Blue jeans have never been a favorite for me; whereas, some people live in jeans.  Living in Texas, especially in the Hill Country, everyone wears blue jeans and now they come in all colors for women; but, they are hot in the summer and cold in the winter.  Therefore, my wardrobe consists of what I call “have to have” jeans for special occasions when you must wear blue jeans.  I like soft cloth on my skin – my favorite being cotton mixed with an “ester” fabric, such as polyester.  If I were a clothes manufacturer, I would have a line of clothes strictly for people who love that lingerie feeling – fabric that when it is worn all day, it is not wrinkled and doesn’t look like you just stepped out of bed.  

My first blue jean outfit was my favorite.  It was a jacket with jeans.  The side panel of the slacks looked like a Mexican tablecloth fabric with bright yellows and reds with black.  The jacket was sewn with the same Mexican fabric on the sleeves with a panel running from the shoulders to the wrists.  My friends always teased me about not wearing jeans and this outfit was bought on purpose just to “be a part of the jean’s crowd.”  The first time we went to a “hoedown,” which is a dance in Texas, I wore those jeans with two-inch heels.  The pant leg had to be at least at the seam between where your heel started and the leather of your shoe heel met.  Everyone approved of my “first pair of jeans.”  At least one cowboy replied, “I knew when she broke down and bought a pair, I knew it wouldn’t  be just any old pair of jeans.”   I wore that “uniform” to many western dances.  In fact, I don’t know what happened to that outfit.  I wore it for many years but it seemed to just vanish one day.

I found out, the first thing you learn is how to crease your jeans since there is a trick to it.  After you buy your jeans,  you wash them in the washer at least five times before you wear them.  You don’t want people to think they are new.  This breaks down the fabric which allows them to absorb the starch.  Then you go to your favorite dry cleaners and tell them, “heavy on the starch, please.” When you pick them up, if they don’t walk to the car, then they are not starched enough.  They should stand alone.  As we all know, you can only wear them one time because if  you wear them twice the knees formed by the prior wearing will show these mountains on your knees.  So back to the cleaners they go.  Remember only one wearing is the secret.  The bad part about blue jeans is you have to lie on the floor on your back to squeeze into them.  And when you try to hop up – if they are not butt- tight – it doesn’t meet the mark of fashion.  If you can raise up from the floor you have it made.  If not, call for help!

Because of that factor, I purchased a blue jean skirt that was a straight skirt with rhinestones on the side seams from the waist to the hemline.  A peasant blouse always fit that skirt scene.  And then there is the “boot scene.” The first pair I owned was brown with two-inch heels.  I wore them with a tan western rough woven fabric dress with a full skirt.  That dress danced around a lot of floors and had fun written all over it.  So you see there are all kinds of ways you can work around the “blue jean scene” and still fit in.  Now hats are another story because I never liked to wear a hat.  I do have several; but, they are still in the hat box looking at me and the brown boots are on the history shelf in the closet.  But”hats off” to those real cowboys and cowgirls who still do the heavy blue jean lifting.

kommonsentsjane