Lana

Summer Denim Vibes from Shopbop

I can agree that denim may not always be your go-to material during the heat of the summer, unless we’re talking about shortie shorts. Those are definitely some of my favorite pieces that come out of hibernation to enjoy beach days, pool parties or just outdoor outings with friends. But not everyone resides in regions that are too scorching for denim, and some of us just love our favorite jeans too much to part with them at any time throughout the year. Looser fitting items are often a bit more comfortable, and so are jeans with rips or distressing which helps to let the breeze in and help you stay cooler. Whatever our denim preferences are when the weather warms, I am getting some awesome summer denim vibes from Shopbop!

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Lana

The Weirdest and Most Unique Denim at Shopbop

So for those who followed me through my last post, you know why I’ve been MIA for three weeks: I was at that little party in the desert. You know, that one that’s actually a temporary city built by 70,000 people, and also known as Burning Man! What an experience! Since my blog doesn’t focus on such things, I won’t get into details, but I’ll just say it was the most transformative experience of my life. It tested my mental strength several times, and gave me some clarity to some of the things I wanted to improve in my “default” daily life. This event also encourages everyone to be participants rather than spectators, so the collaboration we had giving back to our camp (building, bartending, helping with workshops, etc) was also extremely fulfilling considering that teamwork is not always so easy in the real world! Yeah, there was plenty of partying, but it went way deeper than that—there’s something so liberating and inspiring seeing so many people letting loose with their creativity, and doing good for others without expecting anything in return.

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Lana

My Current Most Unique Picks in Premium Denim

As I’ve mentioned countless times before, one of the reasons I love denim so much is that it seems virtually unlimited in what you can do with it. It is an art form of sorts after all, and it’s amazing to me to see the endless stream of new cuts, washes, and designs that come out every season from the industry’s top contenders. Every now and then I love window shopping all of the latest looks in denim, from all price ranges. I find it sparks my own creative juices, and of course, it gives me ideas on what to write about next! When it comes to denim fits, most of us think of the obvious: skinny, bootcut, flare, straight…you get the picture. However, brands continue to push the limits and come up with their own every now and then, and sometimes you’ll see one that makes enough of an impression to become a new thing across the board. Old styles are always coming back, whether as they were remembered or as rehashed versions—we’ve seen culottes and overalls make it back on the top trends lists, for example. I even remember when the now all-too-familiar boyfriend jean was new. You never really know what the denim industry is going to churn up next! View Full Post

Lana

Modern Vintage Inspired Denim for Style and Comfort

It took me awhile, but I think I’ve finally been bitten by the vintage denim bug. I’m hugely loyal to the super stretchy skinny jean—or skinny jeans in general—as I feel I work too freaking hard at the gym to cover it all up with baggy styles, darn it. Even when the boyfriend jean became popular way back in 2007 or 2008, I wasn’t partial to it at all, until I tried a pair from Rich & Skinny and fell in love. After reviewing several amazing skinny styles with Denimology years later, I put them aside once again in favor of form-fitting jeans. I didn’t only get the chance to review slim fits though, as there were several boyfriend fits mixed in here and there, and my tastes started to move in that direction once again soon enough. Later, when I was introduced to the love that is quality selvedge denim, I finally began appreciating 100% cotton, vintage jeans and the “they don’t make them like they used to” idea (although I don’t agree with that completely nowadays). I realized though, that they are super hard to shop for! Most denim fans prefer to visit antique and second hand shops to see in person and try on these jeans that really did come from denim’s early days, because the fits can be difficult for different shapes. This is because these pieces came out way before stretchy denim did and thus have barely any give (and usually have already been formed to their past wearer’s bodies). I don’t even have many great thrift shops around me, so I was stuck browsing them online.

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Lana

A Love for Animals and Vintage Denim by AMO

A Love for Animals and Vintage Denim by AMO

A Love for Animals and Vintage Denim by AMO

On one side of the denim industry coin we’ve got raw denim, a staple favorite of die-hard denim fans who want to break jeans in to fit their own life’s story and adventures, and on the other side we’ve got fans who are just as die-hard about styles that already have that vintage touch, well-broken in and slouchy with heavy distressing which keeps successful companies like RE/DUN, who repurposes old, worn out Levi’s jeans, successful. I can appreciate both sides, as denim covers a such a fascinatingly wide spectrum and it’s all interesting to me that a jean just isn’t necessarily just a jean anymore! But it’s jumped into an other awesome realm lately with companies adding charity to their list. AMO, a company founded by Kelly Urban and Misty Zollars, two great friends who call themselves “denim soulmates,” was founded on the principles of both vintage denim and charity. AMO was founded in 2014 when the two girls realized their love for vintage jeans just wasn’t very well fulfilled in the existing market, both in fit and comfort. But the passions of the two girls also lie in animal welfare, using AMO as a catalyst for helping the cause of the growing problem of stray animals. A portion of AMO profits are donated to SNP LA, the Spay Neuter Project of Los Angeles, which has fixed over 100,000 cats and dogs in the Los Angeles area, preventing millions of unwanted animals from ending up on the streets! AMO also encourage shoppers and fans to donate directly to the organization through the AMO website. Check out these ultra comfortable looking vintage styles from AMO below!

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