https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Mon, 13 Apr 2026 05:22:54 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/3#post-1416148 Mon, 29 Dec 2014 04:41:32 +0000 Mary 1416148@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hello everyone. I just signed up to participate in this forum and this seemed a logical thread for me to start with. I can remember when we were first allowed to wear pants to school in the late 60s(yikes). Once I hit junior high, I wore jeans most days. I can remember bell bottoms, jeans with fringe/trim on the bottom and denim painter's pants.</p> <p>I've continued to wear jeans ever since and love skinny/boot cut silhouettes. My lifestyle has always been casual so jeans work great. I'm always on the lookout for cute denim skirts too, but that's a much greater challenge. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/3#post-1414406 Mon, 22 Dec 2014 16:52:20 +0000 Mander 1414406@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm not sure if I wore jeans as a small kid but I clearly remember getting a pair of new jeans for back-to-school in 5th grade (circa 1984). They were dark blue and had a Betty Boop motif embroidered on the back pockets.</p> <p>I'm sure I wore jeans pretty much always ever since.&nbsp; Mostly I am not picky about brands, though I do remember Jordache being the cool kid brand in middle school. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/3#post-1412864 Thu, 18 Dec 2014 17:03:49 +0000 merwoman 1412864@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Awesome memories!</p> <p>I remember the 'newness' of jeans in the 60s - but my first pair that I clearly remember (and loved) was when I was 12 (1969). Huge bellbottoms that cleaned the street, and a rawhide lace tie up at the front. Does it get any cooler?<br />From that point onward jeans have always been a part of my life. During the seventies dark washed levis or faded lees. Jeans so tight that not only did I have to lie on the bed to get them on, I needed a ruler to straighten out the pockets. &nbsp;By the time I hit university, I was more into the painter type jean (needed a little more breathing space), and of course I had 'mom' jeans in the child rearing years. Thanks to YLF I discovered skinnies and BFS and have happily added them to my arsenal. Jeans jeans jeans - long may they rule! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/3#post-1412856 Thu, 18 Dec 2014 16:12:57 +0000 Liz 1412856@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Rachy, I'd say you are right on what you picked up on. I was intrigued that these stories indirectly reflect a pretty big cultural shift in the U.S., from a time when&nbsp;jeans were dungarees worn for physical labor or outdoors activities, to an era when young people picked up on them and began to wear them as a norm, to a time when they became widely accepted as a normal garment&nbsp;for everyone.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/3#post-1412834 Thu, 18 Dec 2014 15:34:44 +0000 Angie 1412834@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>WOW. LOVED reading your jeans histories. Thanks for sharing them. Some of you have come full circle and are making up for lost time. Rock on.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;Rachy, I&nbsp;don't think jeans were the norm for KIDS in the '70s. And generally,&nbsp;&nbsp;kids living in the US wore jeans a lot more than kids living outside of the US.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/3#post-1412631 Thu, 18 Dec 2014 01:27:26 +0000 deb 1412631@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I am with you Rachy. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/3#post-1412626 Thu, 18 Dec 2014 00:53:08 +0000 rachylou 1412626@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Do I have this right... jeans were not a norm for most in the '70s?</p> <p>It's sorta surreal... I'm from Hippy Dippy Land, right, and jeans were sooooo the norm. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/3#post-1412579 Wed, 17 Dec 2014 22:24:33 +0000 AviaMariah 1412579@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I was in the high school in the late 80's/early 90's and was not allowed to wear pants for religious reasons. &nbsp;So my "jeans" were jean skirts. &nbsp;This is the reason you will probably never see me in a jean skirt today! &nbsp;So I started wearing jeans in the mid 90's and, from what I remember, Levi's in a light wash were my preference. &nbsp;I've worn them in various colors and cuts ever since but have always felt behind in the learning curve due to my late adoption. &nbsp;I've learned more about jean in my years on YLF than in all the years before and am enjoying wearing jeans more than ever!! