denim

Levi’s celebrates 140 years of the 501 jean at Macy’s Union Square

 in Bay Area Fashion / Events / Local Designers / Men's Fashion  tagged denim / historical fashion / levis / macys / san francisco designers / summer 2013 by

DSC0674 DSC0675 DSC0676 DSC0681 DSC0683 DSC0684 DSC06981 DSC0699 DSC0700 DSC0707 DSC0710

Levi’s held their 140th anniversary celebration at Macy’s Union Square in San Francisco on May 20, 2013 at 6pm. This exciting event attracted a large crowd filled with Levi’s fans, shoppers, bloggers, media and tourists. There was a live presentation with priceless artifacts from Levi’s museum. The oldest pair of jeans in Levi’s archives, which are pictured in the sixth photo from the top as well as on the right of the above photo, are circa 1879. The pair on the left in the above photo, were found in the Calico Mines and are dated from the 1890’s.

Levi’s Historian Lynn Downey took guests through the Levi Strauss story with amazing pieces of history including the changing use of the rivet over time. In addition to several historical pairs of 501 jeans, Lynn Downey shared marketing material which included a Jefferson Airplane radio commercial. The commercial was a song titled “White Jeans” and sounded quite similar to their smash hit “White Rabbit.” How fitting to have a San Francisco band singing for a San Francisco company! Love that!

Levi’s is taking their iconic 501 jeans into new territory this year as they are planning to roll out a new twill version of the popular pant style. Can’t wait!

Here’s to 140 more years of the fabulous 501 jean!

To learn more about Levi’s and the iconic 501 jean, born in San Francisco during the Gold Rush, please visit Levis.com.

To see a video with historical shots of 501 jeans, please click here.

Photos: Cathy/Bay Area Fashionista 2013©

Denim shirts for summer 2013 and a little Pashmina nostalgia

 in Bay Area Fashion / General Fashion / Trends  tagged denim / summer 2013 by

One of the tricky things about getting dressed when living in San Francisco is being prepared for the fog. When a San Francisco Fashionista wakes up in the morning and gets dressed for the day, s/he must anticipate the fog rolling in and/or out from the bay. The fashion world blessed San Franciscans in 1999 when the Pashmina was the “IT” accessory to own. This fabulous, large wool scarf easily tucked into a handbag and could be pulled out at a moment’s notice to cover one’s shoulders in the event the fog rolled in; and you can always count on the fog rolling in from the bay!

Alas, the Pashmina is no longer hip, it has been relegated to a “meh-it’s OK” cover up for formal events; if even that. While San Franciscans find their Pashmina’s taking up valuable real estate in their dresser drawers, another trend from earlier in the 1990’s is showing promise; the denim  shirt.

Ah yes, the denim shirt. This fabulous article of clothing was HOT from about 1992 through to 1996. The denim shirt served so many purposes for Fashionistas in San Francisco, around the Bay Area, and across the globe. It served as a cover up when the fog rolled in plus it added a little bit of preppy grunge to a casual ensemble. Some women even found it was a great way to cover up one’s derrière when a pair of jeans just did not seem to fit the same as they did last year  Hmmm.

Fashionista’s in San Francisco, the Bay Area, and around the globe are cheering! Do you know why they are cheering? This fabulous casual fashion trend is back! That’s right! The denim shirt is the hottest article of clothing for summer 2013. Now that is music to anyone’s ears that needs a solution to the fog!

Hopefully fashion-savvy savers have stocked away their favorite denim shirt from the 1990’s and can pull it out of the box for summer 2013. If not, do not worry! There are many fabulous denim shirts, or chambray shirts, on the market right now which will make the perfect cover up when the fog rolls in off the bay. Love that!

I found a few fabulous denim and chambray shirts around the web and assembled them into this shopping widget below. Hope you love them! Happy shopping, and stay fabulous 

c600x486

Denim on denim for summer 2013

 in Trends  tagged denim / spring 2013 / summer 2013 by

Denim worn with denim? Yes, you saw the headline correctly. This trend from the late 1980’s to the early 1990’s is once again hot on the street. Denim with denim is the hottest trend from the street for summer 2013!

Denim vests, chambray shirts and denim jackets are being shown with denim skirts, shorts and pants. This denim on denim trend has already taken the streets by storm and now many stores are starting to stock the look and prepare their displays in order to reflect summer’s hottest trend.

Denim on denim is being shown in many different ways. This trend can be worn tonal or with contrasting shades of blue. Chambray shirts can also be paired with colored or printed denim for a more subtle take on the trend.

Chambray shirts and denim jackets beg to be layered, so this is a great trend for the San Francisco Bay Area! Since the fog loves to roll in and out; especially in the summer, a denim jacket or chambray shirt is handy to have around just in case you are caught outside when the fog tumbles in from the bay. Love that!

Since denim on denim is a casual trend, this is one street trend everyone can easily incorporate into their weekend wardrobes! One word of advice, denim on denim is not really appropriate for casual Friday at the office. A denim jacket is OK, but a chambray shirt with jeans can look too casual and somewhat sloppy in a professional environment; even one that is casual or high-tech.

We put together a “denim on denim” look in the Polyvore set at the top of this article. We hope you love it! To shop this trend, please visit the shopping widget below. Happy shopping, and stay fabulous 

c600x562 (1)