Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Formal Jeans

Do you iron your jeans? Are the words "formal jeans" an oxymoron? Mr. Hunting Creek asked me yesterday if I ever ironed my jeans. "Jeans are work clothes, real work clothes. It may be against Rebel Law to iron them. Never!"
"Spoken like a true Berkeley Girl" , he said. "What do you think of jeans worn to movie openings and other fancy events?"
"I would wear jeans to the movies, but on the other hand, I didn't star in that movie, so there are different expectations for my dress, versus what the star should wear. I think Movie Stars should dress up."
"You may be the last person on earth to think so."
Who still pays attention to movie openings, anyway? Sometimes I wonder what all the fuss is about. Still, to me that's a professional obligation on the part of the actors, so they should dress accordingly. (Am I turning into my mother in law? That's just what she would have said!)
When we were in college we wore our jeans constantly, until they could stand up by themselves. (Mainly because we had to pay to do laundry, so we'd space laundry use out accordingly.) I prefer dark wash, and I like to fade mine naturally. I won't buy prefaded or already worn out jeans. That's cheating.
What do you think? Are jeans acceptable formal wear? Do you iron your jeans?

6 comments:

Beangirl said...

Jeans are not acceptable Formal Wear. On the other hand, I would wear jeans almost anywhere (including, probably, a movie opening, provided I wasn't a star in said movie). I don't really have any call for Formal Wear in my life (what with being a recluse and all, the occasions when I am invited to a Formal Event are somewhat limited).

Saying that, in Texas, sharply pressing and creasing jeans is de rigueur for the Cowboy Crowd (as is a white shirt starched so highly that it will, quite literally, stand up on it's own). Worn with a $500 hat and $800 boots, this is considered Semi-Formal Wear at the least. If you're a cowboy.

(I wouldn't dream of ironing my jeans, but then, I'm a rebel like that.)

Anonymous said...

I don't know if jeans count as formal, but a dark-wash pair with heels and a gorgeous top certainly look spiffy---maybe not cocktail party, but definitely business casual. *maybe* even movie-opening-worthy if the rest of the outfit is over-the-top-designer-goodness.

LOL at Beangirl. I guess I should be glad that up here we mostly have the Poseur Cowboy Crowd, not the real thing.

Anonymous said...

Jeans are not formal wear.

I totally iron my jeans, even if I'm just lounging- they look so much smarter with the crease down the front.

Karen in VA said...

I try to not even iron my work clothes, so jeans definitely don't get ironed...
I used to live in TX and yes, the jeans and shirts could stand up by themselves..plus the white shirts were soooo white they glowed in the dark...

neighbourhood.gal said...

Plenty of people still follow what celebrities are wearing on the red carpet. Most are not wearing jeans. Most have free designer clothes given to them to wear.

Jeans are not formal. Not even here in Vancouver (where nothing is formal), I don't care what anybody else says...

Mary said...

Jeans are never formal wear, though they look great paired with a chiffon blouse and high heels. I live in Oregon cowboy country and we have a Pendleton vibe going on with our cowboys. Jeans, starched and creased; nice shirt; outdoor wear jacket or a coat. That's town wear. Real cowboys never look that nice when they're working though the rear view is always pleasant.