blue jeans - the american way of life

Blue jeans are the archetypical garment of the twentieth century. They are traditionally ankle - length, slim - fitting trousers made of blue denim.

The term "jeans" comes from the word "Genes", the French word for Genoa, Italy, where sailors were known to wear sturdy pants of fustian, a sturdy twill of cotton, linen or wool blend.

By the sixteenth century, the fabric was referred to as "Jene Fustyan". By the eighteen century, jean fabric was made entirely of cotton and was being used to make work clothes.

Jean was available in many colors, but often dyed with indigo.
Pants made from jean were often referred to as "jean pants", the origin of the contemporary jeans.

Jeans, however, are made of denim. Denim is also a sturdy cotton twill, similar to jean, but even stronger.

The first true "jeans" were created in 1873 by Jacob Davis, a Nevada tailor, who went in with Levi Strauss, a San Francisco merchant, for the patent. The Levi's "501", which originated in 1890, is considered by many to be archetypical pair of blue jeans.

Throughout the world denim has become a symbol of the young, active, informal, American way of life.

After almost 150 years, the blue jeans seem to never go unfashionable. They are present in everyone’s wardrobe and they are the most popular clothing product in the world.

This year the slim jeans are on track again along with extra large jeans.

But on top of the wave there are the trumpet jeans. This shape combines the retro glamor of the 1970's with the comfort given by the large cut.