I love the shopping site Farfetch as much as the next man, but I was not happy with today’s feature, a lesson on How to Wear Double Denim.
First of all, I don’t want the term “double denim.” Take it away! Who made it up, anyway? Is it The Gap? WendyB discussed the wearing of double denim a few weeks ago. Most of her readers seemed to feel, Yes, I’m into it. I personally didn’t like the examples she showed but then I forgot about it. Now I see it’s a bona fide fashion Problem.
If you need to ask how to wear double denim, you should just give up. Don’t wear anything. Stay home in bed. How hard is wearing denim for fuck sake?!
Farfetch shows us three ways to “pull if off.” This is perilously close to “getting it right.” It’s so dogmatic! Who is to decide whether you pulled it off, besides the Satorialist?
The looks devised by Farfetched seem completely arbitrary but they are given categories, because People like categories. There is Tough, Pale and Preppy. Preppy is a silly Tom Sawyer costume, Pale is kind of Pseudo French Girl, and Tough is sexy because it’s modeled by Abby Lee Kershaw, a young goddess. There are all sorts of bossy rules involved in each look.
Now I’m feeling really bad about double denim. I don’t think I normally wear jeans with anything else denim, but whatever, it’s dead to me now.
HOWEVER! I just went to Macy’s to get my kid a shirt and in the men’s department they had skin tight skinny cut Levi’s in bright colors like turquoise and red, for only $59. I would wear red Levi’s with a denim jacket. But not now. I’m too stubborn, and I don’t have $59.
I have never been a fan of denim, but can tolerate it if it comes in the form of a skirt, a jacket or a pair of shorts. But I’d never wear any of those things together (including the possible permutation of a skirt+shorts)- this ‘double denim’ business is nothing short of a scourge.
Abbey Lee Kershaw is indeed a young goddess, though.
I was in elementary school in the mid-nineties, and half of my school pictures feature light denim jumper dresses with denim peter-pan collars beneath, dark matching denim suits, or stonewash shirts and indigo blossom hats alongside hair all brushed to one side and missing front teeth. And I’m not even from Texas! Glamour Shots is more glam than this idea. It always seems to come back in economic low, serving as an anemic nod to the dustbowl.
This look is not fashion and only works on hot rugged gay cowboys. The red with regular denim is a good idea, though; it’s all in avoiding the Texas Tuxedo:
http://www.fashiontoast.com/2009/03/texas-tuxedo.html
I’m old enough to remember the 80s.
Double Denim.
Just Say No.
Me too – I wore it then but won’t risk it now, there’s a chance I’d get mistaken for Francis Rossi.
Double Denim = Canadian Tux.
Canadian Tuxedo! Why isn’t my dad a new fashion icon?!
He’s been rocking that look forever.
If you need to ask, don’t. Yes haha I agree.
My husband walked out of the the closet (that sounds funny doesn’t it…and I’ve not even made my point) about 6 months ago. Jeans and a chambray denim shirt. I looked aghast and said, “You cannot wear two denim items at once. I’m sure there’s a rule somewhere!”
And now look what happens!
I’m not into it either but I do enjoy Wendy B’s enthusiasm on the subject. She’s on a crusade to bring back the Canadian tuxedo.
🙂
Isabelle is right, it’s a Canadian tuxedo!
Double denim is just wrong.
Hey, I’m Canadian (Torontonian) and I don’t know anyone from Canada who wore dd. I’m not big on fashion; however, it’s one of my unbroken rules (never go dd). It’s like wearing an ear tag and a collar tag. Or praying to stop the chanting.
“If you need to ask how to wear double denim, you should just give up. Don’t wear anything. Stay home in bed. How hard is wearing denim for fuck sake?!” — lol…people always ask me “how” to wear mixed metals. Um, just put the jewelry on? What am I supposed to say? Well, I say nice, soothing things if they’re buying something from me, of course.
Tennesee Tuxedo.
Is it just me, or is anyone else having bad flashbacks to the babysitter’s club’s denim-wearing “california casual” gal?
I just have issues with being told what’s in and what’s out and how to make things work in general. I love that fashion evolves, and gives us new ideas and ways to put things together. I love that these new ideas trickle down to the street fashion level so that I too can eventually afford some of these things. But I hate that all of a sudden all of these things will be worn the exact same way. The ‘right’ way, to make it look cool. You see it in LA all the time… a bunch of assholes wearing the same asshole outfit. Even if it’s vintage. Even if it’s one of a kind. It all looks the same on, because it’s all worn the “right way”.
