I recently had the opportunity to do a brief writeup for The Jeans Blog on the iconic Levi's 501. If you should feel so inclined, please check it out here. 

Black Jeans

Before I developed an obsession with denim I rarely wore jeans. The few times here and there that I would throw on a pair they, would inevitably be black. I can't quite explain why I had such an aversion to blue denim, but I avoided it like the plague. I thought blue jeans looked great on others, but ultimately felt they would somehow cramp my style or prove to be some dark curse, leading my soul to hellfire and damnation. Lately I've been thinking I have overcompensated. Every pair of jeans I own are a medium or dark wash blue. The last pair of black jeans I had I foolishly gave away to a thrift store, their whereabouts completely unknown. Some days I still pine for my old black Levi's, outdated as they were. I have now made up my mind that it is high time to invest in a new pair of black jeans. If anything they will give me an occasional shot of nostalgia, taking me back to better days.

Here are a couple of links to some I have been checking out. If anyone stumbling across this has any thoughts or some suggestions of other brands to check out, I'm all ears. 

Going with a classic with the Levi's 501s

True Religion

Arizona

Buckle

Black denim is an underappreciated look in my humble opinion. Plenty of people rock the look and do it quite well. 

Lzzy Hale

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The Perfect Pair of Vintage Levi's

I don't know what else is left to say about Levi's other than they absolutely rock, especially vintage 501s! My friend Lorna recently shared a pretty cool post about a pair she recently bought. They are, in my humble opinion, the perfect pair of jeans. The wash, fading, whiskering, etc, are absolutely perfect. These jeans are a work of art that tell a unique story. Please take a moment and check out Lorna's post about them here at The Jeans Blog. You can also check out some great things on Lorna's own blog Raindrops of Sapphire. 

Denim Icons-Terri Clark

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Although country music has never been my favorite genre of music, there are a few country artists that have meant a lot to me throughout the years. One of those musicians is Terri Clark. Her musical style is purely and unapologetically country. It is refreshing to listen to country music that actually sounds like country music. I recently had the opportunity to see her in concert and it was certainly a powerful experience. Ms Clark showcased her powerful, sincere voice, weaving it through her prolific guitar playing, creating a night to remember for this first-time country concert goer.

Country music is well-known for its fashion staples of cowboy hats, boots, and blue jeans. Terri Clark has fully embraced these staples and made them part of her essence. Throughout the years as fashion trends and styles have come and gone, Terri Clark has remained loyal to Wrangler jeans, wearing them proudly and consistently, as she had powered her way into the upper echelons of country.

Terri Clark has a great fashion sense, but much more importantly, she has an immense talent for moving people through her music. She managed to add a little bit of country soul to this hardened rock & roll fan. Long live Terri Clark!

Please take a moment to check out some of her music.

Terri Clark-Better Things To Do

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Live In Levi's

When it comes to jeans Levi's are my first love. When I first became interested in denim many years ago it was almost exclusively because of Levi's. Everything about the all-American brand intrigued me. The history, the popularity, and the various details of the garment drew me in. To this day I love the history, fits, washes, stitching, back patch, and of course the iconic red tab. These are the elements that make Levi's jeans unique. For so many generations Levi's has been the standard when it comes to denim. Although not as prevalent today as in years past, the brand is still up and going, waiving the flag high and proud for denim.

Apart from Levi's, one of my other passions is music. I love when I get the opportunity to combine the two, and Levi's has allowed me to do that. The brand has a project called Live In Levi's which features a number of up-and-coming musicians telling their story about how they "live in Levi's." These musicians incorporate Levi's jeans into their style and life. Two stories in particular stuck out to me as I have followed the Live In Levi's project.

Haim

The story that introduced me to Live In Levi's was that of the band Haim. This group features three sisters from Southern California who create a unique brand of music, fusing melodic rock & roll with a little flavor of 80s pop. All three sisters share a loyalty to the Levi's brand, especially guitarist and lead vocalist Danielle Haim. 501s are her go-to, which makes her one of the coolest rockers out there.

I invite you to take a moment and check out Haim's Live in Levi's story, as well as their music.

Haim-Live In Levi's

Haim-"Forever"

Ryn Weaver

The second Live In Levi's story that caught my attention was the feature on rising artist Ryn Weaver. Like Haim, she has a unique style that doesn't fit neatly into a box. In many ways she reminds me of a 21st century version of the classic singer-songwriters from decades past. She's real and she moves you with the stories she weaves with her music. Ryn Weaver is definitely a force to be reckoned with.

