Life-Work Jeans
On trusty blues and the jacket I designed to help get it done.
I’m going to get into other people’s jeans in a bit but first, I’m excited to talk about the jacket I made – an elevated version of the iconic men’s work coat, cut in the most beautiful 100% cotton indigo. It’s a unisex update on a jacket I made a few years ago, with some adjustments, a new light wash, and a longer sleeve. I’m calling it No. 1.
My reason for re-making this jacket to fit men as well as women is simple: People asked for it.
That the style of my jacket sits squarely in men’s fashion history helps. Jackets like No. 1 derive from the blue-dyed uniforms worn by French farmers and railroad engineers of the 1930s, and have been called many things: Bleu de travail (loosely translated as “blue work,” which is how the term “blue-collar” came about); there’s also chore coat (most popularly), and sack coat (if you’re Carhartt). All these names imply a hard-working quality. The person nearly-synonymous with the traditional (i.e. non-denim) bleu de travail is Bill Cunningham, the legendary New York photographer and a most beloved fixture in fashion, society, and street. Here is a man who devoted his life to his work. For Bill, no other jacket would do.
This letter looks at jeans that make life’s heavy lifting feel a bit lighter. A well-made jacket with useful pockets; a pair of Levi’s that meets a mother’s ever-changing needs; and a “classic boyfriend” that showed up at just the right moment in time. I hope you enjoy Clarissa Romano’s Jean of the Week (below). If it wasn’t true, I’d say it’s too good.
THE ONLY JANE: Jacket No. 1 in Dark and Washed Indigo
It’s really hard to show you how gorgeous this denim is in pictures. It is Italian, 100% cotton – thin and soft, but constructed with enough integrity to hold its own in a unisex workwear garment. Zach, who is 5’11”, wears the new washed indigo version of No. 1 in a size L. Mark, in the dark denim, is 5’8”, a 38S in jackets, and wears size M.
Like everything I design, No. 1 is made in Los Angeles and comes with the Anchor Charm attached. Questions about the fit and function, or how to wear and wash it – reply to this letter or use this link. I’m answering your inquiries personally.
LEVI’S: Ribcage Straight Ankle
Three readers recommended I try this jean. One was Jessica de Ruiter, the fashion editor whose approach to denim I have admired for more than a decade. Jean Stories fans might recognize this picture of Jessica (arguably the site’s most popular of all time), from 2014.
“I couldn't relate more about body changes post pregnancy,” Jessica emailed after reading my first letter, in which I discussed both the fundamental and perceptual shifts that I experienced after becoming a mom. “I had my second baby 18 months ago and can’t imagine tight jeans again...at least not right now.” So what, if not those perfect, butt-hugging 501s, is Jessica wearing? “The Rib Cage Straight Ankle. No stretch, but light, soft denim and a good wash that could almost pass as vintage with a wide cropped leg,” she wrote, attaching another enviable back-pocket shot:
Jessica is a die-hard vintage jeans girl. “I used to wear vintage Levis’s exclusively,” she told me. “These are new, but I can get behind them as the fit is so comfy and soft without looking fake. I liked that the waist is high without making me feel like I can’t breath or sit...so over that. And the 27" inseam makes them the perfect crop. I always think showing some ankle is most flattering on me.”
p.s. I bought these Ribcage jeans in a darker wash with a longer inseam (29”) and the fit is truly terrific. Mine came with a frayed hem (not my thing; I’ll take them to the tailor to finish), and they are currently on sale for about $80. Get them here.
Jean of the Week: by Clarissa Romano
On jeans as a random act of kindness…
Who talks to strangers on planes anymore? Maybe someone with a one year-old traveling cross-country in the midst of a crisis? Midway through my flight from New York to Los Angeles, I pointed to the book my seat mate was reading: 10% Happier.
“Any good?”
He was younger than me, in his early thirties, and painfully stylish: impeccably groomed in a glossy, black leather jacket studded with colorful buttons.
"Kinda," he said, shrugged, and set the book aside. He was traveling to L.A. on business, he said. What business? Formerly the denim director for Reformation, he now had his own denim company, Boyish Jeans.
For the next hour, I found a welcome relief in discussing denim with a total stranger. He shocked me with facts – 1,800 gallons of water to make a single pair; over 2 billion pairs of jeans made per year. He spoke passionately about Boyish: Its mission of sustainability, and vintage, non-conforming style.
“What do you look for in your denim?” he asked. Nearly forty, with a drooling baby napping in my lap, I suspected his interest in me was nothing more than a supreme act of generosity. I answered honestly: High-waisted, rigid-as-hell, and ready to go anywhere, from playground to dinner.
“I’ll send you a pair,” he said, as we began our descent. Yeah right.
But several months later, back in New York, I received three pairs of jeans in the mail. Three excellent pairs. The first, a high-waisted wide-leg with a belt and exposed button fly – Jane Birkin comes to mind. The second were classic boyfriends – the essence, I feel, of the Boyish look. The third was a pair I’d never have picked for myself – black. Distressed (fitting, no?). I wore all of them obsessively. They were, in retrospect, the kindest gifts I ever received from a stranger. Like flowers on Mother’s Day, or an apple for a teacher, the gift of jeans, I now realize, conveys respect for the work we do, as women, every day. The business of living, made just a little bit easier.
Clarissa Romano is a writer, educator, and yoga teacher who lives in Brooklyn and Woodstock, New York.
I’ll be traveling soon (two weeks, two kids, and two European countries should keep me busy!). Follow me on Instagram @janepageherman to see the jeans I’m taking on the road. Thank you for shopping, sharing, and subscribing to my letter – your support, as always, is everything.
Jane
Hi! Love your substack and look forward to it? A question: what is the wash Jessica is wearing? The link is In the Middle - Light Wash, but the photo doesn't match. Thanks so much!