Denim: From Cowboys To Catwalks, A Visual History Of The World's Most Legendary Fabric takes you "behind the seams" of blue jeans. Few of us may know that the first pair of Levi's was made from brown cotton duck. As with any successful product, there must be a demand. From the early America times of American history, the industrial revolution did not just produce trains, planes and automobiles. With the number of people rushing out west to the promise of gold, a certain type of garment was needed to sustain the workforce. Denim seemed to be the ideal fabric construction able to remain resilient to the wear and tear of certain labor activities.
This book also takes a definitive look at denim culture as worn by style icons and everyday people. As the title indicates, the book covers how Levi's supplied to the military the popular bell-bottoms worn by sailors. Lee provided overalls with their very own "Union-Alls" whose name reflected the fact that Lee's employees belonged to the United Garment Workers of America. Icons include the myth of the American cowboy, Elvis Presley, and Andy Warhol. Jean silhouettes can be traced back to the youth quakers in the peace loving hippie era to the youth in the millennium age with hip-hop gangster appeal. Perhaps because jeans represent the uniform of the rebel without a cause, modern work place dress codes prohibit wearing denim during the week (ironic, when thinking of the force that demanded them in the first place).
Aside from the names synonymous with denim of yesterday, Denim: From Cowboys To Catwalks, A Visual History Of The World's Most Legendary Fabric makes reference to Diesel, Evisu, Earl and even Juicy Couture. These are jeans generation x, y, and z rock, denim made from these brands whose advertising and marketing still compete to the many manufacturers putting out more denim everyday. Why reinvent the wheel? Why not? Even as today's society steps into the future with new technologies and new fabrics, denim remains the champion for casual dress.
Reviewed by Library staff member - Glenda Ronduen |
