Prior to the 1970s, blue jeans were primarily workwear . You wore them for gardening, but you didn't dream of wearing them for shopping or for a social function. Then came the Boomer counterculture, and suddenly jeans were perfect for any occasion , and even considered very fashionable. Let's take a look back at some examples of advertising and fashion distribution from the denim decade of the 1970s .
These advertisements highlight the way in which overalls invaded the professional market before conquering the fashion market, becoming THE timeless reference for collector's items . From this nostalgic outfit to an assertive style for urban fashion, let's go back to an essential chapter in the history of overalls .
1 - The Salopette and the premises of fashion
" Once upon a time, there was an America where there were no blue jeans . No straight legs, no cutouts, no overalls or bell bottoms. No Levi's, Lee's, Wranglers, Sticky Fingers or Clippers In 1850, 20-year-old Levi Strauss, working in New York as a clothes salesman for his brothers, heard of the California Gold Rush and, drawn by the stories of quick money, packed up a cargo of dry goods. and set off for the west coast. He found that the miners had little need for his tenting material. Legend has it that an old prospector took Levi aside and complained, "I should have bought a pants. Pants aren't worth a damn in diggins and you can't find stronger ones."
Fortunately, Levi Strauss took the free advice and paid a tailor to turn the canvas into pants . Before long, word spread about "those pants from Levi's" and the young Strauss had a thriving shop in San Francisco. His brothers sent him denim, a cotton albeit French fabric , and a special indigo dye was developed for his consistent color. Copper rivets have been attached for added strength.
For this fall, according to jeans retailers, straight legs and cigar legs are set to dominate the look of denim. Branded jeans and imported jeans are expected to become big-selling items on college campuses . "The tighter the leg, the better," says a jeans salesman.
The slim effect is still very fashionable today , increasingly thin and resistant fabrics allow jeans that perfectly fit our silhouette for a noticeable effect . With a pair of sneakers, you can play on a vintage boho look in tune with the times with 7/8 pants or you can break fashion codes with loose and casual pants that take up the classics of the decade of the 70's, the decade of denim.
2 - How was the La Salopette fashion born?
Nobody knows for sure. Sometimes they result from the superb promotion during fashion shows and the media exposure around these events. More frequently, with nostalgic thought, some Mavericks rediscover an old garment and adapt it to a new use . Take the suspender overalls and work jackets that are the "current" look on college campuses and ski slopes across America. For years these clothes have been on the decline and for good reason. Farmers and railway workers , two occupational groups in decline, were the main wearers of these garments.
But about 18 months ago, an unknown student from Vail, Colorado, unable to afford expensive, fashionable ski clothes, appeared on the slopes wearing overalls , a sweater with turtleneck and a work jacket, and word of mouth has allowed other young people to adopt the same outfit, but this time waterproofing their overalls.
The fashion spread like an avalanche from Vail to Aspen, Squaw and Sun Valleys, and then to college and high school campuses across the country . "I can tell you," says Jim Londerholm, public relations manager for the HD Lee Company of Shawnee Mission, Kans, "it was a welcome boost to the garment business ." bib overalls in a wide variety of prints and colors , especially for girls with bell bottoms. We've coordinated them with a series of Western-style shirts. And they really took over. Now we even make bib pants, and shops stock them everywhere."
This January 2, 1972 issue of Parade magazine features it on the cover: "Dungarees - Counterculture Uniform" . We see university students sporting blue denim overalls.
3 - La Salopette: the uniform of the counter-culture
No article on seventies denim would be complete without mentioning the craze for the pocket design that made this garment complete and versatile . Its unique style makes it a great choice for going out with friends and its numerous storage spaces offer comfort at all times. Short dungarees with lots of storage so you always have the essentials on you. 
We are in the 80s, and here is the Denim Brigade . Blue jeans may have started as a counter-cultural fashion statement , but by the mid-'70s they had become commonplace...and remained so throughout the '80s . 80s brought their own unique flavor to denim via acid wash and puffy jackets...but that's a topic for another post.
