Weekend Review: Denim: From Cowboys to Catwalks

 

Denim: From Cowboys to Catwalks / Graham Marsh, Paul Trynka & June Marsh
London: Aurum Press, c2002.
128 p.

This visual history lives up to that claim; it's oversized and full of photos, both modern and historical. Lots of info in the photo captions as well as a relatively condensed but interesting text. The only thing that wasn't clear at the outset was that this was a history of denim (primarily jeans) in the US only. It is  a history of denim in the US, with only a few mentions of styles across the pond here and there. 

However, as such it is detailed and comprehensive about the many ways that denim shaped fashion culture in the States, from Levi's rise in California while Lee was bigger elsewhere in the nation, to the use of denim by cowboys, miners, as work outfits of all kinds (even factory coveralls), to the rise of denim as a fashion fabric from Claire McCardell onward. It discusses the many brands that popped up besides the two biggies, and the denim mills that were heavily used, particularly Cone Denim, around since 1891.

In the fashion/catwalk sections, there is discussion of British and European designers who incorporated denim into their new lines. But most of the book does focus solely on the US and the adaptations and changes in the use of denim by American citizens, who took jeans and denim jackets etc. and made them their own, whether as workwear, sportswear, hippie bellbottoms, punk ripped jeans, or sexy designer jeans. As the author said, denim is the only style that was both culture and counterculture at the same time. 

I enjoyed this; from historical pictures to vintage advertisements, to fashion images, the illustrations make the book. There is a wide range, and I appreciated the inclusion of McCardell and some of her denim suits and fancy outfits, as well as the famed Pop-Over dress, in the midst of a very male oriented fashion history. I learned the differences between jean jacket designs - Levi's vs. Lee - and enjoyed examining some details of the sewing and design of various pieces over the years. 

It's a pretty short read in the end, but it somehow covers a lot! Really interesting, I enjoyed this examination of how denim and casual jeans culture shaped a lot of communal identity and fashion directions over the 20th century.  Visually appealing and full of tidbits to keep you reading.