What is a clothing fabric that is known throughout the world, and when the word is spoken, you can picture the sturdy material immediately in your mind? Denim!
Many people equate denim with blue jeans, and this is an extremely valued piece of clothing. However, denim also exists in shirts, jackets, shorts, skirts, dresses, handbags/purses, overalls, hats and even shoes! Denim is a divinely delicious garment of clothing that speaks to the masses and is revered by many! Pop culture adores their denim!
Denim is a rugged cotton twill textile, in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads. This twill weaving produces the familiar diagonal ribbing of the fabric, which distinguishes denim from cotton duck.
It is characteristic of any indigo denim that only the warp threads are dyed, whereas the white weft threads remain plain white. As a result of this warp-faced twill weaving, one side of the fabric shows the blue warp threads, and the other side shows the white weft threads. This is what makes denim’s fading characteristics unique compared to every other fabric!
Denim has been used in America since the late 18th century. The word comes from the name of a sturdy fabric called serge, originally made in Nimes, France, by the Andre family. At first called Serge de Nimes, the name was soon shortened to denim.
Denim was traditionally colored blue with indigo dye to make blue jeans. The use of jeans comes from the French word for Geneo, Italy (Genes), where the first denim trousers were made. In addition to blue jean pants, it has become fashionable to wear ripped, torn jeans, or to cut your long legged jeans into shorts. Daisy Duke shorts, which are made of denim and are extremely short, are a coveted pair of denim short shorts!
For a different look than hemmed denim shorts, it is fashionable and acceptable to leave fringe dangling from the ends of the short cut-offs, or to bedazzle the denim shorts with jewels, rhinestones, colorful patches of material, etc. You are free to design your own pair of denim shorts to draw out your unique, creative personality.
Some various types of denim are dry or raw denim (as opposed to washed denim), where the material is not washed after being dyed during its production. There is also selvedge denim, where the material forms a clean natural edge that doesn’t unravel.
One look with denim that I find exceptionally attractive is when you wear denim blue jeans (either straight legged or flared) and then you dress the pants up with high heeled, fancy shoes and a feminine blouse or top. I love straight legged blue jeans worn with an angora sweater, and then a long strand of white pearls worn around the neck, hanging down over the front of the sweater. And, on the feet, high heels of course! This is one classy look!
A major denim trend is fading the denim before the clothing item is worn. Fading patterns are another way of personalizing the garment for each individual wearer.
Categories of Fading Are:
1. Whiskers – Faded streaks that surround the crotch of the denim.
2. Combs (Honey Combs) – Streaks of faded lines that are found behind the knee.
3. Stacks – The inseam of the denim is hemmed a few inches longer than the actual length. The extra fabric stacks on top of the shoe, causing a fade to form around the ankle to calf area of the denim.
4. Train Tracks – This fade pattern appears on the outseams of the denim and showcases the selvedge by forming two sets of fades that resemble train tracks.
Another popular variance of denim is stretch denim. This denim is many times used to make skinny jeans, as the material has an elastic component that allows the fabric to cling, and then stretch and give as you move. The pants fit snuggly and tightly, yet are easy to move in and are not heavy, cumbersome or binding. Another great look with denim jeans is to wear a jacket or blazer along with an ankle boot, or knee high boots with the pant legs tucked into the boots!
Divas wear denim! All year long!
Summertime denim!
Nancy Mangano is an American beauty/fashion/style influencer, fashion journalist, screenwriter and author of the Natalie North murder mystery book series. Visit Nancy on her global online fashion/style/beauty magazine Strutting in Style! at https://nancymariemangano.com, her Facebook page Nancy Mangano at https://www.facebook.com/nancymmangano/ Twitter @https://twitter.com/nancymangano and her author website http://www.nancymangano.com
