Another warm day at work…but not too warm to wear one of my favorite pairs of jeans I got recently from Joe’s! The black skinny with knee rips thing somehow got super huge all of a sudden, and although I don’t usually care for trend following, I fell for this one. The Joe’s Finn in Regan are super soft, the denim fabric is stretchy enough that the holes won’t break open further, and I’m digging the cherry on top: the raw hem! This Soft & Sexy Muscle Tee from American Eagle is indeed soft, and loose fitting enough for the warm weather. I’m wearing an organic bra from Nomad’s Hempwear since it looks stylish enough and not much like a bra when it peeks through. The wrap is from Lucky Brand that I grabbed for $10 with a recent sale they had (yeah really!). I’m a huge fan of wraps and they are just perfect to stay just a little warm in the mornings during this super hot California summer before it warms up as the day goes on. I just love how all of these colors come together! And don’t mind my ugly feet…I need a damn pedicure…
Being such a denim head without understanding at least some history and some of the main figureheads which basically shaped the industry as we know it just seems blasphemous after awhile. I sure as heck would hope, if you are as obsessed as I am, such names as Adriano Goldschmied (not just the brand), Donwan Harrell or Jerome Dahan should at least ring a bell. But still, there is always so much to learn! I just discovered another name that I feel I should have known long ago.
Parasuco is another amazing brand that I’d put, style-wise, in the same bucket as G-Star RAW and Diesel. Along with a few clean yet beautifully washed styles, they also have a pretty impressive collection of jeans featuring washes and innovations that set them in a place all their own. The brand actually goes back as far as the early 1960s, when founder Salvatore Parasuco left Italy for Montreal at a young age to pursue his passion of denim which started in his parents’ washing machine. He worked hard to come up with his own special method to make sure his jeans would come out with the most vibrant and rich indigo dye. He converted his parents clothesline into a denim dryer, and sold his first pairs out of his high school locker. At the age of 19 Salvatore Parasuco opened his first boutique, titled Pour les Deux, and in 1975, he founded Santana Jeans. Now this is the cool part: this new label sparked well known trends of today such as acid-washed, stretch denim and black over-dyed. According to the Parasuco website, “Parasuco became a leading figure in the industry renown for his innovative designs, modern fabrics, advanced technologies and his ever growing interest in global and domestic trade.”
I think it’s safe to say that denim made a pretty successful comeback after the athleisure surge a few years ago, with impressive stretch technologies that helped create a perfect rival for leggings and other gym-wear. Just about every premium brand now has lines with improved comfort, shape retention and fits thanks to this relatively new market competition, but many of us (including me) were wondering what could possibly come next. To me, it looks like it’s all about more lightweight fabrics with the same qualities and technologies as all the other new ultra comfortable, stretch fabrics. Last year, 7 For All Mankind came out with Slim Illusion Luxe, an ofshoot of their Slim Illusion line with 9.2 oz. “Luxe Stretch Denim” that promised “extreme comfort” with a streamlined silhouette. In June, Mavi Gold released their Feather line of denim that is “light as air” (see my review here) and now 7 For All Mankind has come out with their own slimming, stretch lightweight denim line called b(air) Denim.
I’m pretty sure I’m not alone when I say I love the longer days that come along with the summertime…they give me plenty of time after work to get some shots taken for the two blogs I run! I had these shots taken a few weeks ago for a Denimology review but I was just too stoked on this new Soft & Sexy Cold Shoulder tee from American Eagle Outfitters and G-Star RAW 5620 Elwood Ultra High Waist Skinny in Medium Aged. I’ve been a fan of AEO for a long time now but recently I’ve fallen back in love with them thanks to their newest supersoft tees and Don’t Ask Why collection which was a smart move on their part…it helped spread their demographic across a wider age range.
I am not usually into following the influx of “festival fashion” articles and newsletters that bombard my inbox and blogs everywhere during this time of year, mainly because I follow a more alternative style apart from the mainstream boho vibe. I often find there really isn’t a whole lot of difference between all of the reports of what should or should not be worn at music festivals (which pretty much defeats the purpose of individual style and freedom of expression at festivals to begin with) and I bore quickly with most of them. Although I guess, to be fair, my festival tastes are of the transformational sense (Lucidity, Lightning In a Bottle, etc) rather than the Coachella type. All in all though I love seeing people happy and finding a break from the mundane and all the crap in the news everyday by attending whatever festival they choose and wearing whatever they please, and so I don’t completely tune myself out of it!
One Teaspoon, if you haven’t yet noticed from reading my blog on the regular, is a latest obsession of mine. I’ve never seen any brand rule the destroyed and trashed jeans as much as they have, even though some of them still have some growing to do on me. This brand manages to throw vintage, upscale, sexy, swanky, boho, trashed, casual, and even date-nite vibes all in one, and I freaking love them for it. They recently put together their own little collection as a suggestion for festival attire, and I absolutely adore it. I figured I’d break my anti-festival-attire mood here and feature some of my favorite pieces from One Teaspoon that I’d definitely wear to a party or two! How adorable are those fringy One Teaspoon. Vintage Western Bandits shorts? I totally dig those Moleskin Camel Marines too.
