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Damaged jeans: please explain

old chic

I just don't understand why ripped and otherwise "damaged" jeans are in
all the stores again. I didn't get the appeal in the 80s (on Def Leppard
and such), either. Somebody please explain to me why this is such a
popular look? Is it "urban warrior princess"? I don't mean to be negative, just really wondering....

Vintage Wash Ripped Cigarette Jeans

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Ripped Cigarette Jeans

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Urban Outfitters

BDG Slim Boyfriend Jean - Slash

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Dressing

33 replies

Latest reply was from puppycat

crutcher

Veteran

OC..I truly don't have an explanation...In the logical side of things, wearing clothes with holes in them is not so acceptable...right?...
However, I think this look is just so chic...Not one I would probably embrace but I do like it...no logic, right?...smile..

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I think it's purely because it feels rebellious or different. I have one pair or slightly distressed jeans (nothing along the lines of the ones you posted) and that's really enough for me personally. I have seen some interesting things done with the designs on the higher end. The lower end just looks too much like the normal contractors out in my area of the world. And they wear them because they can't afford to keep replacing their jeans, not because they want to make a fashion statement.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Deconstruction, Rebellion and Destruction are themes in fashion - and have been for a while. I'll let the poetic and eloquent English majors elaborate on the parallels between destroyed jeans and modern life because it's not my thing.

From a fashion point of view - it's about juxtaposition. Remixing all sorts of casual with all sorts of dressy is VERY trendy. Destroyed jeans are as casual as it gets - which makes the juxtaposition all the more dramatic. And fashion DOES enjoy drama.

Personally, I think that the market is flooded with destroyed jeans. Overkill.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I think it's the contrast of the beat-up nature of the jeans and the dressier bits around them. Also, it's a bit of a rebellious thing: "I don't have to be just so, or dressed up. I can wear torn jeans if I want." That's why it's always been a rock and roll, younger look.

I grew up in a rural area and parents (mine and everyone else's) always liked to make fun of us buying pre-distressed jeans, more so than just being older and not getting the vibe - if you're a farmer you're going to have plenty of distressed jeans already, you don't need to pay designer prices for them...

catgirl

Veteran

I think this is one of those things you either feel or don't feel. For me, distressed jeans make me feel like a bada$$. That's my preferred "feeling" for when I dress for myself and suits my the fantasy inherent in my personality. It feels true to me. I don't aim to look pretty or polished in my spare time. Others may get their preferred feeling of authenticity from a tight pencil skirt or stiletto heels or a strict button-down, none of which appeal to me at all, but I totally understand that is THEIR authentic self. Different strokes....

My immigrant parents frowns on thrifting, distressing, and anything not new, the same way they frown on outhouses. I did push their boundaries!

rachylou

Veteran

Deconstruction, Rebellion and Destruction are themes

I should say that just about sums it up, with a good dose of apocalyptic zombie depressive nihilism continuing on from the industrialist Dickensian age...

Lol. Can I get a nickel for every syllable?

Rambling Ann

(website)

Veteran

I'm so glad you posted this. I wanted to, but couldn't figure out how to say it as nicely as you did. I get the deconstruction concept, but I have a hard time paying someone else to trash my clothes.

Q to those of you who have bought these jeans: do they wear out faster to the point where they are beyond your taste for a distressed look?

old chic

Angie, thanks, that really does help. I had not thought about the juxtaposition angle, but I think that's what seemed so jarring in the fashion-y pictures I've seen. And, conversely, that's what makes them edgy fashion.

I have always enjoyed the deconstructionism of the Belgian school. But, destroyed jeans, revealing a lot of leg as they often do, are so obviously unsuitable for the old (like me) that they make a sexy, rebellious statement for the young only. Makes sense to me.

Meredith

Veteran

Agreeing about the juxtaposition being desirable. Deconstructed denim called to me very strongly last fall. At first I didn't understand why I liked them because my style is pretty polished. Then I realized I liked them precisely for the contrast. They are among the things I own that help keep my style from feeling too classic or polished. They add a bit of fun and unexpected zest. That being said my husband HATES them and is pretty verbal about not understanding the style at all.

Meredith

Veteran

Oh, just saw RA's comment. They require some exta care. I wash them as infrequently as possible and hang to dry. And you have to be sure not to stick your foot through a hole when pulling them on! I know they won't last as long, but after six months they are still very wearable. Also, if you are crafty this is a good diy tutorial: http://blog.freepeople.com/201.....ess-denim/

Marilyn

Veteran

I just bought my first pair.....I'm 51. I don't like the ones that are totally shredded but I do like some distressing. For me it has nothing to do with rebellion or feeling bad-*ss. I like the texture and as Angie mentioned the juxtaposition. My look is generally polished.

I got these ones from BR..........

Banana Republic

Distressed Skinny Ankle Jean

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Gaylene

Veteran

Shredded denim has never appealed to me, although I quite like (and own) other deconstructed pieces. The idea of contrast and juxtaposition totally interests me, but I think part of my poisoned eye for distressed denim comes from people who tell me they wear it because it is "rebellious". That might have been true at one time, but, after several decades and heaps of the stuff in Walmart and Target, I'd say the rips and tears are as mainstream as yoga pants. To be honest, totally shredded legs look a bit dated to me, but that's probably my poisoned eye talking here.

