The power that comes with an on-screen wardrobe is formidable. If the fit hits, the legacy of costumes transcend the screen and spread to the streets. Take Kit Carruthers in Terrence Malick’s Badlands – celebrating fifty years on screens this year, Kit’s wardrobe has outlasted his complicated character, leading him to become a double denim poster boy in the present day. Of course, this interrelationship between sartorial trends and the silver screen is synonymous with director Wes Anderson, and his upcoming picture Asteroid City is set to be no exception to the rule.
In recently released promo shots, Rupert Friend can be seen taking a leaf out of Carruther's book. The British actor's timeless yet divisive double denim look comprises of a four-pocket jacket, hitting just on the waistline in the perfect shade of mid-blue; not overly washed, not selvedge raw. A far cry from an elastane mix, the sound of crisp denim chafing may just about drown out all the hearts collectively breaking in the cinema aisles. The crop of the jacket is mirrored with the upturned hem of Friend’s jeans, revealing Western chestnut boots. The get-up is finished off with a neckerchief and fedora. Giddy up.
A celebratory revival of classic denim is well underway – a jeanaissance, if you will – and Friend’s costume almost directly emulates mid-century Levi’s campaigns, which is notable considering 2023 marks 150 years of the timeless 501® style. To commemorate the anniversary, Levi’s aren’t launching some flashy, star-spangled denim; they’re simply offering a remodified men’s and women’s style inspired by the 501® to the family. It’s a power move from Levi’s; once you’ve already created a product so tried-and-true, there’s little else you really have to do.
From hoedown to hip-hop, double denim has formed many iterations over the years but now, has returned to its roots. The coolest way to nail the trend of late is to look like a contemporary cowboy; on your moodboard should be Francis Ford Coppola’s The Outsiders, which turns forty this year. Just like Malick’s Badlands, both films focus on troublesome teens in barren Stateside landscapes and unintentionally, have become double denim masterclasses for the masses. Admittedly, each film features problematic patriarchal protagonists, but the lasting effect of their double denim ensembles goes further than perpetuate a Rebel Without a Cause stereotype. Thankfully, the macho association of double denim has dissipated over the years, meaning that it should be worn and enjoyed by all.
To really grind a classicist’s gears, double denim can be viewed through a similar lens to tailoring. Both are relative in sharing the essence of coordinating top and bottom (simply put), but double denim is like the naughty, nonchalant little brother of tailoring. He bunks off class and smokes behind the bike sheds; the other is the quarterback school sweetheart. It’s James Dean vs James Stewart. It’s a casual take on a uniform which just doesn’t take itself as seriously as it’s buttoned-up counterpart. There are certainly less sartorial rules, or in fact, more to be broken.
Jumping from past to present; for AW23, the likes of Martine Rose and Alexander McQueen cottoned on to the movement, the street style tribe were awash with double denim and if you want to hop on the bandwagon, look no further than resident Instagram heartthrob @edgyalbert. The list goes on, but truly the evidence is not profound. Not only does the resurgence of double denim encapsulate the cyclical nature of trends, but it highlights the accelerated transition of fads and fashions jumping from taboo to covetable. This rapid switch is indicative of our easy accessibility to zeitgeist reference points; old films, archival editorials and vintage campaigns at our fingertips mean that before long, trends seamlessly permeate from URL to IRL. Without even realising, double denim is no longer cringeworthy, nor restricted to a Western blockbuster; double denim is strutting its way down your high-street, it’s kicking its feet up at the bar and ordering itself a cold bottle of Bud. So saddle up, partner – double denim’s in it for the long ride.
