|
I remember when I got my first pair of Levi’s. I was shopping for new school clothes at JC
Penny’s with my grandma and cousin. I tried
on about five pairs until I found the perfect one. It was great for tight rolling
to show off my sweet Keds at grade school.
As we got older, my cousin and I stopped finding JC Penny’s very cool,
and we went through the phase where looking grunge and shopping at vintage
stores was all the rage. And that is when I found my favorite pair of jeans
ever.
They were broken in Levi’s: faded, ripped, flared and oh so
comfortable. They pretty much became my
uniform. Then the grunge phase passed,
and it was back to basics with GAP. Designer jeans became the next “it” thing. Levi’s
were pretty much forgotten about.
I hadn’t thought about Levi’s in forever, until I went to San Francisco recently and
visited the flagship store. And I was
reminded of the brand again last week when I read this article. It all got me
thinking about how cool Levi’s used to be.
What happened to Levi’s?
As expensive designer jeans became the trend, Levi’s tried to please
everyone, and offer both the $200 pair of jeans at the boutique and sell jeans
at Target for $30. I know I’m not going
to go spend $200 on a pair of jeans when they lack that uniqueness true
designer jeans possess. Levi’s spread
itself too thin by trying to stay with their tried and true market (Target) and
appeal to the designer crowd. And ultimately, they lost out on the cutting edge
trend in denim.
So, can Levi’s stay authentic and still be cool? I certainly don’t see Levi’s going away
anytime soon, so I hope they make a real come back. But I have a feeling that
if I want to find the perfect pair, I am going to have to search through thrift
stores for that timeless look.
 |
The unfortunate part is that I still buy them. Levi's cool factor has lessened, but I've become far too practical to care. Before too long I'll be mowing my grass in tennis shoes with black socks and shorts that are pulled up too high, yelling and shaking my fist in the air at teenagers that drive through my neighborhood going too fast.