Blue, Skinny, Boyfriend, Flare, Ripped... -Theres a Pair of Jeans for Everyone

Before I left for France I spent weeks and weeks doing research online to try and figure out the best items of my closet to pack in order to blend in as much as I can here in Paris rather than look like a total baseball cap wearing American. No I don't wear baseball caps or fanny packs on a regular basis in the states but I was still worried that there would be something about me that would stick me out from the crowd of Parisians and I wanted to try an avoid that as much as possible.

Serena from the TV show Gossip Girl was often seen wearing jeans despite her high New York socialite status. 

I often look to her character for fashion ideas.

So through my research I read blog post after blog post telling me that Parisians don't wear jeans and that I should limit my packing of them to 1 or 2. For a blue jean loving californian that I am, trying to avoid bringing what I wanted (6 paris of jeans) was probably the hardest part of my packing process. I narrowed my my pile down to 3 pairs (2 blue and one black) and called it quits. I don't think I would have been able to narrow it down any further.

When I got on my flight ( in which I wore leggings because just in case no one was wearing jeans in Paris I wanted to be ready) I instantly noticed that at least 50% of the French passengers were wearing some type of jeans. I thought to myself, maybe they are just wearing them to be comfortable for the 11 hour flight they have ahead of them but no that wasn't the case. After I landed and had spent my first week in paris I noticed just how many Parisians wear jeans, and the number is a lot.
Everywhere you look there is someone young or old wearing the classic so called "American" pant style that the many packing and fashion blogs I looked into before me trip told me I would not see. But I did see them and I have worn them probably 3-4 times every week. I even purchased 2 more pairs here in paris so I would have some more variety, because when it comes to jeans, even the simplest of pairs need to have some variety.

The original Levi "blue jean" was invented in 1873 by Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss. The two were able to turn denim, thread and a little bit of metal into the post popular clothing product in the world. Levi Strauss had moved to the gold rush era San Francisco to open a dry goods business in 1853 where he sold clothes, boots and other goods to the small retail stores of the American West. He teamed up with Jacob Davis a tailor from Reno, Nevada to create and patent work wear riveted-for-strength made of brown cotton duck and true blue denim. On May 20, 1873 the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted a patent to Levi Strauss & Co. and Jacob Davis for their invention. This is how the blue jean, called the "XX" at the time, was born. In 1890 the original XX blue jean was given its iconic lot number 501, which was later trademarked as a style.

Today I think it is safe to say that everyone in France and the United States no matter where they spend their time or the culture they belong to have at lease one pair of jeans in their closets. Jeans come in all sorts of fits nowadays including skinny, tapered, slim, straight, bootcut, high waist, low-rise, flare, boyfriend, crop, as well as now in any color and pattern you can think of. In magazines there are even full spreads now telling women and men how to find the right pair of jeans for their body. Although the blue jean is mostly identified with American culture, as much as the french don't want to admit it, they wear blue jeans almost as much as us americans do.

Both here and in the U.S. I have observed that denim jeans can either be dressed down or dressed up completely which is very comparable to that of the little black dress in which one can do the same thing. I did some research of french designers and their ad campaigns and was able to find many French higher end brands displaying a model wearing a type of jeans. 

 

Jeans are some of the most intimate yet most relaxed item of clothing one can wear because of how they fit the body. Our jeans reflect us as well as, because of the fading nature of the material, reflect the lives we've had in them. Jeans carry a symbol of youth and casualness but also class, which is a combination not really found often in a single item. One can buy a pair of jeans at the Gap or pay the amount comparable to buying a pedigree dog if they so wish. That is what makes jeans so great, they are accessible and acceptable to be worn on everyone. 

To me my jeans are my comfort and my part of America that will ware with me as I travel throughout europe. They will be able to tell a story through their coloring about the good, the bad, the simple and the tough times with a look just as I will be able to say those things out loud. I am grateful that here in France the Parisians wear jeans just as much as I do at home because without my jeans life would not be nearly as comfortable.

As Diana Vreeland said, "Blue jeans are the most beautiful things since the gondola." I would have to agree. Thanks for reading!

-Emily