Denim is Inappropriate for the Golden Era

FedoraFan112390 · Sep 5, 2015

Do you think Denim (in the form of a pair of jeans, or a denim jacket) have any place in Golden Era revivalism? I've always associated jeans with the 1950s and the Baby Boomer generation, and jean jackets with the 1970s and Rock N' Roll. I've always felt Jeans - at least the widespread wearing of them- was a symbol of the Golden Era's ending.

But I'm curious about your opinions?

handymike · Sep 5, 2015

There are definitely many great pictures of Denim being worn in the 20s and 30s

cordwangler · Sep 5, 2015

FedoraFan112390 said:
Do you think Denim (in the form of a pair of jeans, or a denim jacket) have any place in Golden Era revivalism?

Without question. See this great FL thread from a few years back: Bib overalls and suit jackets

tonypaj · Sep 5, 2015

It depends on what you want. You can have a denim look based on the 20s-30s. Then you can have a non-denim look based on the 20s-30s. Just as today you can have the repro workwear or at the other end the bespoke. The only difference that I see is that back then you would have been judged by the clothes you wear. Today not so much.

handymike · Sep 5, 2015

Yep, denim was more "utilitarian" in those days. In the 50s it seemed to become more of a fashion thing with the younger crowd. Probably because it was durable and cheap. That's why my mom put me in Toughskins

tropicalbob · Sep 5, 2015

I've always thought it was first worn by French sailors during the 19th century and then produced by Levi's in SF during the Gold Rush. With the invention of the "teenager" around 1954 (because of the baby-boomer market), it was adopted by them because it was considered by their parents work-wear and therefore inappropriate for social occasions. It was still seen as a sign of rebellion in the mid-'60's and couldn't be worn to school.

tropicalbob · Sep 5, 2015

I recall buying a pair of Levi's around 1965 or so for $4.00 at a work-wear store in Baltimore. I also seem to recall that they had the double-seam running down the outside of the leg as well as the inside and that they were of heavyweight denim. I could be wrong about the seam, but I remember in the early '70's thinking they had lost that seam, the denim had gotten much thinner, and they looked like they were more shoddily made. Then, around the mid-'70's, the whole horrible "fashion" jeans thing started with Jordache, and people started ironing their jeans.

Shangas · Sep 5, 2015

Considering that Levi Strauss has been around since 1850-whatever, I don't see how jeans or denim would be considered 'inappropriate' for the Golden Era...

1961MJS · Sep 6, 2015

Hi

dad said he got two pair of overalls every year for school. most of the pictures showed him in them. High School grad 1937.

Later

Stearmen · Sep 6, 2015

The whole Levi Strauss Gold rush story is bunk! According to the company's history, the first pair of blue jeans was made in 1873. http://www.levistrauss.com/our-story/

MisterCairo · Sep 6, 2015

You can't say it didn't exist in the golden era, as even the 1873 introduction of its mass use by Levi's demonstrates. But it was until at least the 1950s or so a utilitarian fabric, worn in work settings vice everyday wear. In the same way that running shoes were once worn exclusively for... running. Or yoga pants were worn for yoga. And so on, and so on.

Golden era denim work wear - absoutely.

Nyah · Sep 6, 2015

FedoraFan112390 said:
Do you think Denim (in the form of a pair of jeans, or a denim jacket) have any place in Golden Era revivalism? I've always associated jeans with the 1950s and the Baby Boomer generation, and jean jackets with the 1970s and Rock N' Roll. I've always felt Jeans - at least the widespread wearing of them- was a symbol of the Golden Era's ending.

But I'm curious about your opinions?

From what I know, big demand for denim (which is what drove mass marketing of it) started in the '50s. So I would say, no, not appropriate for what is known as Golden Era revivalism. If anyone sees it in big budget, period media productions, post about it here.

Blackadder · Sep 6, 2015

Stearmen said:
The whole Levi Strauss Gold rush story is bunk! According to the company's history, the first pair of blue jeans was made in 1873. http://www.levistrauss.com/our-story/

According to some, the Levi's 1873 first pair of "jeans" was not blue but made with duck canvas fabrics. They patented the rivet construction etc but did not use denim at first.

http://www.mintvintage.co.uk/blog/denim-story

I think the oldest pair of blue jeans from Levi's is the 1880 "Nevada" jeans.
http://levistrauss.com/unzipped-blog/2015/05/new-nevada-jeans-acquisition/

As for denim being a 50s thing. The Navy issued denim work pants during WWII. Here is a catalogue of women workwear from the 40s. Was that mainstream fashion in the 40s? I don't know but it is in a nice catalogue spread.
http://www.vintagedancer.com/1940s/1940s-ladies-workwear-clothes/

According to the True Fit site, "Before the 1950s, jeans were devalued, banned in some context and mocked in the fine salons."
http://truefitdenim.com/gallery/

nightandthecity · Sep 7, 2015

not just "before the 1950s"...throughout the 1950s and 60s jeans were looked upon as low class and associated with rebelliousness and juvenile delinquency. Plenty of cafes and pubs here in the UK wouldn't let you in wearing jeans (or leather jackets) well into the 1970s. Which is exactly why we all wanted to wear them.

V.C. Brunswick · Sep 7, 2015

This 1916 recording by Al Jolson probably contains one of the earliest references to jeans in a song.

[video=youtube;2nSvp8ZvuVg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nSvp8ZvuVg[/video]

tonypaj · Sep 7, 2015

Nyah said:
From what I know, big demand for denim (which is what drove mass marketing of it) started in the '50s. So I would say, no, not appropriate for what is known as Golden Era revivalism. If anyone sees it in big budget, period media productions, post about it here.

Check out The Grapes of Wrath, made 1940. Plenty of denim worn by people for whom the era was not so golden.

Edward · Sep 7, 2015

It was certainly widely worn, it just wasn't 'fashion wear'. You wouldn't be so likely to have white-collar office workers in expensive workwear, nor would you have folks who did labour in workwear donning jeans to go out to the dance on a Saturday night and such. These days, though, it gets to splitting hairs. It's not 1940, so if somebody wants to do the vintage workwear look when they're not a manual labourer, it seems no more or less appropriate to me than somebody else who wants to wear a suit to go to the supermarket, or me running about in an Irvin in the Winter when I've never even sat in the cockpit of a plane.

LizzieMaine · Sep 8, 2015

Denim dungarees were very widely worn by teenage girls in the mid-forties, rolled to about mid-calf, with bobby socks and either saddle shoes or penny loafers. A baggy, untucked men's dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up usually completed the ensemble.

My mother was a confirmed jeans-wearer from a very early age. Her father didn't own any white dress shirts, though, so she had to make do with a blouse.

Nyah · Sep 8, 2015

tonypaj said:
Check out The Grapes of Wrath, made 1940. Plenty of denim worn by people for whom the era was not so golden.

Is that just bib-overalls or, do you actually see jeans on someone in that film? The context of my post was the jeans that the OP asked about.

tonypaj · Sep 9, 2015

Nyah said:
Is that just bib-overalls or, do you actually see jeans on someone in that film? The context of my post was the jeans that the OP asked about.

There are jeans alright, just google some pictures...

https://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/...4_20143113.php#tab=filmStills&item=20143113_3

Denim is Inappropriate for the Golden Era

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