Fashion + Beauty

Sunday, November 29, 2009

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Happy 75th birthday, women's jeans!

    • Lady Levi's were invented in 1934, and it wasn't long before department stores started stocking them. Shortly after, the jeans switched from a button fly to a zipper to conform to more ladylike ideals.
    • Lady Levi's 701s were originally aimed at women working on ranches and had a slightly more feminine shape. Before that, females had to wear men's 501s, which still exist today and are known as "boyfriend jeans."
    • By the 1950s, ladies jeans were sold across the country, along side men's jeans and denim jackets.
    • Quickly becoming a staple in women's wardrobes, Levi's introduces a slimmer fitting jean that were the precursor to today's modern skinny jeans.
    • Teen girls favored the stretch denim, just as they do today.
    • In the '70s, Levi's branched out with full leg, straight leg, flares, and bell-bottoms. In 1981, the brand finally introduces the famous 501 for women. Acid wash comes two years later. Slimmer fits gained popularity in the '90s and '00s, as did Levi's low waist jeans.
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Lady Levi's were invented in 1934, and it wasn't long before department stores started stocking them. Shortly after, the jeans switched from a button fly to a zipper to conform to more ladylike ideals.

For most of us, we would be nothing without our jeans. They're our go-to wardrobe staple. Nowadays there's a style for every occasion: playing with your kids, going on hot a date, or even heading to a meeting, but prior to 1934 that was not the case. In fact, the only way women could wear jeans back then was by borrowing them from their husbands or boyfriends. Lame! Jeans were originally created by Levi Strauss & Co. for working men in 1873, and it took decades for them to fully cross over to the fairer sex. Now women's denim leads the trends every season, and surely we could not live without them.

In honor of the 75th anniversary of the creation of Lady Levi's, we're taking a stroll down memory lane to check out some of the awesome achievements in denim and to see how they compare to the popular styles we wear today.
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From the Community…

Comments 1-3 of 3
  • Leah's Avatar
    Posted by Leah Fri Oct 30, 2009 10:48am PDT

    Very interesting, I never thought about the history of women's jeans.

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  • Faby G's Avatar
    Posted by Faby G Fri Oct 30, 2009 4:37pm PDT

    I love this! We wear jeans every day, yet we take them for granted. Don't know what I would do without mine =)

    Report Abuse
  • liliflowers's Avatar
    Posted by liliflowers Mon Nov 2, 2009 7:11am PST

    This was cute! My mom still wears her jeans with the enormous cuffs at the bottoms, like in the 1950s pic! LOL!

    Report Abuse
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