Recently I completed a trip to Nashville, referred to as Music City, but it seemed to me to be the home of ripped jeans.

I personally do not own a pair of torn, distressed, or ripped jeans or whatever your personal preference is for naming them. In fact, I have no jeans at all, preferring the khaki casual look. I am not a cowboy.

I saw so many ripped jeans, with so many different sized holes, locations and tears, that it got me thinking. Why wouldn’t everyone in the world want to be an expert on this social and fashion phenomena? And of course, when it comes to fashion, who wouldn’t like to know my thoughts? Right?

If you currently wear ripped jeans or, like me, have always wondered why people do, then read on, because in a few short paragraphs, I will share my extensive research on ripped jeans and some of my observations about the style.

In case you didn’t know, a couple of guys named Levi and Strauss were early American fashion magnates and created what we refer to today as blue jeans. Raise your hand if you knew that? Very good class.

Historically, dating from the Levi and Strauss era, jeans were for workingmen and were actually dyed blue so everyone would know that the wearers were workingmen. Kind of a class distinction not unlike today’s hard hat?

Torn jeans happened in those days because of repeated use or an accident and remain torned or ripped because the primarily poor folks wearing them couldn’t afford to replace them. But It wasn’t cool then to wear ripped jeans, it was embarrassing.

The whole modern ripped or torn jeans look started as part of the Punk Rock movement, (see my brother’s Wikipedia page here. Chris Doherty and his band Gang Green were early pioneers of the genre).

The style was borrowed by the Grunge movement a decade or two later and surfaces every now and then, seemingly more ‘now’ than ‘then.’ 

Originally, the 20^th century incarnation was one of those signs of defiance and rebellion that young people engage in. (Just repeating what I’ve read). Like Rock ‘n Roll and Butterfly tattoos. For more information check out this site pagalparrot.com

That’s all you need to know about the history.

Our next lesson is on ripping jeans. Some sources indicate there are established ways to reach ripped jean fashion heights. You can rip at home on your own. Clever concept. They can be ripped by things that rip things. Knives, ex-girlfriends, hand saws. You can obviously buy them ripped. And in answer to your question, sometimes they are pre-ripped by hand (very expensive because ripping jeans is obviously a talent). Or they can be, are you sitting down? Lasers. That’s right, you can wear laser ripped jeans. Who knew?

Why did my mother get mad when I was a kid and ripped my jeans? Ok, so she had limited fashion sense. Why couldn’t I wear torn anything to school? This is the first known suppression of my fashion sense by a parent. If I ripped something, she sewed it, or it didn’t go to school.

How many cuts or rips are cool? The more cuts the better? Is there a level of tearing of the jeans that makes them ‘mesh jeans’ like mesh stockings? Can you wear mesh stockings under mesh jeans? Asking for a friend.

Ripped Jeans are like snowflakes. No two are the same. If I had a pair of ripped jeans and I saw someone else with the tears in the same place, I’d rip another hole on the spot. (Clever use of the words rip and hole in a sentence, don’t you think?)

Do you wear ripped jeans in the winter?  If so, you’re going to have to explain that one. Isn’t that like turning the air conditioning on in the winter? Wouldn’t you call ripped winter jeans, ‘air-conditioned jeans?’

Are ripped shirts and tops next? They exist? What will they think of next?

How about ripped dresses? Maybe too hard to see the tears among the folds?

Ok, torn hats, shoes, or underwear? Maybe not, but after thinking about it, why not?

They put holes in jackets too? A complete line of air conditioned winter wear. Something is wrong here.

Shorts are not as cool. Well, they are cooler than full length jeans, because they are shorts, unless those jeans are ripped extensively making them air-conditioned pants. Where do you think the best place to rip shorts might be?

Why are all the cuts in the front? I don’t even see much action on the side. I guess no one wants a butt cut. Forget the questions.

Are there age restrictions for ripped jeans? I’m not sure that an 8 year old or an 80 year old could look as cool in them as an 18, 28, or 38 year old.

My number one question: are vertical rips or horizontal rips cooler? I stared at a lot of legs for this project and horizontal rips way outnumber verticals. I wonder why?

New Fashion Statement?

As a result of the extensive research I've conducted, I am planning to launch my own line of clothing that follows in the tradition of ripped jeans: stained shirts.

That's right, you will soon be able to buy dress shirts and tops that have been pre-stained with soup, coffee and salad dressing.

What was formerly a garment taken out of circulation with a stain, will soon be considered cool, just like ripped jeans. And like ripped jeans, my clothing line will have both horizontal and vertical stains, in a variety of hues. Of course, everyone wears stained ties already right? My kind of fashion, been wearing the style for years.

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