Fashion Trend of the Week: Plain Blue Jeans

Levi Strauss invented jeans in 1853 during the heart of the California Gold Rush. Shortly afterwards, jeans became an integral part of every American’s wardrobe. Over the years, jeans have gone through extreme transformations, changing their look, color, and style every season. No matter how they change, jeans will always be in style because of their practicality and comfort.

While walking around campus lately, you'll see relatively little variety when it comes to this fashion staple. This season, everyone is wearing plain blue jeans! No pocket detail, no rips at the knees, just plain jeans! Although many stores on Nassau Street are displaying jeans with eye-catching studs and designs, Princeton students are loving their plain blue jeans.

Girls have many more options when it comes to their blue jeans. On campus, most girls choose to wear medium to dark skinny jeans, paired with sweaters and jackets to combat the cold weather. Skinny jeans are definitely more stylish than boot cut jeans, but either look can work depending on what you pair with them. If you choose to wear boot cut jeans, be sure to wear some fabulous accessories with them, like a cool scarf or some bright-colored bracelets. Do not go with the “faded at the knees” look—it is definitely not as classy as just plain color. Also, jeans should be blue! Colored jeans, such as purple, pink, turquoise, etc. are so last season!

For the guys, it is important that your jeans actually fit you. At a place like Princeton, it is not acceptable to wear your jeans around your knees. You NEED to wear a belt. Belts are a great way to show off your personality and keep your pants up. Obviously you shouldn’t be wearing tight skinny jeans (unless you are a skateboarder), so go with the fitted boot cut jeans. The bottoms of your jeans shouldn’t be dragging on the ground and they shouldn’t be all bunched up around your ankles. Jeans should be resting at the top your sneakers, and should be almost to the floor in the back. A solid medium wash is definitely the way to go for color.

Why do we wear jeans?, you might ask. Sophmore Eric Peñalver says he likes to wear his jeans “because I don’t want to be too formal and wear khakis. Guys don’t have too many alternatives other than jeans when it comes to long pants other than sweatpants. And I’m not a sweatpants kind-of-guy.”

Jeans have become more popular on campus this past week as the weather has gotten chillier. A solid pair will last you for many seasons to come, so it's definitely worth investing in some jeans that you really love.

--Lisa Fierstein '14