Denim has changed my world...

While reading a copy of the magazine/catalogue that H&M puts out every month, I came across a piece about how fashion has changed and evolved over the last 10 years. One big change they mentioned was the introduction of premium denim, or designer jeans as we call 'em.  I'm not talking Brooke Shields in her Calvin Kleins circa '82, I mean brand name jeans like Rock & Republic and Seven for All Mankind.

Yeah they're wildly over priced, but I really do adore them! There was a time (1999-2000) when my friends and I wouldn't dream of going out (to a club) without wearing black pants, a black skirt or a black dress. But wear jeans? Never. What kind of hillbilly, ghetto misfit would wear jeans to the bar? We needed to dress up in our thick chunky heels, open back shirts and leather pleather pants. Hot. 

 And then around 2003 along comes designer jeans. Jeans that make your butt and legs look good, jeans that have a ridiculously long inseam, (what, you're not all 5'10"?) and a painfully low rise (6 inches should cover it, right?)  

Premium denim is in it's own world. The fit can be totally unforgiving. (You're bigger than size 32? No need to apply. Next.) So put those Mini-Eggs down, in fact just spit them out!

I find that Joe's Jeans and True Religion are 'generous' in their sizing. Seven and Paige Denim fit sorta middle of the road, and Citizens of Humanity and Rock & Republic fit insanely small. ( Of course fit varies according to the cut of the jeans, and your individual body shape/size. 

So now when my friends and I go to the bar (as much as that ever happens), skinny jeans and heels are the uniform du jour. The thought of wearing black 'dress pants' -as we called them, makes me cringe. Gah! Hideous! 

I suppose jeans are more a part of my everyday wardrobe then they were 10 years ago. Sure I had my GAP jeans, but the wash probably wasn't dark,  there wasn't a decent bootcut, and the waist was probably up to my belly button (maybe that actually wasn't a bad thing...)

{source Google Images}

I wear jeans everyday, in fact my fave pair right now is a black pair of skinny's from Zeller's of all places (it's kinda like Target) AND they were only $19.99.  If all my jeans were premium denim, and cost over $200/pair I think Husband would have a heart attack. But then again he's rockin' his True Religion/Armani/Dolce and Gabbana jeans and he's way more of a brand name jean-hoe than I'll ever be. For realsies, that man can shop, you've gotta see his closet to believe it.  But that's another post for another time...