My First Jeans

Last updated on December 13, 2015

To say my parents were not dedicated followers of fashion would be an understatement. They were busy looking old before their time and adopted the same attitude to my clothing most of which went out with the ark. In those days kids were not fashion aware until much later than they are today and so the hideous nature of my wardrobe did not register with me until I became a teenager.

Gaining Control

Struck by the realisation that I was 13 going on 40 I attempted to wrestle control of my clothing away from my parents by asking if I could have a budget and choose the pieces myself. They were busy people and the opportunity to offload another shopping chore was accepted. Now it was down to me to dress myself but where to start? I didn’t even own a pair of jeans!

The Flappers

To be fair the lack of jeans was as much a result of the prevailing trends as my mother’s outdated tastes. This was the 1970’s when flares were all the rage and I really didn’t like them. I was all too used to seeing fashion victims dragging themselves along the street with flares flapping around everywhere and when it rained the surface water would quickly migrate up the legs to as far as the knees.

The Revolution

Happily the Punk movement had hit town and brought with it a change of look. Not that I was ever going to get away with bondage and tartan mini skirts. We didn’t do rebellion in my house! What did arrive with Punk, though, were straighter and tighter jeans and so I paid my first visit to a jeans shop to find myself a suitable pair.

Straight Talking

It was a nerve wracking experience for a 13 year old. The staff looked like they had beamed down from another planet and those were the days of communal changing rooms. I felt self-conscious and awkward but summoned the courage to try several styles before emerging triumphant with a pair of Lee Cooper drainpipes – skinny jeans in today’s lingo.

Stiffies

Having not worn jeans before, the experience came as bit of a shock. In those days the denim was not as heavily treated as it is today and elastane had yet to be invented and so my jeans were as stiff as a board. Tumble dryers were a rare commodity too and so our washing was dried on the line making the jeans even stiffer. Getting into them was an act of contortion and they shrunk considerably in the first wash making them instruments of torture for the first few hours of wear.

Happiness

Despite the practical difficulties I was delighted with my purchase and returned to the same shop to treat myself to another pair. These were also about as soft as two planks of wood and required elaborate gymnastics to get them on but hey! I had started life with denim and there was no looking back.

These days life is much easier. Skinny jeans come with stretch and denim is pre- treated to avoid shrinkage in the wash. I can’t help thinking that some of the joy of jeans has been lost in all the convenience. Jeans used to be like meeting new friends. You had to get to know them and their quirky ways and find a way to deal with them. Now it is too easy which might explain why the market is so willing to accept such regular changes in fashion. You don’t have to work at your jeans any more. It’s like buying a ready meal instead of cooking from scratch and the romance has gone!

 

Sally Stacey is a keen writer who loves her jeans which thankfully are a little more forgiving than they used to be.