11 THINGS A GENTLEMAN DOES TO ADD HIS PERSONAL STYLE TO JEANS

ON THE ART OF WEARING JEANS

BIGDADDY BLUES WEARING JEANS WITH BRACES AND FRENCH CUFFED SHIRT

Like so many things in this modern world jeans or denim are a mass-produced product manufactured at a cost of a few pennies in in quantities of many thousands per hour halfway across the world.  By the time they show up in American markets to meet the staggering demand they may cost anywhere from $18 to $400 and up depending on the label and stitching that has been added as an afterthought. Most people who buy and wear jeans could care less about the details of their provenance, they just want the look, feel and style.  The average guy never gives a thought to how to wear them, jeans are supposed to be somehow "Exempt" from style but a gentleman knows this tragic and unfortunate misconception cannot be farther from the truth. The way that a man wears and styles his jeans tells me a great deal about his aesthetic and personality or it tells me that he hasn't a care for either... Either way he is justified to pursue or ignore style but our focus is on men who are devoted to a high sophistication of gentlemanly style especially when wearing jeans or denim.

I never really liked wearing jeans as a kid probably because for me it was always a pair of "Husky's" with heavy patches on the knee, (inside and outside) and on the seat.  My mother quickly learned that nothing sold in any store was indestructible once I had got my hands on it.  They were no where near being an even match for a rusty-butt boy like me, I imagine I went through dozens of them every year, they were made with typical boys like me in mind.  

When I became a teenager of 15 in 1977 it was the height of the designer jean craze and I had every brand of jeans imaginable.  In the 70's men wore their jeans tight, heavily starched with a boldly ironed crease  down the front.  I always wore a stylish dress shirt and tie with my jeans and a vintage sharkskin or silk, smoking jacket or tweed blazer from the 1940's or 50's.  

I always want to dress jeans up if possible I dislike wearing them with sneakers and a T-shirt if possible but have conceded to the obvious comfort of that care-free look on many happy occasions.  I love to see a gentleman who understands how to wear jeans with a distinctive and stylish flair and this is what I suggest as a foundation:

ADDING FUN THEMED SILK BRACES AND A BEAVER FEDORA

11 CRITICAL ELEMENTS THAT ALWAYS COMPLEMENT JEANS:

1. Jeans; pick a nice cut and weight that will fall nicely at a height that will show off your shoes.

2. Shoes; pick a handsomely stylish shoe from formal to casual the dressier the better.

3. Shirt;, pick a dress shirt preferably with a chunky collar and generous french cuffs.

4. Cufflinks; this is a place where a gentleman can show off his sense of manly style.

5. Socks; socks should be carefully selected to complement the transition from trouser to shoe.

6. Tie; choose a fun tie or bow tie or ascot and it need not be knotted at all.

7. Jacket; softer more casual jackets are best stay away from heavily tailored coats.

8. Hat; Fedora, Homburg, Bowler, Ascot, Trillby or Boater etc., but never a baseball cap.

9. Pocket Square and Handkerchief; a gentleman should always coordinate these features in his jacket or shirt pocket

10. Boutonniere; what can I say, a gentleman should wear one with his jeans and a live one.

11. Braces; jeans, like trousers should hang from a mans shoulders but a handsomely buckled belt is Okay.

When a gentleman wears jeans out for dining, or to any social event even a bar or cigar lounge he should always check his mirror against this checklist before walking out the door.  Wearing jeans is a a true art form because denim is so unlike any other kind of trouser. The key to looking handsome in jeans is to understand how to articulate an informal look so that it retains the hallmarks of a formally well-dressed man.  the buy-in of course begins when a man starts to collect of all the necessary accouterments to stylishly express a gentlemanly look.  Jeans do not have to be those shapeless and sagging things we see falling off the derrieres of vulgarians, they can be smart!

Looks like I've come a long way from the Husky's I wore at age 11.  But i'm doing different things in my denim now than climbing trees and catching  crayfish in the creek. Okay, I still climb trees and catch crayfish but when I go out socially in denim I want to look and feel like a gentleman who understands the history of this patently American apparel. I want to enjoy the casual comfort of denim whist enjoying a personal expression of a sense of manly style cultivated over the 45 years since I first wore denim as a rusty-butt boy....

FIN

WRITTEN BY BIGDADDY BLUES