While I am partial to distressed denim, lately I have been coveting
the antithesis – a pair of deep, dark blue jeans. I have a couple of old jeans
that I have hung on to that fit the description; what I have liked about them
is their office/outside versatility. With a formal shirt, you could be
respectable at a workplace on a casual Friday. With a tee the jeans become a
casual wear staple. I am currently feeling a 50s vibe so the dark denim
straight jean really was calling out to me. Reminds me of James Dean, Beat
Poetry, bikers in California.....
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| The original - James Dean in his denim; contemporary spinoffs of fifties style |
Distressed denim is back in vogue so getting a pair of dark,
minimal jeans, just become a little more challenging. Levis can be depended to
have one of these every year in their collection. Nudie also makes them
(generally its their raw denim). Gas is an Italian brand that used to make
basic looking but well made jeans but are into lot of washes for their current
line up. Luckily online sites do have old stock from time to time and I got a
2013 design – Morris which was available in my size.
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| Nudie jeans (left); vintage photo from fifties of men working up their jean; jeans from Zara SS'15 |
Gas make their jeans in Europe which really ensure quality
is great. (They tried a Made in India experiment that failed, though the price
points really came down.) Almost all of their jeans are a mix of cotton and
elastane which is something that I wish they didn’t follow so strictly (A guy
has to have some elastane-free denim!) The fit of the jeans is tight but not
skinny which is great and gives a slimming effect without discomfort. The
branding is subtle but pervasive (rivets and all). The fabric is 11 oz which is
light and comfortable. The top-stitching is not hi-contrast keeping in with the
low-key approach. Sometimes less is really more!
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