MFMAre you stuck in the trap of always wearing pale blue jeans, or are you a guy who just loves his indigo blue selvedge hem jeans? Calling your jeans just blue is really old fashioned as practically all denim jeans are blue one way or another, and whilst you probably have a couple of pairs in your wardrobe, indigo jeans will be the most versatile colour of all jeans around.
One colour of jeans that’s probably the best all rounder is indigo jeans, a dark blue, the colour that makes blue jeans blue, before all the rinses and washes that provide different hue in jeans. Indigo actually originates from India, although it is actually a Greek word ‘indikón’ is the original meaning simply ‘ substance from India’. Traditionally, indigo was extracted from plants, but probably now all indigo dye produced is synthetic.
Because of the chemical property of blue dye, it became the chosen colour of denim, and most dyes will permeate fabrics in hot temperatures making the colour stick. When indigo-dyed denim is washed, then obviously some of the dye gets washed away, the more denim was washed the softer it would get, eventually giving you that worn-in touch you’ll get with your favourite jeans.
So we get to indigo jeans and selvedge denim, self-finished is the edge produced on woven fabric during the manufacturing process that will prevent the hems from unravelling, these jeans will be your hardest working pair in your wardrobe. Originally the use of the selvedge self-edge was a cost-cutting measure, so that less fabric was cut off to actually create a finer edge to the material. And today, selvedge denim, most often seen on the hemlines of indigo denim jeans is seen as a mark of quality, as generally it is made using this more traditional and exclusive older manufacturing process.
So when it comes to dressing, the possibilities that you have a wardrobe full of jeans, and the basic rule is if you’re going double denim, is to make sure that most of the washes and colours are much the same, and if you don’t want that monochrome look, although equally darker double denim looks pretty cool especially with good old chunky boots, by contrast, darker on the bottom and lighter on the the top and this will help make the look less uniformed. But keep your jeans straight, slim or skinny and your shirt and jacket fitted.