Ryn Weaver-Live In Levi's

Ryn Weaver-"The Fool"

If you checked out the videos for these great artists I hope you enjoyed them!

Ode to the Canadian Tuxedo

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The Canadian Tuxedo. I don't know if there has been a look so disparaged, yet so celebrated when it comes to denim. What is it about denim on denim that makes it so dangerous? Could it be that there is no middle ground when rocking double denim? Either the look works, or it doesn't. Some people such as the mighty Lzzy Hale can pull off the look flawlessly, making it seem cooler than the other side of the pillow. Others make it look as if a denim clad lumberjack from a B horror movie has come back from the 80s to haunt our dreams.

My first experience with the Canadian Tuxedo came as a young lad when I saw Shania Twain's Any Man of Mine music video. To many, the video may be cringeworthy as it epitomizes the pitfalls of 90s denim fashion, but to me it was the quintessential country music video. It was Shania being Shania, unapologetically Country in a decade when it was okay to be Country. Boots and jeans were still king (or queen), and the curse of Scotch tape logo colored leggings was merely a twinkle in Satan's eye. Ah, the good ol' days. 

Since then I've seen the Canadian Tuxedo rear it's beautifully ugly head from time to time. No, it doesn't always work, but that's OK. Anyone willing to wave the flag of denim by doubling up on the blessed fabric deserves a tip of the hat. May we all cast off the judgmental chains of society and embrace our inner Lzzy (or lumberjack). 

Long live the Canadian Tuxedo!

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Denim Icons - Lzzy Hale

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Lzzy Hale. The best singer in rock & roll. One of the rare performers out there who's golden voice is as powerful as it is beautiful. Her music moves me and connects with my soul in a way unrivaled by the work of most other musicians. As Lzzy carves out a place in history as one of rock's most iconic artists, she is also establishing a place as one of today's ultimate denim icons.

Denim has been a staple of the rock & roll world for generations. Artists such as Elvis Presley, Joan Jett, and Bruce Springsteen helped to make jeans an integral part of the rock uniform.  Lzzy Hale stands second to no one when it comes to waving the flag for denim, carrying on the tradition of rocking jeans while rocking the free world.

One of my favorite aspects of Lzzy's style is that she takes the classic denim look and makes it completely her own, creating one of rock's most unique styles. This quality comes through in her music as well. Halestorm calls on the energy of old-school hard rockers and takes that energy to create a wall of noise that is contemporary and unique to them alone.

If you have never heard Lzzy and her band Halestorm, I encourage you to check them out. Their most recent release Into the Wild Life is from top to bottom a brilliant album that showcases the band's versatility and Lzzy's incredible voice. Give them a listen! You can check out the band's YouTube page here.

Note: I do not own the images in this post.

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The Jeans Blog Denim Tales

I recently had the opportunity to do a story for The Jeans Blog Denim Tales feature. If you should feel so inclined, please check it out here on The Jeans Blog.

Here Goes Nothing

     Roughly two years ago as I was killing some time on the internet I came across an article that essentially pronounced the death of jeans. Athleisure was the new up and coming movement in fashion that was going to kill off the denim industry. As ridiculous as it sounds, reading that the floral print legging clad Grim Reaper was coming for denim depressed me more than it should have. Moping around worrying that blue jeans would go the way of Members Only jackets and Blockbuster Video, I felt determined to do something, anything, to help keep the denim flag flying.
     Fortunately I have mostly recovered from my blue jean blues, and I have realized that as an anonymous small town guy from Idaho there really isn't much I can do to stop the powerful invasion of the rising athleisure giant. I can only hope and pray this movement suffers the same fate of the long defunct Spandex craze of the 80s. In the meantime, I've decided to start this blog as a small, humble effort to tip my hat to blue jeans. As long as I can remember I have loved denim and it's unique, rich history. Jeans have been and will hopefully continue to be a vital part of Americana. They have also been a vital part of fashion culture worldwide, which is very encouraging to see. Denim isn't dead yet, and I am hopeful that it will live on well into the future.
     That brings me to this point. I am kicking off this blog, not knowing exactly what it will become or how it will be shaped. It is dedicated to denim, and that is my jumping off point. Will this blog develop into a viable tool for promoting and celebrating denim, or will it suffer a horrific fate at the hands of the jogger pants monster I'm certain is hiding under my bed? I guess I will find out, and I hope any kind soul reading this will join me. Here goes nothing!