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/3#post-1412567 Wed, 17 Dec 2014 21:38:40 +0000 DonnaF 1412567@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh, and I've never purchased premium denim or paid more than about $88 (incl. tax) for jeans.&nbsp; I prefer straight leg jeans, and I don't think I've seen premium denim in that style.&nbsp; Unless the jean comes in Petites, fading doesn't work for me unless I want fading down to my calves! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/3#post-1412390 Wed, 17 Dec 2014 15:02:09 +0000 Niki Lea 1412390@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>80s: Wore tapered Buffalo jeans rolled at the hem, skinny/stretchy dark denim tucked into slouchy socks, and two pairs of acid wash TIGHT jeans that were overdied Aqua and fucshia. </p> <p>90s: Levi's with button-up flies (holes everywhere, ragged hems), red jeans, tightish stretchy black jeans, and probably bought a lot of jeans at the Gap. They were all worn with my six-hole doc martens, every day.</p> <p>00s: Gap long and leans, boot cuts, and too many pairs of low rise jeans to count - this is thanks to Britney Spears - skinnies, etc.</p> <p>Present day: straight leg, high rise skinnies (black, dark blue, and white), and a pair of boot cuts I wear on the weekends. </p> <p>I would be so lost without denim! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/2#post-1412331 Wed, 17 Dec 2014 11:48:05 +0000 Tania 1412331@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I didn't wear jeans until college.&nbsp; They were more expensive than we could afford, I think.&nbsp; </p> <p>During my teens (late eighties), my mom worked in a garment factory that produced clothes for JCrew and Ann Taylor, among other companies.&nbsp; I had access to leggings galore.&nbsp; Grunge was the look when I was in college, and I embraced it fully.&nbsp; </p> <p>Since then, I have always had a pair of jeans, but mostly for utility reasons (whatever I could easily get just to have something to wear).&nbsp; I bought my first pair of higher end skinnies last fall and wondered why I waited so long.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/2#post-1412316 Wed, 17 Dec 2014 09:59:43 +0000 rute 1412316@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My story is strange! I had a very rigid education and my father would not let their daughters wear pants, so until my 18th birthday I only wore dresses and skirts, my big dream was to buy a pair of jeans!</p> <p>I bought my first pair with my own money, a pair of bootcuts, I wore bootcuts until I join YLF. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/2#post-1412315 Wed, 17 Dec 2014 09:37:30 +0000 Deborah 1412315@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Angie I have only really worn jeans since joining YLF. Never wore them as a kid, nor as a teen and as a young adult I just never liked them on myself. I have had one or two pairs of boot cut jeans over the past say 10 years, encouraged by my hubby, but otherwise my discovery and subsequent love affair with a good skinny leg jean is all down to you x </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/2#post-1412280 Wed, 17 Dec 2014 04:37:39 +0000 Anonymous 1412280@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>It has been fun to read this thread. Count me in with those who definitely wear jeans more than ever before.<br /> Growing up in the 50's, women and girls did not wear pants of any kind, at least in my world. On cold walks to school in the winter we were allowed to wear snow pants under our dress, but they had to be removed once we arrived.<br /> Highschool: no jeans or other pants except shorts in the summer.<br /> College: (60's) I don't think jeans were made in women's sizes and no stretchy fabrics. I shocked my parents with a pair of men's cords that I wore with an inside out sweatshirt and felt the height of fashion. At college we could not wear pants of any kind to class or meals except for Saturday lunch.<br /> Post college and teaching: no pants. Not professional. But I did wear quite short miniskirts :). Weekends I wore some tapered wool slacks with matching mohair pullover sweaters.<br /> Even as a mom, I did not embrace jeans. ( mom jeans at that time). Until I found YLF and learned of premium denim, I didn't own a pair of jeans. Since buying my first pair of Citizens of Humanity, I have not looked back. They are much more flattering than other styles of pants on me. