If there's one thing this generation knows how to do, it's look back at the past and pilfer the best things from years gone by. Retro will always be hip, people.
Be it flat caps, brogues, blazers and pockets squares we're pretty good at taking things we like from the past and updating them. While a lot of these things faded away before rising like some sort of a fashion phoenix, there's one style that never left - denim jeans.
Having said that, there have been some changes over the years, so we thought we'd team up with the Denim Doctors over at Arnotts to look back through the last few decades and see what was cool and why, when it came to denim jeans.
The 50's
The 50's were all about James Dean. Sure, they had Marlon Brando, and their style wasn't all too dissimilar, but as far as cultural icons go, Dean summed up the 50's. Effortlessly cool with a minimalist style that oozed masculinity, and he didn't feel the need to carry around 28 inch biceps to prove it. Straight cut, thick denim jeans, throw in a hem if you must, but put a pair of leather boots on underneath and you're done. Has that ever gone out of fashion?
The 60's
The less said about this era of denim the better. While the music and film of this generation are historic for all the right reasons, the same can't be said for the choice of jeans. Two words, bell bottoms. Blame the hippie movement all you want, blame The Beatles if you must, but at the end of the day large portions of the public decided to wear these monstrosities and they'll have to shoulder the responsibility themselves. We've no idea what they were thinking.
The 70's
Jeans got skinnier, which isn't necessarily always a good thing, but in this case, considering the troubles of the 60's, it definitely was. Just as The Ramones changed the sound of what people were listening to, they also changed the style of what people were wearing. Forget about being preened, it was all about light blue, rugged denim jeans, and a leather jacket. Throw on any old t-shirt and you're good to go, they had the right idea.
The 80's
This decade, despite being known for glam rock, back-combed hair, and leather pants, was actually a return to the classic look for a majority of the public. The tint of jeans may have got a little whiter, and of course the 80's hipsters would have even tried a whitewash look, but most people looked for good quality and a decent fit. Awful boring altogether, but thankfully that didn't last long.
The 90's
If the 80's were surprisingly boring, the 90's began the age of ridiculousness. Jeans weren't just baggy, they were parachutes, and they also came in the form of the rediscovered dungaree look. What a time to be alive... then forget/deny that you ever partook in such a style.
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The 00's
To be honest the 00's didn't get much better. Skaters continued to be a thing, while emo culture took hold, and large portions of this generation's youth continued to wear their bottoms baggy. Luckily, towards the end of the decade people saw some sense and began to wear tailored jeans again, cutting off the excess baggage allowing others to see that you had legs underneath those bedsheets. Which brings us to today.
The 10's
Too much of a good thing quickly leads to a problem. When there's no line drawn in the sand, supposed trendsetters can often find themselves overstepping the mark, which has led to the circulatory deprivation crotch stranglers we see people forcing themselves into nowadays. There's hundreds of different colours, there's an endless amount of cuts and fits, there's extra pockets, there's no pockets, there's male jeggings, there's even elasticated ends and waistbands.
It's gone a bit too far so we've made a handy guide with the help of the Denim Doctors full of all the tips and tricks you need to keep in mind when choosing a pair of jeans for yourself. Have a read if you think you're in need, and if you're one of the lucky people who think they don't need to, then you almost certainly do need to give it a quick once over.
And if you think your jeans have seen better days then make a trip to The Denim Doctor in Arnotts from the 15th-25th October, where you can find the perfect pair and get 20% off your second pair. Keep an eye out for the events happening over the course of the two weeks, they'll include chances to win great prizes, tailoring stations to customise your jeans, and DJ's on the 22nd, and 24th.
We're also running a competition to celebrate the launch of Denim Doctors in Arnotts, and we have a full year’s supply of jeans to give away! So if you fancy picking yourself up a heap of free jeans (yes, that's the collective term for jeans, in case you didn't know) enter our competition by heading over to here.
