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It is all in the `JEANS'
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Chic, casual, comfortable, fashionable and more, jeans are a popular fashion statement, but not quite for the women of the State yet, finds VIJAY GEORGE.
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IT GIVES weak hearted souls the much-coveted `tough' look. And as fashion designer, Lakshmi Mohan believes, it could be the sartorial equaliser for womenfolk- "Equal to Men". Hmm... is it? Cool, comfortable and stylish to the hilt. And rated `chic' in Kochi, Kolkata or even in Copenhagen alike. If you are trying to figure out what we are talking about, it is... well, you guessed it right - Jeans.
Jeans, the trousers made of strong, heavy, twill cotton cloth, has always had a special aura. With the convenience of making it `personalised', which obviously means that it can be adjusted according to your taste and choice, one can make a statement without saying a word. "To me, fashion is comfort. And without doubt, denim is really comfortable to wear," smiles Prithviraj, regarded by many as the best thing to have happened to Malayalam cinema in recent times. The hero, who prefers his mom to shop for him, thinks that jeans are really helpful when you need to travel constantly.
His heroine in Vinayan's `Vellinakshatram', Meenakshi, who believes in "creating her own style," gushes, "denim is accepted as trendy across the globe. It is casual and yet sophisticated." The model turned TV anchor, a topper in Mathematics from a Chennai college, before opting for a career in films, states that she never travels without at least a pair of jeans in her suitcase.
"The main advantage of wearing a pair of jeans is that you don't even have to iron it in the morning. It looks good even if it's dusty, better if it's faded and best if it's torn," grins Binish George, an engineering student in TKM, Kollam. His friends are quick to add that with jeans, you need not wash it often.
Linus Rodrigues of Centurion Fashions, the exclusive denim store for `Lee' brand in Kochi, says that people are more aware about jeans now, with exposure to international brands. Still women here are not so comfortable wearing them.
"We get quality denim here, which can be compared to the ones sold anywhere else. They are much cheaper too," says Harris Ismail, a software engineer with TCS, who has been to several countries as part of his job.
"Denim is always fashionable. With options such as denim tops, bags and even hats, it's always considered `hot'. And for many, it seems to last almost eternally. What more can you ask for?" says Ms. Mohan
"In my kind of job, jeans is a great relief," says ace fashion photographer K. Anilkumar. "You cannot be much bothered about your attire during the pursuit of the right frame," he adds.
"It is quite normal for women to wear jeans elsewhere," says Lakshmi, "but here they get the tag of being fashionable. The women should use this to their advantage," believes the designer
"Yet, fashion in Kerala is limited to churidar for the girls," says Anil Kumar
With more brands in denim to choose from, Keralites have gone in favour of jeans in a big way, but not in the manner that most have, elsewhere, insist the sceptics. Women are treated as being "daring," in jeans and though the mindset is changing , the pace is rather slow, feel some. And as they say, "It's all in your genes."
Classic denim
JEANS ARE made out of denim. The word `denim' came from `Serge de Nimes', which in French means `cloth from Nimes'. Since the French called the Italian sailors from Genoa, `Genes,' as they were clad in cotton trousers, the name stuck on to their pants too.
Levi Strauss, who opened a dry goods shop in Northern California during the `gold rush' in the mid 1850's, was told that what they really need are strong pants that won't rip. He stitched the strong canvas cloth, which was originally meant to make tents and wagon covers into pants.
Levi's pants have remained a rage since, of course with variations that were made later on, in the course of years.
In the 1870's Jacob Davis, a Russian immigrant tailor repaired a miner's pockets with metal rivets. It is regarded that Davis suggested Levi Strauss & Co. to add metal rivets to reinforce the seams and pants pockets from tearing away.
And jeans have come a long way since then.
H. D. Lee, a Kansas entrepreneur, came up with his additions to this garment and the brand emerged really popular too.
The singing cowboys, the U.S soldiers in World War II, film stars and the fashion world made denim the chosen wear for virtually everyone.
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