Denim Drill

IT makes even the biggest bottom look hot,8217;8217; says designer Tarun Tahiliani of a pair of jeans. What a ride. From humble beginnings...

IT makes even the biggest bottom look hot,8217;8217; says designer Tarun Tahiliani of a pair of jeans. What a ride. From humble beginnings as a tough, all-weather habit for prospectors in the 1860s8217; Californian Gold Rush, to Rs 3,000-a-leg couture, the basic blue8217;s been on the complete tour.

A pair of jeans is one of those rare pieces of apparel that8217;s followed a reverse graph of popularity. From the miners of Sierra Nevada to Hollywood James Dean in the 1950s, before walking down the ramp into haute couture with Yves Saint Laurent in the 1970s.

In India, the old faithfuls are witnessing a fashion revival. Streetside store windows are inundated with the rough blue twill for winter; summer forecasts see softer variations. From swaggering collegians to fashionable society, everyone8217;s pulling their denims out.

And designers swear blue jeans have never been bigger. Some have concocted truly outrageous combos with the erstwhile work pants. Last year, Tahiliani, who says a good fit is like a Maharashtrian navvari sari, worked heavy digitised prints onto denims; then it was a hint of bling priced between Rs 6,000 and Rs 9,000. 8216;8216;Making jeans, for designers, is just an extension of what we call 8216;mass-tige8217;8212;reaching the masses with the prestige of a designer label,8217;8217; says Tahiliani.

Far removed from its factory produced, one-style-fits-all origins, manufacturers have taken personalised jeans to the next level. Exporter Anil Nanda8217;s AN label sources denims from Thailand and hand-paints them. Nanda also personalises the riveted pants to suit taste. 8216;8216;We customise jeans not just according to their size, but their personal design elements too,8217;8217; says Nanda. His clientele includes Parmeshwar Godrej, Tina Ambani, Hiroo Johar and Neetu Singh.

About four years ago, Rajesh Pratap Singh and Rocky S were the first to work on denim. 8216;8216;It8217;s the most basic thing to wear,8217;8217; says Singh, 8216;8216;like a pair of sneakers or a white shirt. It8217;s a global uniform.8217;8217; Singh, whose clothes are known for their fuss-free tailored look, is all for retaining the purity of the blue, and thinks they8217;re best left uncluttered.

	Pratap8217;s denim diktats
	8226; Wear them in natural colours like indigo and blue 8226; Pair them with a white or a black shirt 8226; The fit is very important. Try a more traditional fit, instead of loose ones 8226; Men can wear them with a bandhgala for formal occasions 8226; For a dressier look, women can wear them with a formal jacket 8226; Jeans must be pure, don8217;t mess around with a hippie look

Mumbai-based Rocky, whose fans include Bollywood heavies Hrithik Roshan and Bipasha Basu, says he started making jeans because he loved wearing them. 8216;8216;I own 200 pairs myself,8217;8217; he says. It made good business sense, he adds, since most youngsters live in them. 8216;8216;Unfortunately, designers here caught on to denims really late. Internationally, everyone from Armani and Versace to Gucci and Dolce 038; Gabbana have a jeans line,8217;8217; says Rocky.

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Harvey Nichols8217; fashion maven Rita Dhody attributes their sudden spurt of popularity to a shift towards comfortable dressing, and international celebrities: 8216;8216;Whenever you catch a celebrity off guard, he or she is in jeans.8217;8217;

It8217;s the sort of thing that would have made Levi Strauss and partner Jacob Davis real proud.