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

I tend to like worn looking things and distressing. I'll take a bit of it. But the knee holes I don't get. I'm kind of ready for this trend to be over, although I had my love affair with it for a while.
http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....pped-jeans

Sadie

I'm 62- any distressing makes me feel like a poser so is an automatic no for me. Love them on others (like my very stylish daughter).

Laurinda

Veteran

It is interesting to see a rack of mass-produced distressed jeans or jackets with all the same rips and distressing in the same places. As far as rebellion it reminds me of the 70s oxymoronic Dr. Pepper jingo (by Randy Newman - it must have been tongue-in-cheek): "I'm part of an Original Crowd".

I'm not a big fan since it seems wasteful to wreck good clothing and hasten its trip to the landfill, but I admit it is a fun look. I agree there is overkill at the moment when it is difficult to find new jeans without rips.

Thistle

Veteran

I am totally the wrong person to ask. I remember throwing away jeans when they started to look like that. Perhaps it comes from having grown up owning only secondhand jeans. The rips and tears are a sign that you need new clothes not rebellion.

Greyscale

Veteran

I like ripped jeans for the contrasting textures, and the style juxtaposition like Angie said, and the bada$$ aspect like Una said. Part of how I make my monochrome wardrobe work is playing a lot with visual texture, like silk shirts with ripped jeans.

But, I agree that the market is flooded. It's getting hard to find a pair that aren't ripped! (Exaggeration.) And, since I wear jeans to work every day, I limit myself to one pair of ripped jeans, dressed up with nicer tops and shoes. I come across as younger than I am and I'm always conscious of needing to win people's respect.

Style Fan

Veteran

I own 2 pairs of destroyed jeans. One pair I bought 5 years ago and one pair I bought last fall. I like to be a bad a** like alaskagirl and I also like juxtaposition when I dress and when I decorate.

I do tend to avoid "pretty" looks. I like to challenge a bit. I think the destroyed denim has flooded the market so I will move on.

catgirl

Veteran

Just to add, I don't spend a lot on distressed denim - I'm one who will put their foot through a hole - and I find completely shredded denim impractical in my climate as well as in general. My most recent pair is faded grey from American Eagle with a couple of rips.

DonnaF

Veteran

Nicked, scratched, and chipped soapstone: Heck, yes!!! Paying extra for destroyed denim: No, it feels false to me. I would rather come by the destruction honestly. Oh, and the wear to the soapstone was done by us.

Umm, I guess I am destined to keep my jeans forever because I rather like the worn in/worn out look. Too bad DH and I don't wear the same size because he is hard on his jeans.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I can see the appeal for certain looks and styles, and i have one pair of AG jeans from 2-3 years ago with some distressing (and rips at the knees that have grown a little). That's it for me -- I have to be in the right mood to wear them, and I style them carefully. I pretty much feel the same as Style Fan about them. The market seems over saturated with them.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

I think they can work in certain circumstances
http://noscrubs.lookfab.com/po.....im-leopard

I got a Killer to the Power of Killer

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

CLEARLY, I think they can work too, Anna. I LOVE that outfit. Poetic and Creative Juxtaposition. My point exactly.

Like classic cardigans four or five years ago - the product has flooded the denim market though. These days it's hard to find faded jeans that aren't torn in some way - which I believe is a hole in the market. (Pun intended).

Anonymous

I never could bring myself to pay for and wear garments that already look old. The point of buying something new, I think, is to have something that looks new. But that's just me.

Susie

Veteran

I have one pair of jeans that has just one small hole on the leg. I bought them because I wanted a pair that was really light/faded. I don't think I paid extra for the rip

Staysfit

Veteran

It's definitely not my look but I keep my favorite jeans until they fray and beyond. They're great for hiking in the summer. Sadly, mine never fray in the decorative and convenient places I want, it's always some embarassing location. I might get a gaping hole in the thigh, crotch or one knee only. These holes inevitably rip larger and open up exposing parts that I don't want exposed. In one instance a hole in my knee continued ripping all around my leg until that side of my jeans was in effect shortened. Time for some cut off shorts!

Vicki

(website)

Veteran

I'm with you here, old chic, and was just checking out at Banana Republic the other day, with a pair of non-distressed white jeans, and I saw the woman ahead of me with her frayed edges, from the thighs to the calves, billowing out from behind, and the distressing was coming from the FRONT! I could see it from the back!!

I buy without holes.

catgirl

Veteran

Vicki, you've raised an issue for me, and that is the weird imbalance when jeans are shredded in front and not at all in back. I find that strange as a look - I prefer a few rips in places that make sense.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I'm in my 50s and I own one pair of (slightly) distressed jeans. There are no holes, just wear spots. And I love them, both for their fit and fabrication, and for the way they allow me to juxtapose with dressy pieces. I especially love them with a silky blouse or a sparkly sweatshirt or brocade, and pointy toe pumps.

I do prefer most of my jeans to be undistressed, though. Just like I prefer to remain undistressed myself, LOL.

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