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/2#post-1412250 Wed, 17 Dec 2014 03:03:38 +0000 Jaime 1412250@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh wow, so fun! I have very little clothes memories but am sure I wore jeans from a young age. Everyone wore jeans to school when I was a kid in the 70s in NJ. Gloria Vanderbilt does come to mind. I do remember that in college in the mid-80s I had two pairs of Levis bootcuts&nbsp;in forest green and navy blue that I wore pretty much exclusively all the way through law school and beyond. My next jeans memory isn't until my early 40s when I found YLF and started to pay attention to these things. I have made up for lost time and was an early adopter of both the resurgence of skinnies and bf jeans, which I love. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/2#post-1412226 Wed, 17 Dec 2014 02:24:04 +0000 Anonymous 1412226@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Angie, it <i>is</i> pretty strange that I don't like jeans more! I think it's mostly a comfort thing. Some are better than others, but even the best ones&nbsp;always feel kind of stiff and constricting.</p> <p>This thread is making me realize something interesting. Growing up in the '80s, a lot of my clothes were kid-friendly versions of adult trends, and a lot of the same brands that were cool for teenagers were cool for kids, like Gap and Guess and Esprit and the Limited. I'm not sure I've ever really thought about how recent that norm is, compared to kids being dressed in a whole separate universe of "children's" clothes without a lot of choice about what they wore. Although it makes sense, since it kind of goes along with greater focus on individuality, for kids and in general. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/2#post-1412225 Wed, 17 Dec 2014 02:20:24 +0000 Dee 1412225@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I was born in the eighties and I rarely if ever wore jeans. I found jeans to be uncomfortable (Jordache skinny legs and no stretch were not good then or now!) and opted out. I wore a lot of coordinated tops + leggings that my mom bought for me in elementary school. </p> <p>In middle school, everyone wore jeans so I learned to like them. I discovered wide legs (surfer-esque, Pacific Sunwear and such) and vintage bell bottoms in the nineties and wore them with oversized tops and flannels.</p> <p>High school and college were mostly bootcuts. I don't even remember there being other denim options at the time. Worn with hoodies at first and later with cardigans to look more "adult."</p> <p>And since 2010 I've added a lot of straights, a few skinnies, and a couple of boyfriends to my wardrobe. I still have a pair of bootcuts but they don't see a lot of wear at the moment. I also have a bit more color variety (blue, grey, black). </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/2#post-1412223 Wed, 17 Dec 2014 02:17:52 +0000 Pree 1412223@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I really don't have any distinct memories of wearing jeans until college in the mid 1980s when I bought a pair guess ankle jeans with zippers. I wore them til I had holes in both knees ( no spandex back then I guess). They would have an awesome pair of distressed jeans today.<br /> I didn't buy premium denim until middle age - 2000's and can't live without all of the different washes, patterns, coating, etc. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/2#post-1412221 Wed, 17 Dec 2014 02:17:41 +0000 deb 1412221@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This is such a fun thread!!!! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/2#post-1412209 Wed, 17 Dec 2014 01:38:58 +0000 Sal 1412209@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I longed for jeans when I was at primary school but my Mum prefererred cords or elastic waist pants (or pinafores). &nbsp;</p> <p>When I was 11 I was allowed my first pair of jeans (skinny and tight). &nbsp;Then in the 1980s I wore paperbag, coloured, acid wash, patched, marbled etc...and then 501s about 1990 I think. </p> <p>From about 1995 to 2001 I went off jeans and onto trousers and moleskin trousers, but after having a baby rediscovered the beauty of denim. &nbsp;I have worn jeans regularly the last 12 years in flares, bootcuts, straight, skinny and boyfriend styles. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/2#post-1412193 Wed, 17 Dec 2014 01:00:48 +0000 catgirl 1412193@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh, right! Jordache, Calvin Klein, Gloria Vanderbilt - it's all coming back now. