Elitist for the Masses: Ladies Love Denim Too, Part One

Note: This is a post, the first of two about women's denim, from my better half, the remarkable @henbecdecor - follow her on Twitter for all things whiskey and beverage related, as well as general sardonic wit.

I am not talking about what most women think passes for "nice" jeans. Yes, I am talking to you, miss I went to the Nordstrom semi-anniversary sale and bought 2 pairs of sevens, j. brand, hudson, and a pair of citizens for $300. I used to be one myself. I still have an old pair of sevens that I paint in.

You can wear jeans almost everywhere these days, I mean, let's be honest, the majority of businesses allow at least business casual, and in my industry jeans are not only acceptable but if you are wearing anything nice people assume you have an interview to go to (my husband can't wear jeans to work, it's pretty funny). I wear jeans almost every single day of the week, so I need a pair that is going to last.

Luckily I am married to a man that knows quite a bit about denim. Back in the day, there wasn't a great place in Chicago to purchase quality denim, so we would make a little trip up to Context in Madison. I was prepared to spend some cash on a nice pair of jeans but I was not prepared that most of the jeans do not stretch the way us women would like. There I was in the dressing room being told by 3 men to try on the tightest pair possible because they would eventually stretch (which is true). I was more worried that I was going to rip the zipper out trying to get them on, or risk face-planting in the dressing room. I won't lie, it was an odd moment, I mean, I was used to guys wearing shapeless, baggy faded denim, and here I was being told by a room full of men to go as tight as I could.

Fortunately, one of the pairs they told me to try on were Nudie Jeans, the Tight Long John model, which DO have some stretch to them, so wearing a tight pair of them wasn't like dipping my legs into iron shackles. They were "raw" - which most ladies hear and say "what?" - means they weren't distressed or washed in any way. I think they might be a silly cut on guys (I never liked guys who were rail thin; I like guys with some meat on them, ask my husband), low-waisted and stretchy all the way down, they are perfect for women who want a slim jean with some "denimhead" cred (yes, they are a thing, I've discovered). Nudie Jeans takes making jeans ethically seriously, and so you don't have to feel bad buying a pair - no Indonesian (or whoever) children are being broken on the denim looms to make these jeans. See their page here for details about their philosophy.

As a first pair of dry denim, they are great, and four years later, look great!