I was watching the first season of Friends recently — which came out in 1994 — and was surprised to notice that Joey and Chandler’s outfits bore a striking similarity to what all the downtown types are wearing right now. (Ross, on the other hand, was in an unstylish world all of his own.) The 90s are back in a big way, and with them, all the icons of the decade — buffalo checks, low top Dr Martens, Canadian tuxedos, and of course, stonewash denim.
It happened like this: about 18 months ago, influencers the world over started buying up vintage 501s in every possible blue hue, and taking them to the tailor to be tapered and cropped to fit. Next thing you knew, every street style photograph shot at a fashion week in London, Paris, Milan or New York featured at least one person wearing the classic American pants. The high end designers took notice, and the S/S 2015 collections were filled with luxury takes on denim; and finally Levi’s caught on and decided to re-release the 501s in an all new fit (the 501CT), taking into consideration fans’ preference for a jean that was roomier through the seat and thigh, and which tapered down to a skinny point at the ankle.
So how to wear them? When in doubt, think like Joey (or Springsteen or Brandon from 90210), with a white or blue T-shirt tucked in (look 1). Denim on denim is always a strong option, just make sure the jacket is several shades darker so that you get a good blend of blues in the mix (look 2). And finally, try it like Chandler with a simple white T-shirt underneath a short sleeve shirt (look 3). His would have been of the bowling variety, but patterned works just as well.
Et voila — one pair of all new stonewash jeans worn three ways.
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