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/2#post-1412184 Wed, 17 Dec 2014 00:48:56 +0000 Staysfit 1412184@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I don't recall a time when I didn't wear jeans. I wore Levi's as a child. My mother would bring both my brother and I to the same store so we could pick them out at the same time. I have always had a preference for straight leg jeans. I will admit that when the movie Grease came out, my friends and I wore tight jeans and tucked pink or purple combs into our pockets. Ridiculous weren't we? </p> <p>In the late 70's early 80's Jordache jeans were a big deal. They were the cool jeans. I stuck with my Levi's. I was already tall and they fit. Worse than having the wrong jeans would be a pair of "floods" or jeans that were too short. I look at kids in middle and high school now and they are growing like weeds. Their clothes almost never fit them properly for very long, especially the boys!</p> <p>I cannot say when I stopped wearing Levi's but I think it's when the store my mother traditionally brought us to for purchasing them closed. It broke my heart. It took a long time to find a suitable replacement but I have in JCrew matchsticks. I love them. I'm fortunate that I can wear jeans to work. I hope to continue wearing jeans my entire life. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/2#post-1412183 Wed, 17 Dec 2014 00:48:33 +0000 Angie 1412183@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p> <div>Style Fan and Deb, fun to hear you wore flares in the ‘70s. If I was a grown-up then, I would have too. LOVE the jeans you posted.&nbsp;<div><br /></div><div>Inge, I don’t think kids in the ‘70s wore jeans. Just not a fashionable look for us little ones back then. Jeans were an adult look for sure. And it’s very interesting how you went almost 20 &nbsp;years with very few pairs of&nbsp;jeans in your life. Making up for it now - and of course those 501s changed our perception about jeans forever.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, Rachy. You are quite lateral. xo</div><div><br /></div><div>Meredith, you are also in the prime of your denim wearing life. Fun stories.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>WOW, Sveta. You take the cake. Never owned jeans till your mid thirties. You are making up for that now BIG TIME.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>Thumbelina, Una, Jeanie&nbsp;and Lisa, you’ve been wearing jeans your whole life. Not uncommon in the US, I’m noticing. That’s been a theme on this thread I see. Love your vivid jeans descriptions. Clearly, they meant a lot to you.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>Lisap, dressed up jeans with permed hair - I’m LOVING it. And yes, I think the rebirth of skinnies&nbsp;surprised EVERYONE. Fashion pros at the time said the trend was a fad that would never last. They couldn’t have been <b>more</b> wrong.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>Caro, (and Inge), I also remember saving up for 501s. They were SO much more expensive outside the US. And now you’re making up for not wearing jeans for decades. And rocking it.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>Coumbine, a rare non-loving- jeans person. It takes all sorts in our style world.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>Donna, you’re also making up for lost jeans wearing time.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>Dimity, never owned a pair of jeans until 2 years ago. WOW. That’s quite an accomplishment.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lara, you’ve come full circle.&nbsp;</p> <p>K.M, great question. Only time will tell.&nbsp;</div></div></p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/2#post-1412182 Wed, 17 Dec 2014 00:47:24 +0000 K.M. 1412182@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>So fun to read everybody's answers. I just realized that what we called "clochard" waist in Brazil (using the French word) is what you call "paper bag waist." </p> <p>Sometimes, when I think about the ubiquity of denim, I wonder if there'll ever be a time when it's not so commonly worn. And if so, what would replace it. I'm not an expert in fashion history, but did they start to become so pervasive in the 80s? From everybody's answers here it would seem so! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/2#post-1412178 Wed, 17 Dec 2014 00:38:38 +0000 Jeanie 1412178@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I've been wearing jeans all my life. &nbsp;My earliest memories were wearing them in elementary school. &nbsp;It was <b>only</b> cool to wear flared Levi's and the bigger the flare the better. &nbsp;We would have our moms sew in colorful fabric sections&nbsp;into the flares to make them even bigger! &nbsp;It was <b>uber</b> cool to have a pair Levis that was so worn in that they had holes. &nbsp;<br />I also remember wearing a pair of paper bag cropped jeans in the 80s that I can see in my mind and wish I still had. &nbsp;In the 90s I wore lots of boot cuts and some denim overalls that I would throw on after work. &nbsp; Even though I wore jeans, I never felt like they really fit me until some of the more recent&nbsp;changes in denim technology and shaping. &nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/2#post-1412158 Tue, 16 Dec 2014 23:56:25 +0000 Anonymous 1412158@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Bought my first pair of Levis jeans with my own money in 1976 when I was 20. My mother would not buy them for me. I never wore them in college, only on certain occasions.