I’ve known about Mavi Jeans for quite awhile, ever since they used to grace a late boutique we had here in my town that I designed displays and window posters for back in 2008. However, I didn’t really get to try them out until 2014 for a Denimology review featuring the Emma Slim Boyfriend, and once again last year featuring the ultra soft Serena Jogger. This time though, I’m even more excited because I got to try the brand new Feather by Mavi Gold line, which I wrote about last month! These are really something special, and I’m excited to show off this pair which was my favorite from the line and stood out to me right away…the Alexa Ankle Skinny in Green Indigo Gold Feather!
I’ve talked about TOMS so much throughout my blog here, for an obvious reason; the impressive charitable contributions for this brand are very well known. Just about every month I get an email from them highlighting something new, and sometimes I have to be careful to not turn my blog into a TOMS themed blog—everything they send is so cool and admirable. This one has another obvious purpose. Apart from the brand’s awesome One for One® initiative, where for every shoe purchased, a pair is sent to a child in need, they’ve recently released a denim and chambray shoe collection! Although the two fabrics are pretty similar (apart from a few differences in the weave pattern), I focused on just the denim side here since there were too many cool options for men, women and the little ones too. Most of these are also great options for stylish vegans as well! Here are some of my favorites below.
First off, sorry for being MIA last week. With July 4th and a much needed two days off of work (making it a 5 day staycation), I decided to just enjoy some R&R. It can be tough always being on point with a blog 24/7, especially with my 9-5, and I always feel breaks are necessary to keep up the momentum for as long as I have!
Now for the subject on hand…It’s always hard to resist a good sale—at least to drool and oogle at it a bit. Rag & Bone is always a fun one, and when they have a good sale, it’s a GOOD one, especially in the denim department! I’m a big fan of finding a gem here and there from the brand, whether on their website or eBay. Their washes are just so blissfully gorgeous, especially the light bluish green ones like the one shown in the Capri in Hanover below. Even some of the darker washes are just so eye popping! This is one brand that I’ve enjoyed trying multiple fits with…the legging, high rise and mid rise jean, and I’m a fan of all. I haven’t yet tried any of their tops, bags or shoes, but yeah, I’m oogling away! The perforations, layers, cuts, colorblocking, appliques and all sorts of details are just so unique and pretty. One of these days, I’ll just have to snatch up something other than the denim kind from the brand.
Right now, Rag & Bone is offering an extra 40% off everything already on sale with code JULYSALE16, through 7/10 at 11:59pm PST. Shop my favorites from this sale below, and don’t forget to enter the special code at checkout!
As we know, it’s already quite tough enough to find the jeans that best fit your body. Even though it has gotten better over the years thanks to better fabric technologies, brand research and customer feedback, but what about jeans that fit something more important: you know, like your lifestyle, and who you are? Last year I wrote about this awesome Kickstarter campaign that was a breath of fresh air in the denim industry, bringing up something I hadn’t even seen yet: androgenous denim for both men and women. We already are seeing a lot of crap in the political realm on gender-neutral rights, why should it also span across apparel—something we can fix right now? We already know we can’t always throw everyone into specific categories, especially when it comes to body shape, and that everyone comes in a wide range of different shapes, sizes and lifestyles. Dapper Boi came forth to help remedy that.
In May 2015, Dapper Boi’s Kickstarter started with slim-straight jeans that had the details and the look of men’s jeans, while also featuring great fit and comfort for a woman’s body with the right amount of stretch. The jeans were meant to be a perfect fit for anyone and they even tested them out on some curvy men who ended up loving them too. With a goal of $18,000, the company was able to raise $26,000 to produce the first run of these jeans, which have already sold out with some happy fans buying their second or third pairs after trying their first! Dapper Boi has decided to change their business model to ensure their expansion without the use of outside crowdfunding sources.
Anyone can now purchase a pair of premium jeans for as low as $69 (wholesale!) for 3 weeks only by visiting DapperBoi.com and clicking on “Limited Wholesale Pricing“. If the minimum amount needed to start production is raised through this limited-time sale, customers will receive their jeans in 6 to 8 weeks. Every jean will be produced in a limited quantity, and once they are delivered to their customers, any additional inventory will be available for purchase at retail price within the “In Stock Now” section of their website. If the funding goal is not met in the three-week period, the jeans will not be manufactured and customers will receive a full refund. It basically puts the control in the customer’s hands! The goal is to run three 3-week sales every month.
The first collection launched on June 20th and features Slim-Straight, Premium Indigo Stretch Jeans. Darker than their initial OG jeans, this wash is versatile enough for any occasion and is made of lighter weight, 9.7oz denim with even more stretch at a 98% cotton and 2% spandex fabric makeup. This makes it a flexible, comfortable fit for just about any size and shape. This campaign will run through 11:59pm July 11, and once the jeans are back in stock they will return to their retail price of $138.
“We’re in the business of making people feel comfortable in their own skin and it’s only a matter of time before a mainstream department store takes on a gender-neutral department with its own fitting room. Until then, we want to be the pioneers to take us there.” -Founder and CEO Vicky Pasche
But that’s not all. What would a great company like this be without a charitable cause? Dapper Boi aims to positively impact their LGBT and gender-neutral customers by donating $4.99 to the Orlando Pulse Shooting Fund, hosted by Equality Florida Action, Inc., with every pair of jeans sold from their latest campaign (assuming their funding goal is met). All of these funds will go to directly to the families of the 49 victims and the survivors from this tragedy. I am giving them a huge group hug through my screen right now.
Shop the limited collection from Dapper Boi and read more about this awesome company here!
Read my previous post about them that I wrote last year here.
