JEAN GENIUS

VIVA LA REVOLUCIONE!

The jeans revolution, that is. Yeah yeah, I know it's been going on for aaaaages, but still. It's quite extraordinary the lengths (lengths!) people (like, ahem, me) will go to find a good pair of jeans.

Ebay? All the way. Sample sales - um, only if you're a certain (sample) size. Vintage? Uh, OK. But the glut of Levi's back in the day? Prison. Uh-huh. From the prisoners' butts to your own. I doubt many inmates are sporting Citizens of Humanity...

Gone are the days of the Levi question - red tab, white tab, button, or zip. (red tab, button fly for me). New or used? A non-issue. It's always new baby, new. But they need to look used. And no, not in a dirty denim sort of way. I never bought into that whole dirty denim. They just looked too....too...what's the word I'm looking for? Oh, I know - DIRTY! Blech.

I know jeans were never passe compose, but they weren't as dress-up-dress-down-wear-'em-to-work as they are now. Were they? I don't think so. But I've been wrong before and (gasp!) I just might be again. I was definitely wrong when I said I would never pay over $100 for jeans. HA HA HA HA HA.

Gap? Whatev. I was a gap girl for years. Modern boot cut? Loved' 'em. As I said, I never believed in paying for jeans. But then something happened. My sister-in-law convinced me to try on her 7's, and I never looked back. My husband agreed - goodbye Gap, it was time for the grown up, low slungers that all the cool kids were wearing. I hit the streets a skeptic and came home a changed woman.

I blame it on Adriano Goldschmied. You know, AG? The Angel and The Legend especially. I tried on the Angels and walked out 3 pairs richer (and several hundred dollars poorer). For jeans! JEANS! I didn't get it then and I still don't get it now. And yet it makes the $10,000 question ("does my ass look big in these?") so much easier - and cheaper than 10 grand - to answer...

But here is a legitimate question: what's with the oh so long legs? I don't get the ultra low rise - really, I don't get them. It just wouldn't be a pretty sight. A bikini wax? For jeans? Why? WHY? But despite any unsightly overhang one (er, not me, one) might experience with low risers, there are always the long shirts to hide it. Double them up and you're a bean pole. But lady long legs? They're just a pain. I'm no shrimp, yet every time I get a new pair of jean genies I have to get them shortened. And as any girl worth her - well, worth her jeans - knows, when you buy something, you kinda wanna wear it ASAP. No? Yes! Especially jeans. You buy new ones and suddenly the oldies aren't such goodies. But you have to hold off and shorten 'em. Original hem to boot (boot!)

I take solace in the fact that, for the most part, the denim thief, I mean merchant, willl shorten 'em free of charge. As they should - at these prices... People, look around at all the lovelies shakin' their thangs in their jeans. Take a good look. Because y'all should know that tapered, high wasted jeans are on the (ahem) rise. God help us all....

But for now, enjoy your jeans. After all you've spent on them, you have tooo. Even if it's hot - no, sweltering. And even if you're not really going anyplace. As the saleschicky said, "Dress up, dress down". And get 'em straight (straight!): Chip & Pepper? Not a band. Paper Denim? Not stationary. James Jeans? Not an actor. My latest find are Paige jeans. AWESOME. And no, they aren't over $200 like some other "new and improved" jeans you can find. Who buys those? Don't answer - I'm sure I'll be slinking aorund in 'em soon enough.