Jeanswear today is as integral to the fashion scene as it was to the industrial landscape of the early 1900s in the United States. Jude Hathaway catches up on the latest trends.
Jeans. They're the consummate perennial wear, transcending seasons and reasons for wearing them. They have no race, age or gender barriers and, OK, they might dip in popularity in the odd year or two, but never so drastically as to allow their few detractors any joy.
And let's face it. No other garment plays to the emotions quite the way jeans do. Indeed, they prompted the late Yves Saint Laurent to comment: "I have often said that I wish I had invented blue jeans: the most spectacular, the most practical, the most relaxed and nonchalant.
"They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity - all I hope for in my clothes."
The master may not have invented jeans, but he included them in his fashion collections, as do a number of other notable designers.
And then there are the dedicated jeanswear labels comprising the traditional brands that began as workwear and have maintained a firm footing through the decades by rigorously adapting to the times, the marketplace and fashion whims. Think Levi's, Lee and Wrangler. Running alongside these are the aspiring upstarts - Dr Denim, Cheap Monday, Nobody, Sass and Bide, Ksubi and Nudie to name a few.
These are some of the high-performers at Slick Willy's, established by the late Mike Collins in the '70s. He built the store's name on denim, his philosophy carried on with similar dedication by Amy Henderson.
Although Slicks now also trades in top international and New Zealand fashion labels, jeanswear remains the prime performer.
"We're selling two pairs of jeans for every dress," Amy reveals, adding that denim sales do tend to drop off in the summer months with the warmer weather.
Illustration of jeanswear's continued grunt is seen in the renovations to Slick Willy's showroom, which has been extended to accommodate the line-up of men's jeanswear. Here and in the women's section the rich 2012 jeanswear story is told.
Interestingly, men can once again enjoy raw or "engineered" denim.
"This is denim in its purest form in that it hasn't been washed after the indigo dyeing process," Amy explains.
"Over time the colour fades naturally in any areas the denim is creased or rubbed."
The vibrant colour of the women's denim is a standout.
Grape, mustard, rust and deep green denim is a trend that has been coming through strongly from Sass and Bide and will continue into summer. But also showing strongly are blues ranging from azure through to deep indigo. Black denim is also prominent. Some have been "over-dyed" which dramatically intensifies the colour.
There are also quirky, offbeat jeans styles in various prints or in rich jacquard-like textures as well as those with a dull, "wet-look" finish resembling supple oilskin.
"In general, we seem to be going back to a clean denim look without the distressing," Amy points out.
She believes that quality is paramount in jeanswear today.
"There's such huge competition out there. Back in the day, there were only the few major brands but in 2012 there are literally hundreds of really cool brands in the marketplace.
"A good brand will have at least three men's and three women's fits [styles]. This season there must be a skinny, a straight and a looser alternative as the staples of any collection and [they] must be offered in colour options including black and raw blue."
Mention is made of the slouchy wide-legged boyfriend jeans popular among celebrities and leggy models but which have not taken off as expected in the South. This is also the case with flares that enjoyed a comeback in the northern hemisphere a few months back but had a lacklustre greeting in New Zealand.
A block along from Slick Willy's and part of the Wall Street shopping mall is the Levi's stand-alone outlet, home to the brand named after the founder of jeanswear, Levi Strauss.
Here manager Carla Seiuli watches over a range of styles that include the ever-popular 501 which has morphed several times in its more than 130-year history. (The first contemporary 501 appeared in 1947).
Levi's success rests on its relentless innovative spirit. This winter it has revamped its 511 commuter jeans with the modern cyclist in mind. Detailing includes a reinforced crotch gusset, reflectors on the cuffs, a raised back yoke that cuts down back exposure and a utility waistband complete with a clip for a cycle lock.
Another newcomer is the Water>Less(TM) jeans, which have been made using significantly less water in the finishing. The water saved in the making of more than 13 million denim products equates to drinking water for 181,000 people for one year, the company claims.
There's also the return of Levi's traditional light-blue denim jacket for men and women, which is already being seen tossed over summer dresses in Europe and the States. A similar style has aired in last month's Milan menswear shows, teamed as a duo with jeans. The big question is will "double denim" be taken up by the fashion-conscious in New Zealand?
Levi's latest announcement is about its contemporary take on the traditional boot-cut women's jeans using Levi's Curve ID fit system.
"Curve ID is a great concept that recognises the fact that women's figures are different from men's or each other's," explains Carla who points out that the system is all about the waistline and how it relates in size to the hips and thighs.
While denim remains in top demand, indications are, at both Slick Willy's and Levi's, of chinos pushing into the spotlight.
At Slick Willy's they're finding chinos particularly popular among male customers who wear them with cuffs rolled to show short socks and brogues as they do in Scandinavia.
But jeans have faced competition before - and endured. And why?
The answer might well be embedded in this throwaway statement from Amy: "If you didn't wear jeans what else would you wear?"
What indeed.
