The Torn Identity

Street Style photos from Garance Dore and Style Sightings. Runway photos from Style.com. All other sources are linked to below.

Torn jeans are hardly unusual. In fact, I'm wearing a pair with rips at the knees right now. I know that in the past, hole-y clothing was considered a sign of poverty, but these days it's much more of a norm. I don't feel comfortable wearing ripped jeans to a nice restaraunt or party, but for every day I even like the look.

Quick semi-related joke: Why did the rabbi get wet? Because his umbrella was hole-y! Har, har.

Back to the point - I'm used to jeans with the knees worn out, with frayed hems and threadbare bums (well, to a point). I wear 'em til they're no longer serviceable, and then out they go. But one thing I'm not used to is the kind of jeans that we saw on a recent Maison Martin Margiela runway (See above on the top right, second from left on the bottom). With decisively tattered legs, these creations barely cover more than a pair of shorts. They look like someone ran them through the paper shredder, and while they intrigue me, I'm not such a fan. For now.

But a toned down version of the look? That's something I could really get to like. The Urban Collection jeans (worn by the red-haired model above) are slightly less ripped up, and as usual, the styling is impeccable. I find the torn black jeans worn almost as leggings to be quite appealing. The Rick Owens leggings (top left) are also pretty sweet.

Mr. Margiela may have had the idea, but I'm sure you could come up with something a lot nicer and way cheaper on your own by taking a pair of scissors to some old skinny jeans. From the examples above, I've decided I prefer black jeans (which I don't actually own) for the project, but I think any color would do very nicely. Also, tighter jeans look pretty good, and the jeans work just fine when cropped, even if I prefer them long. Also, should I get my act together and actually find some jeans to work with, I plan to wear them under dresses and tunics. I will carry a fake squirt gun and call the look "The Torn Identity." Tee hee. Oh, puns. You know you love it.

Thoughts? Ideas? Puns to share? Bring 'em on!