Wednesday, December 26, 2012

brand new jeans

I know it might seem incredibly girly to write about a new pair of jeans. And I do feel a bit of a flashback from my Preview fashion magazine days, when I was a Lifestyle section editor. But there is something about donning a new pair of denims, some precious rite of passage, a feeling of newness and possibility--themes not so unusual at the end of the year or post Dec. 21, which, however, feel oh so tactile when you feel the hug of not yet worn textile.

Denims, in particular, due to their classic looks and fine weaves, can last a lifetime. Over the years, some may favor a particular look, a special phase of life, phases even. They join us in our adventures and misadventures. Sometimes they even become an integral part of our stories.

I am wearing a new pair now as I travel from Manila to Mysore, where I sense new adventures await. I bought these to replace the ones I purchased at the start of this summer, a pair of Levi's that I wore in heavy rotation as I visited Bankok, England and traveled across Europe. They went down the same road as me, walked through the same trials, absorbed my crazies and my sadnesses, fed off my triumphs and joys. At the end they ripped right at the crotch, at the root of the body. They didn't last long but they'd been through a lot.

And now, a new pair. Boy, do they feel great! They want wearing. I feel the newness of them. I feel them on my skin, in my bones, in my cells. I feel different wearing them. I feel how they are a much better fit, how the style suits me better. The last pair were great as well. They were perfect when we started with each other, but then we both changed. They got worn out, I got worn out.

With these new jeans I feel my own newness, my own potential. And maybe not just through the jeans but down to my own genes, where surely real change is more lasting.