Pulling something off, in my opinion, is much more about attitude, and much less about how you put it together. And because I’d be very uncomfortable in a head-to-toe denim outfit, I guarantee you that even if I DID have the body of one of these models, and the exact outfit, I’d STILL look like a total douchebag. Of course, if I was walking through the West Village dressed as a douchebag, maybe the Sartorialist would take a picture of me…
“I don’t think I normally wear jeans with anything else denim, but whatever, it’s dead to me now.”
I agree, it’s a “thing”, now it is ruined.
let’s discuss the Abbey Lee problem. Girls shouldn’t look like this. It makes me insecure. I keep reminding myself that she is about 20 and a model. If I were a real Goddess up on Olympus I woud demand that she have a weight placed around her neck just to mitigate the whole thing. It’s annoying.
I wore a denim jacket and jeans pretty much every fall and spring from 10th to 12th grade. I thought it looked good back then but now I am kind of conflicted. Would totally wear skinny skinny jeans with a fleece-lined acid wash denim jacket though, for maximum trashiness.
Either way it should not become a “thing,” then people will get all douchey about it. Also why would anyone ever listen to what some stupid magazine that is trying to sell them products tells them to do? Just put the damn clothes on and be done with it.
Bessie, you’ve never been to a bush party, have you? In, say, northern Ontario or rural Québec? Believe me, the Canada Tux is as de rigueur as a two-four, always has been.
And that’s what I think of when I think “double denim” – mouthbreathers drinking on the back of a pickup truck, with Top Lite Hits Radio playing tinnily from a bad car stereo.
As usual, I agree with WendyB.
Trends are so annoying.
Bad Kate, no, you’re right I’ve never been to a bush party. I don’t even know what it is (I’m thinking it has nothing to do with being gay). I grew up just south of the Danforth, not too, too far from Bloor and Younge. In 1969 we wore Levi’s with windbreakers during the spring. I don’t remember anyone wearing dd; however, goes to show you, I married someone whose daily uniform was jeans and a jean jacket, and he is from NYC (no longer married, but he still wears the uniform).
I wore double denim today, just in spite. I was overdressed by some opinions (ha,ha,ha). I liked it, people talked about their first kisses… It’s actually nostalgic romantic look, a steep step from white trash suggestions above.
I agree with Wendy B… I dont understand this “pulling it off” you put the clothes on, and you leave the house. If you like it… score! if other people dont and are rude enough to comment. Fuck ’em. that is how i pull it off.
But then i buy not curate, snag or acquire.. dress not shop my closet, put on clothes as opposed to “style”, and i leave the house as opposed to “pull it off”. So what the fuck do I know.
Denim on denim reminds me too much of the video from “C’mon Eileen”.
We used to call this a “denim dilemma.”
In 1987 I confiscated Mr Hammie’s denim bomber jacket because he wore it with matching jeans.
I believe my actions were justified. xx
I like denim on denim and I know exactly where they got the idea that this is some exploitive trend: fashion bloggers! I have read and even thought about posting about how I love denim but now I know, reading this “how-to”, that it has reached its saturation point. When this happens I delete my post that has been saved and carry on with my life.
GOOOOOOOOOOO patni! I totally agree.
Canadian tuxedos are only appropriate when drinking Molson in somebody’s shed, preferably listening to Rush and maybe paired with a mesh-backed trucker hat and a little flannel.
Ooh i hate those prissy little rules that fashion writers are always so keen on spreading. Its always the worst in fashion monthlys and broadsheets because they assume most of their audience are too busy to keep abreast of new trends and thus require these insultingly patronising dictats. Check out the guardian on saturday, theres a how to dress series thats terribly smug, polly vernon in the observer is also a huge pain in the arse
aine- you mean Jess Cartner-Morley’s videos, right? I don’t mind her, she’s probably ok for the posh 30something clueless people those ‘how to dress’ guidelines who are her likely target audience (particularly priceless was last week’s one on how to wear a dress with a jacket- as if that’s a new look, ha) but in my head the worst offenders are rags like Grazia, which I can enjoy on a good day, but 9 times out of 10 is tripe.
Polly Vernon used to write smug things for Vogue, too- probably still does, in fact.