These days, all I think about is jeans. My job has become jeans. I measure inseams and punch fabric to weigh. I count how many washes different brands offer in different styles and attempt to draw some conclusions. I count how many colors of thread are used on a single pair. I compare where the back pockets sit and how deep they are. I visit stores to check which cuts are displayed on the back wall and which are hung and which are laid out on tables. I book fit models to try on 20 pairs of jeans and strut them around the studio. I talk about jeans at parties now because I have trouble thinking of any other topic.

In this haze of denim minutia induced near burnout, Emily North’s ode to the sexiness of a good pair of jeans for this week’s STAR⟡MAIL was like a breath of fresh air and a rallying cry.

Culture writer Emily North, who publishes the Substack angel cake, expounds on the sensuality of a good pair of jeans:

The Eternal Sexiness of Denim 

By EMILY NORTH

Whenever the men in my life ask me what they should wear on a first date, I will always say a really good pair of denim pants, ideally vintage Levis 501s or a tasteful bootcut, in a perfect slightly light to medium wash. Denim is the correct answer here because it transcends sexual orientation, age, income, seasonality and is undeniably sexy (contingent upon execution of course). When a man finds a pair of denim pants that actually fits him it signals that he is capable, he is thoughtful, he understands what looks good on him and is willing to put in the extra time and money to find The Right Pair which is ideally indicative to how he approaches finding a partner (DISCLAIMER: This is me being idealistic, romantic, and kind of insane. I am NOT advising that just because a guy is wearing a good pair of jeans he is a good person, stay alert to the wolf in sheep’s jeans). Denim is usually slightly uncomfortable, more uncomfortable then lets say a trouser or chino which have been designed as of late for comfort as opposed to fit. The concept of wearing denim is a lot like dating, the intent is to appear effortlessly casual yet undeniably put together in a way that feels cool and quite simply not annoying. The beauty of denim is that there have been iterations compounding for decades, to wade through the the bell bottoms of the 70s to the acid wash of the 80s to the ultra high rise of the 90s and the suffocating skinny jeans of the early aughts shows a confidence in oneself that they are trendless.

I started thinking about the power of really good denim after we all lost our minds at Kendrick Lamar’s Celine flared jeans worn during his Super Bowl Halftime Performance. As I was watching in a room full of people we all stood hypnotized by his pants, echos of “those jeans make him look so much taller” “those are the perfect wash” “do we think i can find a pair like that on ebay?” filled the room. I doubt a pair of cargo pants or trousers would have made anyone even pause to comment. Denim is democratic in nature and nostalgically American in concept, so it is fitting we are grasping for anything to tether us back to having any semblance of faith or pride that we have ever had for this country to quell the acute feeling of hopelessness which is quickly escalating everyday. I first fell in love with the pockets on Bruce Springsteen’s Levis, the confidence in the stitches of Tom Selleck’s slightly too tight jeans, the illusive political casualness of JFK Jr's straight leg and the boyishness of Brad Pitt’s oversized baggy fit. I yearn for those moments of simplicity where I felt easily connected to an Americana sensibility that felt celebratory and sexy. 

In the end, this is a love letter to denim in its eternal glory and a galvanizing call for young men to put away joggers and stretch cotton athleisure dress pants. May we all relish in our modern denim heroes such as Jeremy Allen White smoking cigarettes with Rosalia, Austin Butler running errands in L.A. looking perpetually confused, Josh O’Connor oozing with earnestness in his whimsical sweaters, Paul Mescal getting playfully bitten by Gracie Abrams while strolling in London in pants perpetually one size too small and Jacob Eldori charging through the airport with his slutty designer purses. Denim forever!

I saw Denim Dudes give a talk at an apparel trade show a few years back and have been following their reports and forecasts ever since. Finger on the pulse!

A nice interview with designer Maurice Malone:

And, lastly, a good song for a Friday: