Alternative to the blue jean

The blue jean along with the white tee is an American icon. Back in the 60's and 70s it was practically the uniform of the youth. It was so associated with American values that it was practically banned in the Communist world. It enjoyed such status that it was rumoured you could trade a pair of Levis for a car in early 90's Russia.

Today jeans remain a fashion institution. You can wear it doing manual labour or pair it with thousand dollar suit jackets. What would the world be like without the blue jean? What could replace it in the future?
 
pulled this from this website:

why is denim blue?
denim is unique in it's singular connection with one colour. the warp yarn is
traditionally dyed with the blue pigment obtained from indigo dye.
until the introduction of synthetic dyes, at the end of the 19th century,
indigo was the most significant natural dye known to mankind,
linked with pratical fabrics and work clothing. the durability of indigo as a
colour and it's darkness of tone made it a good choice, when frequent washing was
not possible. In 1870 BASF in germany, originally suppliers of natural indigo had
started the search for a synthetic substitute, in 1894 the process was perfected.

Considering their practical background as working clothes, I don't think you can get rid of jeans. Anyway, this is in the post-1900 discussion board, and jeans definitely existed by 1900.
How to make them un-iconic though...

The first idea to come to mind is a stronger communist/anarchist/socialist movement in the first two decades of the 20th century. The image of workers in jeans involved in civil disturbances associates the attire with radical behavior and the commercial market for jeans dries up.
The only thing I can think to replace them are dungarees or other khaki pants. But since workers still have to work, and the counter-culture is still likely to rough it out west, jeans are still associated with the rebels (even more so actually.)
Still, you might be able to keep them out of style through the 60s. I have a feeling they're just too easy to get rid of this way. Maybe I'll have a better idea after reading the t-shirt thread ;)
 

Hendryk

Banned
How about this: at the end of WW2, returning GIs realize that civilian trousers aren't as convenient as fatigue pants with their no-nonsense design and extra pockets. They take to wearing them on week-ends and whenever circumstances allow wearing casual attire. Before long the fashion is taken up by others, and from the late 1940s fatigue pants are the first true cross-class piece of clothing. By the end of the Eisenhower era they are as ubiquitous and all-American as flannel shirts.
 
How about this: at the end of WW2, returning GIs realize that civilian trousers aren't as convenient as fatigue pants with their no-nonsense design and extra pockets. They take to wearing them on week-ends and whenever circumstances allow wearing casual attire. Before long the fashion is taken up by others, and from the late 1940s fatigue pants are the first true cross-class piece of clothing. By the end of the Eisenhower era they are as ubiquitous and all-American as flannel shirts.

Earlier rise of the cargo pants?

Seems pretty good, I'd wear it.

cargos-R2362.jpg

cargos-R2362.jpg
 
Rember that most women hated those things in the 40.s- 60's they had to be pressed with a knife edge creases . You are talking about 10 mins to press them right every time you wore them .

Good point, but maybe they can still come in fashion to replace the blue jeans later in the 60s or early 70s. Of course, I suck at fashion history and have always been out of the fashion of the time so I'm not too sure.
 
Please, call them combats :eek:

Do they *have* to be pressed? Jeans aren't meant to be ironed either. I wear combats a lot, they're comfortable and useful, and come in a huge variety of designs - DPM, Desert Tiger, eye-watering UV purple - just play Metal Gear Solid 3 ;)

Personally I'd like to see some kind of long kilt, preferably made of leather.
 
Please, call them combats :eek:

Do they *have* to be pressed? Jeans aren't meant to be ironed either. I wear combats a lot, they're comfortable and useful, and come in a huge variety of designs - DPM, Desert Tiger, eye-watering UV purple - just play Metal Gear Solid 3 ;)

Personally I'd like to see some kind of long kilt, preferably made of leather.

At that time they were and a lot of people even pressed there jeans .
 

Hendryk

Banned
Earlier rise of the cargo pants?
Exactly. Perhaps, to address Ward's point, they would no longer be ironed past the mid-1960s.

I've never been much into jeans, myself. I find chinos and cargo pants more comfortable.

BTW, found this about the history of chinos. Seems they've been around for a long time.

Chino is a Spanish word translating as China or Chinese. The term chinos, synonymous with khakis (when the terms describe pants) migrated to the English language, when pants made of strong cotton fabric were used as part of military uniforms in both the UK and the US. Chinos, in their simplest definition, are merely pants for men made of cotton fabric imported from China. They also picked up the name khakis because the military standard in the UK was to dye these pants to a tan khaki color. The modern chino may be dyed any color, though tan, black, blue, and olive drab are the usual choices.

Chinos as military uniform were simple slacks with straight waists, no pleats, and a tapered leg. The fabric was durable, yet light, and suitable for wear in warm conditions, while providing adequate coverage. The khaki color became popular in the UK in the mid 19th century, particularly for blending into the landscape of India during the British occupation. In the late 19th century, American soldiers started wearing khakis as part of standard military wear.

The term khakis came first, and is a Hindi name for the word dust. Chinos came later after the Spanish American War, where US occupation of the Philippines resulted in a high number of Spanish terms entering the English language, since so many residents of the Philippines spoke Spanish. Again, the American style of military chino was much like the British, a very simple pant with no pleats, a zip and button front, and straight legs.

By the early 20th century, the American public began to wear chinos, especially to semi-informal gatherings. Boys might wear them to school or young men might wear them in college. They quickly became associated by the 1940s with the preppy look, and the young men wearing chinos after WWII only reinforced this. The 1950s perhaps can be viewed as the highpoint for chino popularity. Most schoolboys and college men wore chinos, as it was not always acceptable to wear jeans, especially to school.

Popularity of khakis as everyday pants declined with upsurge in trends toward wearing more casual clothing. Jeans have been, since the mid 1960s, the standard wear for attending school. Yet you’ll still see chinos worn for informal events, and most boys in private schools wear them. Design styles in khakis have changed too. First off, both men and women may wear today’s chino styles.

Second, you’re likely to see dressier styles of the pants with pleated fronts, larger pockets, cuffs, and a variety of other small details. Chino styles for women can be full length or come in pedal pusher or low waist styles. Further, khakis aren’t necessarily always made of 100% cotton twill, and the fabric does not always come from China, as it used to for military issue uniforms. They may have some polyester or other stain resistant fabric blended with cotton. Instead of referring to the fabric, they more refer to a style imitative of military issued pants.
 
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