Once upon a time there was a pair of pants. So begins The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares whose pages recount the tale of a pair of blue jeans. Not just any blue jeans. The perfect pair of blue jeans that magically fit the wearer in a way that denim has never shaped their body before.
Sounds like heaven, right? If you are like myself and every woman on the planet, we know that the perfect pair of blue jeans is hard to come by, and we have a man named Levi Strauss to thank for this fabulous and frustrating invention.
Levi Strauss was born in Germany in 1829 and came to the United States in 1847 at the age of eighteen. One year later, in 1848, the famous California Gold Rush began. Although Levi didn’t go out west until 1853, it was the gold rush and the men’s ragged clothing that inspired him to construct the first pair of sturdy, work pants that would become his signature invention.
Flash forward more than 160 years to today and blue jeans, including the original Levi Strauss brand, are still going strong. And, did you know the Levi Strauss Company is taking measures to make their clothing eco-friendly, including using organic and recycled cotton and offering second-hand shopping options from their website stating:
If everybody bought one used item this year, instead of buying new, it would save 449 million pounds of waste
Statement from Levi’s website secondhand.levi.com
The friends in the book (and later movie) The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants just so happened to acquire their magical pair of jeans from a thrift shop, which, as the movie later interprets happens to be a pair of Levi’s.
Earth Day is celebrated on April 22, a timely reminder encouraging us to thrift shop and choose brands that are planet-friendly. There are many companies now putting into effect eco-conscious practices that reduce energy and waste, helping to make a happier, healthier earth.
Thrift selling and shopping is the name of the game for me! It’s a great way for me to recycle style and put gently-worn yet still fabulous clothing into the hands of everyone, reducing cost and waste. Some of my favorite eco-friendly brands can be found in my resale thrift closet on Poshmark and include labels like Everlane, Boden, Zara, and, of course, Levi’s. They may not be magical, like in the story, but everybody’s perfect pair of blue jeans has a way of making even the most ordinary of days shine a little brighter, like these pairs of my own thrifted Levi’s shown below.
For me, the perfect fitting jeans has the right amount of stretch, comfort, style, is proportionate to my measurements, and is made or purchased in an environmentally-friendly way. Since every body is different, jean makers have their work cut out for them in making a style that can universally fit a wide variety of shapes and sizes. So, when you find that perfect fit…that’s where the magic lies.
As stated in rule number 10 of Brashares’s story of the traveling pants. Remember. Pants=love. Love your pals. Love yourself. And, my additional new rule to add to this message, love the planet. Together, it all makes a perfect fit.