The Democratic Garment
How Denim Makes Elegance Possible in the Modern World
I used to hate jeans.
Either from wearing it myself or seeing ‘the masses’ wear it.
Looking back at that thought, I feel quite ashamed to have had that judgment of this garment. Though I couldn’t help it, since the ‘image projection’ of the majority of people who wear jeans these days—especially men—has somewhat been labeled as ‘casual, slop and loose’ (for women, they tend to know well which cut and silhouette of jeans will serve their body, from fuller, flair to the current baggy trend).
The funny thing is—before I embarked on my sartorial journey, 7–8 years ago—even back when I was a student, my ‘ensemble’—the most favorite one without knowing why—was ‘white shirt with indigo denim and white sneakers’. Even if it’s the fact that the shirt was made of cheap polyester, the jeans were skinny and tight to every muscle molecule of my lower body (with a lower rise also)…
I still remember the feeling of wearing it:
“uncomfortable by body, but so ‘comfort’ emotionally.”
I didn’t know why—until this current phase of my life, when I began to ‘realize’ the truth behind clothes & culture—that they are always associated with each other, always.
Now that I’m back for a break from the globe-trotter phase—in Bangkok again… the place that I once resented and accused of its superficialness, overly casual nature, and ‘jeans’ everywhere—I confess to you that in the past week, I wore ‘jeans’ more than tailored ‘wool’ trousers that I once thought were the pinnacle of comfort and style.
With the only denim I have—the high-waisted, flared, green-cast indigo from Husbands—from cosmopolitan casual to tailoring-oriented ensemble, whether I wore it with a classic white T-shirt or with a jacket and striped shirt inside—the jean ‘anchors’ me to stay ‘attuned’ to modernity more than the double-pleated wool trousers I’m fond of.
The question that is worth ‘exploring’ is:
“Why is this happening?”
Not only for me, but for many like-minded individuals whom I know, who love style from a bygone era but do not stick to the exact past.
What makes ‘jeans’ and ‘modernity’ have such an unbreakable bond with each other?
Why is it the most empirically practiced way to ‘integrate’ elegance into the modern world?
And we shall start by ‘exploring’ this term ‘modern’ at its core.