</p> <p>I don't really remember owning or wearing jeans in the 1980s or early 1990s. I wore suits for work and slacks or pants at other times. I think it was in the 2000s that I really fell in love with jeans since I was a SAHM and did not have to dress up on a daily basis. Now I wear jeans most days of the week because I feel most comfortable in them. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/2#post-1412149 Tue, 16 Dec 2014 23:39:48 +0000 deb 1412149@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Who else wore these? Probably 1974 for me and I cannot remember the brand.<br /> Oh, and pic 2 are&nbsp;Wranglers</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/2#post-1412133 Tue, 16 Dec 2014 23:15:10 +0000 Elly 1412133@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Up until Age 8-- wore heavy denim jeans, mostly straight leg. Almost always were hand-me-downs, often from my boy cousins. Various brands and washes. Also wore a lot of leggings-- 80s/early 90s fashion influence there.&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;<br />8 to 14-- wore denim nearly every day. All of it was hand-me down. Almost exculsively Western Wear bootcut or stretchy bootcuts from places like Levis. Wore hand-me downs until I got taller than all the ladies in our family and friend circle that were somewhat young and slim. Mom considered black jeans "dressy".&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;<br />14 through college -- Bootcut blue denim almost everyday. Most of it was Western Wear or from teen catalogs. Had a couple pairs of flares and some full-length boyfriend jeans in there too. Also liked cargo pants and sometimes corduroy.&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;<br />As a young adult/career person-- I still wear jeans almost everyday. Non-destroyed denim gets a thumbs up from my office (and my profession in general). Now I wear all silhouettes of jeans, still mostly stick to blue denim, but also wear black denim. Most of mine are currently from GAP, but I'm not brand loyal.&nbsp;</p> <p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/2#post-1412130 Tue, 16 Dec 2014 23:10:55 +0000 Dimity 1412130@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm mid-forties and I never owned a pair of jeans until two years ago. I wore print dresses and corduroy slacks as a child and teen.&nbsp;</p> <p>The first pair I bought were $20 from Target, dark, straight leg. They fit and flatter brilliantly. Then I discovered thrift shopping, and I've since acquired several more pairs, including some boutique brands, for about $3. I like&nbsp;mid rise (never lower) and straight or boot cut. They are a versatile wardrobe item and I now like them very much, and have&nbsp;added a couple of denim skirts, jackets and a sleeveless jacket to my denim collection.</p> <p>I tend to skew dressy/ladylike and find it really hard to dress casually, but having jeans has helped me not look overdone. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-jeans-wearing-history/page/2#post-1412120 Tue, 16 Dec 2014 22:54:36 +0000 DonnaF 1412120@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Girls weren't allowed to wear pants to school in my day, much less jeans.&nbsp; Possibly pants were allowed my senior year (Class of '71).&nbsp; The first jeans I remember were 501s which I got in college or late high school.&nbsp; I wore painter pants in college, but I don't count them as jeans.&nbsp; I know I had high-waisted pleated pants when they were in style.&nbsp; I skipped the whole decade when all you could find were very low-waisted jeans since all they do is make my heavy thighs look heavier, my short legs look shorter, and my super long torso longer.</p> <p>So now:&nbsp; I wear jeans more than I ever have in my life.&nbsp; I've finally found a few brands that work for me (NYDJ, Jag, Big Star) and are mid-rise.&nbsp; For that missing decade, I probably neither had the time nor inclination for an exhaustive and exhausting search for jeans that worked.&nbsp; The jury is still out on whether I will replace my fading black jeans.&nbsp; I am thinking about wearing the heck out of a couple pairs of black pants that don't currently see much wear. </p>