What’s more fun than watching butts in jeans? Not much, thanks in a big way to Ditto’s and then Calvin Klein.
Dittos made a big splash in the early 1970s, because of their tight fit and candy colors. Before that, Levi’s owned the market and the rule was 501s or something not jeans.
That changed with the advent of candy colors and the saddle stitch. Women loved the new choice of colors and the new fit, and men loved the new fit and the new choice of colors. Nowadays, folks choose to wear blue almost exclusively.
It took Calvin Klein to show that image equaled success. He also showed that sex appeal created a highly effective image. His first designer jeans ads did not feature Brooke Shields, but he quickly brought her on board and made a fortune exploiting her fifteen year old body.
We still wear 501s, because comfort still matters. But designer jeans will not go away, and designers will not stop using sex appeal to sell them. Hi Ho.