I must admit that a pair of jeans is my go-to outfit. I have a drawer full of jeans in all colors to blend with my wardrobe. I even have the short pants in jeans material that I wear all summer unless it is in the nineties that is.

Jimmy Carter gets credit for the popularity of jeans as a fashion statement. During his fireside chats he wore jeans although they were not the high end jeans of today. Jimmy was a peanut farmer so jeans were probably his work attire that he felt most comfortable in.

While I was going to college, pre-Jimmy, I worked in a department store. Part of my time was spent in the men’s department. The jeans were way in the back because the only people who came to purchase jeans were those who did some kind of manual labor. A friend of mine, who also worked in the store, and I spotted a pair of size 52, yes that is 52, jeans on the shelf. I held them up and a plan formulated instantly. We were small enough to each fit into a leg of those over-size jeans. The only difficulty we had was walking. There was not much room for our feet to move as we walked. Of course, we did this one night when our supervisor was at supper. I am sure that many of the ladies who worked with us will remember that adventure because we created quite a stir in the store.

Levi Strauss is credited with the production of the first “blue jeans” in 1873. That means the company has been making jeans for more than 150 years. Strauss was born in Bavaria but immigrated to the U. S. where he made his mark on fashion. He moved from the NYC area to California about the time of the Gold Rush. He did not make his fortune on gold, however, He partnered with Jacob Davis to get a patent for “blue jeans”. Davis was a tailor by trade. He had the idea of adding rivets at points of strain to make the denim wear longer. The first ones constructed had a button fly.

Oh, does that bring back memories. I recall having a couple pair of Levi button-fly jeans in my day. The only drawback was that you had to think about getting to the bathroom before you really needed to go because it took a long time to get out of those jeans!

Another trend in my era was the bell-bottom. If you wanted to make a fashion statement during the late ’60s and ’70s you wore bell-bottom pants. The width of the bottom of the pants varied greatly with some being extremely large and others just modified a little. I preferred the slightly modified version. The one good thing about that era was that I never had trouble getting pants long enough. I have long legs and often had to alter my pants. With the era of the bell-bottom most pants scraped the ground as you walked.

Sonny and Cher were given credit for popularizing the style on their television program in the 1970s. The fad ran its course, but returned in the 1990s and 2000s when jeans went to the boot-cut type to allow the wearer to slide cowboy boots up underneath the legs.

Folks, I did not remember all of these facts. I had to go to the site of the history of Levi jeans to find some of the facts. I also had to research the era of the bell-bottom. I remembered when I wore them, but I did not always wear the latest fashion. In our area of the country we get a little bit behind on the latest fashion trends.

My husband was a dairy farmer but he never wore jeans for work. He wore work clothes known as “Dickies” that came in blue, green, and tan. I must confess that style was much easier to mend that the jeans were. Later when he began to wear jeans my mending skill was tested many times over. When I began mending jeans I needed a sewing machine with a free arm to fit the leg on. There was always a pile of mending to be done after I did the wash. I loved to sew, but did not like to mend so I disciplined myself to get the mending done before I could start a new project.

I do not believe that Jimmy Carter had any idea how popular jeans would become. They are no longer work clothes. Now when you shop you have a selection of all types of fashion type jeans. You better have a healthy budget as well. Today you have to read the labels carefully and you have to try on each and every pair before you buy them. They are all cut differently. Once you find a style you like you hope they do not quit making them. Jeans are one of the most difficult styles to buy but I have found a brand that I like and I always purchase that brand.

These days you can get away wearing jeans almost anywhere. I have even seen a whole wedding done with a western theme of course, with everyone wearing something made of denim. I have even been known to wear them to church with a little dressier look to my accessories.

The latest fashion is the tight-legged jeans. Now the teens think this is the most up-to-date fashion, but I have news for them. This look is a recycled one as well. We wore the tight legs back in the ’60s. The thing I remember though is that you could only wear them for one time because the knees got baggy! I am not sure if that applies to the newest version or not.

Ann Swanson writes from her home in Russell, PA. Contact at hickoryheights1@verizon.net