all things made new.
For me, denim has always been a glimpse into another person’s life. The woven threads carrying an intertwining tale of where someone has been, what someone has done, how someone has lived. From that crisp selvedge denim that you take down from that shelf, to the creased, worn, washed denim you eventually end up wearing, your jeans go with you everywhere. They share your life with you. The jeans take on a unique and individual character, becoming like a second skin, only growing better with age. Its woven denim holds countless stories within it’s alternating white and indigo threads. Whether you wash them every time, or never wash them at all. A good, classic pair of jeans will stay with you for a lifetime, and maybe even stay around a little longer.
I feel very fortunate that my dad had an interesting style as a young adult. He’s collected a large variety of clothes, most of which spend absolutely no time in his current wardrobe. This for me is an adventure. Every couple of weeks, I’ll go digging through his old stuff, and come up with an interesting find that I can incorporate into my own wardrobe. It’s much like visiting a vintage clothing boutique, except everything is cheaper. Because it’s free.
I’ve found many interesting pieces. Today, I just wanted to share how I’ve pieced some of my finds together. Firstly, I found this hoodie in my dad’s walk-in closet a while back. It simply has one label on it that states “Pace Collection.” I've attempted to track down this company unsuccessfully. Yet, sometimes the company’s non-existence in today’s industry really gives that vintage authenticity to the piece. I really love the nautical ambience it provides with the navy-blue stripes alternating with the white, the simple aero-plane logo, the crossed-v hood, and the shortness of the sleeves and bottom that seem to slowly pull upwards every time.
I also found a classic slim-fit pair of jeans a while ago in my dad’s old denim collection. They're a pair of Levi’s 531's. My dad has worked them in rather nicely. They are torn at the knees, and the denim has a thoroughly washed feel. I cuff them up when the weather permits because I really love the iconic red-stitching through-out the entire length of the inner pant legs, harking back to the good old days of denim branding through thread colours. Does anyone remember the Wrangler, Lee, and Levi’s threading colours of yellow, green, and red respectively.
With the hoodie and jeans, I throw on some Lacoste Carnaby’s to give that vintage tennis shoe silhouette at the bottom. Overall, from the old nautical hoodie, to the worn 531’s, right down to the scuffed vintage tennis shoes, it produces a very iconic French vibe, something right out of an art collective from Paris. This is where those torn knee holes work in the best, especially when the holes are wide open while sitting down or in the activities of daily life.
As much as I do love those pair of jeans, I don’t quite feel as intimate to them as I would if I would have worn them in myself. I have a few pairs of selvedge jeans that I’ve started some work on. To me, they're like blank notebooks ready to grasp within its threads stories of mine to be had. I can only hope that they stay with me all the way through whatever’s left of my youth and onto adulthood, capturing in its threads my adventures, my character, my life.
Friday, July 31, 2009
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