Reconsidering denim
I don’t own blue jeans. Not a single pair.
Denim was purged from my wardrobe a decade ago as an act of sartorial self-righteousness. Back then, as today, jeans were everywhere. Just look around you. Chances are, almost everyone is wearing them. With that in mind, I bucked the trend like a religious zealot.
But I’ve mellowed with age. I still don’t own jeans and wish more men would open themselves up to different options, but I’ve learned to appreciate denim for what it is: an historically rich, texturally lovely fabric. And true denim is elegantly simple: cotton warp threads died with indigo, which doesn’t penetrate all the way through—thus the eventual fading—woven usually 3 over 1 white weft thread—thus the lighter-hued reverse side.
And while I don’t have jeans, denim recently re-entered my wardrobe via this MAROL button-down shirt.
If you are not a #menswear follower you may not know that denim shirts are having a moment right now. A big moment. Much like jeans in the rest of the world, in the menswear sphere it seems that everyone is wearing denim shirts. But this isn’t the heavy denim usually used for trousers. Instead, following the same process as traditional denim, finer threads are woven into a lightweight shirting. Shirting that has a lovely, textured colour that fades subtly over time.
This shirt is made of Loro Piana denim shirting, an 8½ ounce, 100% cotton fabric. It is darker than the traditional light blue dress shirt, so I wouldn’t wear it with a more formal suit and tie. However, the dusty blue colour (and superior craftsmanship) makes it ultra versatile: I wear it on its own or with a casual jacket or suit, usually open-collared. And after about a half dozen washings and pressings, the fading around the collar edges adds a lovely natural sprezz to the shirt.
Now, if I can find myself a great pair of full rise jeans, I might finally give in. Just don’t expect to see me in a Canadian Tuxedo.
My thanks to Bo Yang for the photography and Saint Crispin’s of the Americas for the use of their showroom. And full disclosure: while I do work for MAROL, this post is not sponsored and the shirt was purchased.
4 Comments
Stuart
October 19, 2017 at 9:42 pm
Pedro Mendes
October 20, 2017 at 10:00 am
stuart
October 21, 2017 at 9:03 am
RB
November 15, 2017 at 6:47 pm
Hi Pedro.
I generally love your blog and look forward to reading it.
Taste and fashion sense is highly personal and so you are entitled to your opinion. All that said, you’re way off base in your opinion of denim.
Dark jeans with a suitable sport coat is a fabulous look.
I’m concerned their’s a latent Euro-snobbery in your opinion.. I do not favour the Canadian Tuxedo either but it’s no more or less ridiculous than a speedo on a beach in the south of France.
Stuart
I won’t argue about the snobbery, Stuart, I admit as much in my opening paragraphs. However, the dark jeans/sport coat look I see most is on Europeans, so it’s not a Euro-snob thing.
As I say in the piece, I’ve come to terms with denim. But a lot of this has to do with the fact that I myself, before I became concerned with my wardrobe, just wore jeans. They were easy and “authentic.” And I feared that wearing jeans again would allow me to slip into that lazy frame of mind.
People wear all denim outfits, of course. They may be fashionable, they may be acceptable, like a speedo, but are they elegant? I’m still trying to figure out, however, if dark, real denim of high quality and excellent fit, matched with good shoes and a casual jacket is elegant. Relaxed and down to earth, yes, but elegant? I’m still not sure.
Hi Pedro,
Dark, real denim of high quality and excellent fit, matched with good shoes and a casual jacket is elegant……. Add the right watch with leather strap
Evening Pedro,
Fair play to anyone that enjoys wearing denim, but I spent the better part of twenty years forcing myself into jeans, even though I knew they didn’t suit me, and I didn’t suit them.
Their robustness makes them ideal for manual work, so I keep a couple of pairs for DIY and gardening – but wearing them out makes me feel physically and sartorially uncomfortable.