George Will piece on the ills of denim

Alecia

This George Will column came out this week. It speaks about the ills of denim and America's infatuation with it. I thought of you all immediately when I read it. I found it interesting because I think it captures a sentiment that we often express on the forum (that people overlook the importance of making an effort to look nice) but scapegoats denim unfairly. What do you think?

http://www.chron.com/disp/stor.....75695.html

16 years ago

General

8 replies

Latest reply was from Kristen

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

While I appreciate teh sentiment, I don't think it's really denim in particular that should be targeted. You can have a really nice pair of jeans and dress them up. I do feel like the standard of dress here in the states has become too casual when people are wearing pajamas out as pants.

16 years ago

Ele

(website)

Active Member

I have no idea who this man is, but I found this article ridiculously pretentious. A flattering, well-fitting pair of jeans can look as put-together, if not more so, than lots of "dressier" items like skirts, chinos, etc. It's all in the fit, style and how you wear something, and to scapegoat denim like this is ridiculous. Maybe people in certain areas do dress a bit too casually, but there are plenty of things about modern society (American, Canadian, European- I'm not being judgemental) that are more deserving of critical examination than the way some people dress.

16 years ago

Alecia

Veteran

George Will is a newspaper columnist. His column runs in my local paper. I think he may also contribute to Newsweek.

16 years ago

Ariadne

Veteran

That article made me laugh. I dare the author to read that article aloud to a panel of smart casual YLFers (including Angie, of course) in dark denim and see how far he gets before he gives up and begs our forgiveness! Then again, I have a feeling that this poor guy doesn't even realize that 95% of what we think of as denim here on YLF is actually denim--I bet he thinks denim = the Canadian Tuxedo (http://www.stylelist.com/blog/.....an-tuxedo/) and that's it.

16 years ago

Chris

Active Member

Sloppy thinking is just as bad as sloppy dressing in my opinion. While most of us have agreed that we would like the world to take a more thoughtful approach to their appearance, dismissing denim outright is taking the easy way out.

16 years ago

Maya

Veteran

The overall sentiment is right but like the others, I'm a bit shocked that he is targeting denim. DENIM? This piece reminds me of old I Love Lucy episodes where Lucy and Ethel would refuse to leave the house in their "blue jeans." Denim has come a long way since then.

I agree that Americans are sloppy dressers, but why he chose DENIM over a sea of other offending garments is mind boggling. People who leave their houses in pajamas, sweats, Crocs, yoga gear, and flipflops all get off scot free, but people wearing a spectacularly fitting pair of jeans in a smart casual way get a boot in the face?

He clearly has not been keeping up with fashion since the 1950's otherwise he might know that a pair of dark denim jeans looks infinitely smarter than chinos or khakis or a myriad of other pant options available to women that just don't work with our bodies.

16 years ago

shana

Veteran

Well, George Will is in his late 60's and is probably unfamiliar with the idea of denim in the smart casual context. I would just chalk it up to the generation gap. His metaphor about driving the Hummer to Whole Foods is hilarious!

16 years ago

Kristen

(website)

Veteran

I agree, Shana. George Will is a famous conservative columnist -- conservative socially as well as politically. He's written for years about the decline of civility and manners in society; this is really an extension on that.

While I agree, he's missing the point of premium denim and how it can actually upgrade the level of dressiness, I do think his comments about how far away the rugged origins of jeans for railroad workers are from the sloppy, uber-casual usage we see now everywhere (at funerals and weddings, even! ugh.) were pretty hilarious. Point to you, Mr. Will.

16 years ago

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