Margit’s Note: Jean Genie

By Margit Detweiler

(Photo Credit: Kone/Veer.com)

I know you have one, too. An under-the-bed plastic bin stuffed with several pairs of jeans that for one reason or another are not in regular rotation. My bin includes: two that are three sizes too small; one or two that are a full size too big; one that has a giant tear that I imagine I’ll sew up some day (yeah, right); a pair of hot red rock-and-roll skinny jeans from my Rockula days; and a pair of dusty blue overalls that every time I look at make me feel sentimental for the Daisy-Age ‘80s. When I really think about it, will I ever wear any of these again? Probably not. (Although hold up, wait a minute.)

But for some reason it’s really hard to get rid of a pair of once beloved jeans.

Why do we have such a love affair with le blue? It’s the American staple, works in every scenario from a party to a weekend to on-the-job — at least one day a week. A global report on denim jeans predicts the jean market to reach $56 billion by 2018. The care and feeding of jeans has gone insane (read Amy Bar’s piece this week) and you can buy a few iPhones for the cost of some jeans. And high-waisted Mom jeans are on trend and even have their own video. Didn’t see that one coming….

Who knows, maybe someday my bin o’ jeans will be considered vintage and hence, big in Japan.

This week:

• Susan Linney buys designer denim on the cheap.
• Kristin Booker guides us in the buying process.
• Rachel Kramer Bussel ditches her dresses.
• Amy Barr gets schooled by her sons.
• Laurie White loves to hate skinny jeans.
• Jennifer Hill remembers her favorite jeans.
• In What’s Your System, we interview a woman who uses her jeans to store almost everything.
• And Diane Otter can’t stand denim.

Be dashing in those dungarees,

Margit