Denim Part II : From Hippies to the end of acid nation.

   
  In a previous post I wrote about the origins of Denim, our beloved type of clothes for any occasion (literally, any, since it is popularized to the max these days with Fashion going multiple directions at the same time).
       Here, I want to swiftly sweep through the denim evolution decades and show how it changed and how fashion trends go in circle.

       Right after Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne and other movie stars and style icons that launched a major denim craze rocket into simple people crowd, there is a place in History of Denim for a rebellious youth , referred to as Hippies. Young people, who was sick and tired of war and violence, social standards and ordinary lifestyle, started their own subculture, embracing the idea of peace, love and natural beauty. Hippie culture went big about natural fabrics, nature-inspired accessories, free love and…jeans! Rebellious youngsters wore their jeans patched, embroidered, painted, tie-dyed. The shapes that were prevailing back then were bell-bottoms and boot-cut. Here is how the cult of Denim started!

       In 70’s hippie culture ( with its flares )was converted into the era of Disco and Anti-disco aka Punk Rock. Fashion started to have an enormous take-on denim. Levis brand was in its limelight for its worldwide jeans supply.  If you are a hip youngster – you ought to own a pair of polished Levis jeans.                
       Flares and bellbottoms had a sublimely staying power  - they effortlessly forayed 70s and gracefully walked around throughout the whole decade. Alongside with bellbottoms, cuts like skinnies (thanks to norms-and-trends rejecting Punks, we still rock the skinny cut and will for another decade at least, hah )  and dungarees started to pop up and cement their statuses through  bringing comfort and style to the whole nation.
       A number of Style Icons also influenced the denim scene. Actresses and models like Jane Birkin, Ali MacGraw and Farrah Fawcett, looking infinitely gorgeous in denim in magazine issues, introduced jeans wearing to sex-appeal. From this spot jeans were brought away from its ordinary being into the world of fashion.

        80s fashion  saw a mass of core breaking changes in style interpretation. We can talk about the fads and oddities of it all day long, but denim is my priority number one at this particular story . Jeans went on a big scene, high fashion scene. Calvin Klein was one of the first brands that started evolving the idea of fashionable denim. It emerged the line of jeans with fresh-faced Brook Shields as a face of the campaign, hotly exclaiming “Nothing goes between me and my Calvin’s”.  She was flaunting this stunning figure of hers , wearing slimming tailored jeans.
      Alongside with fashion brands widespreading designer denim, diy methods were invented that became a must-have for those who wanted to stay in-step. By the mid 80’s stone washed , acid washed denim became popular. This was not a long-living trend but it made a big bang. Jeans were streaked with uneven bleach marks, slashed and ripped-up - methods that added up a few years to the look, brand-new and neat didn’t rally matter at that point.

         Guess occurred to be the first clothing brand using chemical distressing method.  Hard rockers  like Def Leppard and pop stars Like Madonna favored the trend , which caused an increase in demand on screaming jeans styles.
        In 1980s jeans became more close-fitting, with tapered ankles, waist line grew to the natural one for women. The more destroyed the jeans were - the cooler you were. Slashes were going from butt to ankles. But these common crazes didn't last long enough to be that memorable in 90s.