Distressed jeans - YouLookFab Forum

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About: Thoughts on Distressed Jeans

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Distressed jeans

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Whenever I see heavily distressed jeans now, I can’t help but think of this photo I took in Cuba a couple of years ago. It kind of ruined manufactured distressed jeans for me. (Not a judgment of anyone else who chooses to wear them, just not for me!)

I remember saying at the time that you could find those same shorts on YOOX for about $150.

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General

28 replies

Latest reply was from Janet

Anonymous

WOW.

Joyce B

Veteran

That is also what I see with overly distressed jeans, the side of people who cannot afford any other garments.

Helena

Veteran

Yes, there is something about taking something perfectly good and then intentionally 'ruining' it that can sit a little uneasily from a certain perspective ... I'm sure this is why my parents were so dead-set against it - they would have loved to have brand-spanking new clothes without wear and tear when they were young!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

WOW

Sisi

Veteran

That's a fantastic picture! It's incredible how sometimes colours and shapes combine perfectly by pure chance.

Cardiff girl

Veteran

I think that those jeans have gone beyond distressed,they are traumatised.

Like the Season

Beautiful photo, and sobering.

LaPed

Veteran

Beautiful image, Janet. I've never been been able to bring myself to buy pre-ripped jeans. It does seem insensitive/oblivious to me. I grew up in a home with a very modest income, and my parents never would've let me out of the house in torn clothing. In my teen and young adult years, seeing rich kids wearing intentionally torn-up clothes with that romantic notion of "slumming it" always made me roll my eyes. I mostly buy secondhand 100% cotton denim; it ages well and generally develops plenty of natural distressing after a few years of regular wear. I have no problem wearing my clothes til they fall apart, but I don't like buying them already falling apart!

elpgal

Veteran

Completely agree. My parents were very opposed to us warring patched clothing or clothing held together with safety pins.

Thistle

Veteran

Wow.

Amazing and powerful picture. Really puts a lot of things into perspective.

Gaylene

Veteran

That picture EXACTLY sums up my reaction to this trend. Imagine what $150 means in that non-Yoox world. And what I’m saying by choosing to ignore it in the interests of fashion.

Great picture, Janet. Your eye is amazing!

Molly Mac

Veteran

I am a little confused by the argument that distressed clothing mocks or is offensive to the poor. Is wearing $200 pristine jeans less offensive if it projects a non achievable fashion goal. At least with distressed denim, everyone can feel like they can participate in a fashion moment.

Katerina

Veteran

This picture is incredible!

Sal

Veteran

Wonderful photo!

I don't buy heavily distressed jeans either - more for practical, aesthetic and comfort reasons. From a societal perspective - there is murkiness around the origins of fashion trends to my mind - designers copying each other, street inspired looks, cultural fashions, even ( rarely)drug use or homeless inspired trends. Others could talk more knowledgably about this than me.

Anonymous

The photo is beautiful and I respect the meaning you're seeing in it and your aversion to distressed clothing.

I don't buy distressed clothing but I don't think I can declare myself morally superior to someone who does. Why draw the line there? Why not at owning more clothes than I need?

.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Just to be clear, I am not posting the photo as any sort of judgment! I simply was struck with the scene and it made me see the trend with different eyes. Not worse, not better, just different. The discussion on Angie’s blog post today reminded me of the photo and I wanted to share it. I claim zero moral authority for my fashion choices; I know I could be a much more ethically-driven consumer than I am. Just sharing something that seemed very ironic — a look that people in developed countries can pay hundreds of dollars for, hanging in a window of a family that gets about $30 a month from the government as their income.

jussie

Veteran

Yes it’s sad the inequity in this world. Interesting pic Janet.

Gaylene

Veteran

Just for the record, I don’t think there ought to be any moral superiority attached to a personal aversion to a fashion trend. As Janet says, it’s the lens we use—and the emotions aroused —which govern our thoughts and choices.

I’d have a hard time claiming moral high ground when I happily sport real fur on my anorak’s hood while, simultaneously, recoiling at the thought of buying intentionally ripped and destroyed jeans. I suspect my choices are more than a little influenced by being around indigenous trappers who depend on furs to provide for their families and the image of my grandmother spending her evenings hunched over her ever-so careful darning, mending, stitching, and patching so her family would always look “nice”. As Janet says, it’s the irony of our choices which causes me to pause and think.

Windchime

Veteran

It’s a stunning photo, whatever meaning one might or might not attach to it.

Aquamarine

Veteran

Thanks for sharing. Certainly puts things into perspective.

Joy

Veteran

Fabulous photo. I hope the wearer of these jeans wears underwear!

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

That is a wonderful shot Janet! It is thought provoking. I wonder what the owner of those jeans would say about the trend. Who knows, he/she might love it.

Mainelady

Veteran

Wow. Incredible perspective. Distressed and torn clothing has never been something I would choose to wear. Seeing this image makes me profoundly sad.

krishnidoux

Veteran

What a great pic and a great post!
I still love distressed jeans though.
But I agree, for some it's an imposed reality and not a fashion choice. As for many other things.

Elizabeth P

Veteran

Great image, Janet.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

I remember wearing very heavily distressed jeans on the bus a few years ago and getting a comment about them from a man of lesser economic means. It wasn't quite a negative comment if I remember correctly, I think it was about how they don't make jeans like they used too. I did feel a bit guilty, as they were stupidly expensive

Staysfit

Veteran

Let’s think about this wonderful picture a moment please. The zipper is cut out of those jeans on purpose by someone. This was either a very practical and environmentally conscious way to use jeans that were past their prime, or their expression of art. I see this as recycling here. They are hanging next to an intact rag. It’s a picture from Cuba, where resources are scarce, and they make use of everything. (I don’t wear distressed jeans so I thought I would offer another perspective.)

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Oh indeed, Staysfit. They are incredibly resourceful and reuse and repair everything. They are the ultimate recyclers. I don't even know what the purpose of those jeans is at this point. But clearly they serve enough purpose to wash them and hang them to dry.

In another favorite photo from there, a small girl's dress was made into a hanging clothespin bag. It was hanging inside the window, in the shadow so I almost missed it at first, and had to bring up the detail in the darker portion of the image to bring a little attention to it.

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