder step to reach than others.

[Rob Wright]

Before I went back to school I had only one pair of denim jeans and eight kilts. Now I have two pairs of jeans for work, black, uniform requirement along with tie, but as manager I can wear red or blue button up shirts in addition to white, and I own seven pairs of cotton/linen blend dress trousers to wear when I am in the schools, I find them to be far more comfortable than the khaki trousers or other dress style trousers.

One of my kilts is a Pittsburgh kilt in black denim that I wore to cook in, that kilt took more abuse than a pair of jeans ever could and held up fine.

Rob

[Howard Clark]

I wore jeans and uniform pants to work for years, because they were practical for working as a mechanic. I have been a bladesmith for twenty years now, and wish I had discovered kilts sooner. They are practical work garments for what I do, and immeasurably more comfortable than jeans. I don't really care what folks look like. My appearance is frequently engineered to be misleading, or to challenge assumptions. But I hardly ever wear jeans now unless I know I am going to have to get very dirty, or run a chainsaw, or a few other particular activities where a kilt is simply impractical for the work.

But going out to look nice, it is a tartan kilt every time.

[Larry124]

So where does my beat-up denim UK fit in this?

IMHO you’re good.

The folks that I befriend and associate with will for the long run and most importantly judge me by my character and personality and behavior.

Will people initially partially pre-judge me by my attire?
Yeah, that’s an unavoidable factor to take under consideration for a given occasion or for a given venue; as much or as little as I choose.

[kilty]

I love my kilt but I also love my denim jeans. When not kilted, I'm in my jeans. Grew up with them and still love them. Comfortable and practical.

That's why they have endured more than 100 years practically unchanged.

I'd rather fight than switch.

[ali8780]

I love XMTS for providing a place where we can intelligently debate clothing.

Unfortunately, cultural revolutions and fashion go hand in hand. We've spent the last few decades making our world faster and more convenient and comfortable, and rebelling against the confining traditions of our predecessors-- it only follows that our clothing would reflect that.

What's really sad is when you attend a Ballet in your nicest dress only to sit next to a man in a pair of jeans.

[Bugbear]

I love XMTS for providing a place where we can intelligently debate clothing.

Unfortunately, cultural revolutions and fashion go hand in hand. We've spent the last few decades making our world faster and more convenient and comfortable, and rebelling against the confining traditions of our predecessors-- it only follows that our clothing would reflect that.

What's really sad is when you attend a Ballet in your nicest dress only to sit next to a man in a pair of jeans.

Or when someone shows up in a tuxedo to help turn the compost heep...