Celebrate!

Do you have that favorite pair of blue jeans? When I find a pair that fits, I buy multiple pairs so I always have them to wear. I prefer dark denim, no flashy embellishments, perhaps a bit of a flared boot cut. If you’re in to the celebrating of random holidays, then today is the day we celebrate the invention of blue jeans.

Levi Strauss is credited with inventing blue jeans in 1873. He and Jacob Davis were business partners, but you’ve probably never heard of Jacob. Jacob was the tailor and Levi provided the denim. Incidentally, Jacob Davis holds the patent for the little rivets on the pockets of your jeans.

The intention there is to ease the strain on the trousers. And also incidentally, they were called denim trousers or “waist overalls” until the 1960s, when they were first called jeans.

The trousers were originally designed for miners and cowboys, whose jobs were too hard on regular cotton or woolen pants. Denim is much more durable. Jeans became more mainstream in the 1950s, especially among greasers. Remember Danny Zuko and friends, blue jeans rolled up and cigarette pack rolled up in the T-shirt sleeve? We continued to wear them through the 70s and 80s but only casually. Now, though, jeans can even be considered dressy casual. You won’t likely wear them to a wedding, but pretty much anywhere else is OK.

Here’s my pitch to help the economy: Celebrate today by buying a new pair of denim waist overalls!