Women and denim: a love story

Years before jeans were worn in the boardroom and on the red carpet, they functioned as work wear. Back then, denim was made only for men. Today's popular boyfriend fit for women is a holdover from the time when women, having no other choice, wore men's jeans.

Seventy-five years after the first jeans made for women, the Lady Levi's, were born, women dominate the denim marketplace.

"They're part of our staple now. Women wear jeans every single day for so many different kinds of events and activities," said Lynn Downey, a historian of Levi's, which has been celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Lady Levi's across the nation this fall.

The first jeans for women, from Levi's lot 701 in 1934, were manufactured to be sturdy and feminine, she said. They were preshrunk, used a softer fabric than the men's 501s and featured a high, pinched-in waist.

Denim, which is any twill weave of a white cotton thread and a colored cotton thread, has taken on many forms since then.

As interest in women's denim picked up in the decades after its introduction, slimmer silhouettes dominated the market, foreshadowing today's popular skinny style. The '70s brought about a much more voluminous shape, the bell-bottom.

"It's all about flare," Downey said, "from the really modest flare to the complete crazy, you-can-stick-a-small-child-up-its-leg."

Premium denim made its first significant mark in the '80s, with brands such as Diesel leading the way. During that time, Calvin Klein and Guess promoted the cotton twill's sex appeal and the cachet associated with a fashion label. Actress and model Brooke Shields is still remembered for her declaration that, "Nothing comes between me and my Calvins."

The '90s were characterized by denim's move to formerly more sacred areas, such as the office and the red carpet. Downey thinks the casual style of Silicon Valley and, in particular, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, helped make jeans acceptable for the workplace.

"It was a mental change for a lot of people. It was Generation Y or maybe Generation X that decided that jeans weren't their mom's jeans. They reflected the way young men and women live their lives," Downey said. "Every single generation since jeans were created has changed what jeans mean."

The number of choices in fit, wash and embellishment blossomed as women became the primary consumer. The variety has grown in the past decade as new premium brands have entered the market, often commanding well over $100 and occasionally as much as $400 for each pair of jeans.

Among these labels, 7 For All Mankind arrived in 2000.

The Los Angeles-based brand took "a very utilitarian, almost work wear type of product and built in a sophistication and wash and finishing that gives consumers the ability to wear that product day to night, on the red carpet and out to dinner," its president, Topher Gaylord, said. "It's a much more versatile product than it's ever been."

Women have shown that they are willing to pay for that added level of versatility and style.

"If you have a pair of jeans that fits you well," Gaylord said, "they give you unrivaled self-confidence."

Magazines and makeover shows regularly provide tips on what fits, washes and styles work on what kinds of bodies.

Clinton Kelly, a co-host of TLC's "What Not To Wear," didn't return a call requesting a comment. But there's a good reason for that.

"Clinton and I are sick of answering questions about jeans," begins co-host Stacy London on a video on the "What Not To Wear" Web site. It's a subject they must tackle often, if not always, with their makeover clients.

On this video, the longest of 11 style tips on their show's Web site, Kelly and London describe the basics of denim: Don't wear mom jeans. Do wear boot-cut, skinny, straight-leg or trouser jeans.

So what's the next stage in women's denim? Said Downey of Levi's: "I think it's going to be a surprise."

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