No jeans after 53? Tasmanians won't wear that
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Be they skinny fit, boyfriend cut or even distressed, Tasmanians have overwhelmingly declared a survey suggesting no-one should wear jeans over the age of 53 to be "balderdash".
A UK package delivery company surveyed 2,000 Brits on their denim habits, with a majority saying people aged 53 and over should put away the jeans in favour of other leg coverings.
A brief history of jeans
- The first jeans were made in Genoa, Italy in the 1800s. The name jeans comes from the French word for Genoa, Gênes.
- Denim jeans became popular in the US during the gold rush in the mid to late 1800s when tailor Jacob Davis started selling rivet-reinforced denim pants in Nevada.
- Davis joined forces with Levi Strauss & Co in 1871, selling "blue jeans" as strong, long wearing pants for workers.
- At first jeans only came in indigo blue with stonewashed jeans introduced in the 1960s and acid wash becoming popular in the '80s.
- Jeans can now be found in all shapes and colours and remain popular, though in the US sales of leisure wear began to overtake jeans sales with young people in 2014.
"What balderdash, that's absolutely outrageous," Theatre North general manager and Launceston fashion icon Greg Leong told Leon Compton on 936 ABC Hobart.
"I turned 70 this year and I've got at least six pairs of fashion jeans in my wardrobe."
Mr Leong said denim trousers never completely go out of style, though colours and cuts do come and go.
"They're still in the fashion cycle," he said.
"The main factor now is they've got to be absolutely skin tight."
Talkback callers to 936 ABC Hobart agreed with Mr Leong.
Maggie even has plans for her jeans post-mortem.
"I feel good in jeans," she said.
"I hope to be buried in jeans and a black top one day — not yet."
Support for jeans at any age continued on the 936 ABC Hobart Facebook page.
Leonie: "Well, I'm 54 and my jeans are perfect for slipping on over my bikini after a day at the beach. I'm too old to care what I look like, or a 'study' says."
Sandy: "I'm 56 and I wear jeans almost every day and have no intention of changing. They've been a wardrobe staple since my early teens."
Just one lone caller to the station admitted to not being a fan of denim.
"I'm 88, I have never worn jeans in my life," Albert in Launceston said.
"For the last 20 or 30 years I've worn trackie daks. They're so comfortable."
Topics: fashion, lifestyle, offbeat, human-interest, hobart-7000, launceston-7250
