Denim

It was Black Friday, the retail world's most important post-Sept. 11 shopping day. With the holidays coming, there were fears that store owners might end up more in the red than in the red-and-green. But at Smith Bros. Jeans at 36th and Walnut Streets in University City, blue was the color of the day. The store reverberated with the sound of screeching young women trying to reach tattered, low-waisted, color-washed, purposely worn, boot-cut jeans. "It was true frenzy; over 300 pieces of Seven brand jeans, alone, sold on Black Friday," said Wayne Shulick, 38, co-owner/operator of Smith Bros.

Remember back in the '70s, when decorating your jeans was considered counterculture? Now it's become couture. Along with granny glasses, Volkswagen Beetles and flare-legged pants, blue jeans adorned with colorful trim and embroidered flowers are in style. Again. Only the look today is less flower child and more MTV, less Joan Baez and more Mariah Carey. Today's embellished denims are glitzier, more upscale - and definitely more expensive. That tattered hippie stuff has gone the way of avocado refrigerators.

You love to hear the story, again and again Of how it all got started way back when The monument is right in your face Sit and listen for a while to the name of the place MC Shan's "The Bridge" is memorable in that it incited one of the more legendary beefs in hip-hop - the one between Shan and KRS-One. But the foundation for "The Bridge" - the beats and samples - came from Marley Marl, who will be at Denim tonight. It all started for Marl back in '84 with "Roxanne's Revenge," the single that also introduced poison-tongued teenager Roxanne Shante to male-dominated hip-hop.

It seems like any other summer on the boardwalks: People gorging on junk food and sampling the amusements, all the while trying to look at least vaguely stylish as they stroll in the sun. As usual, some succeed. As usual, a lot don't. From the shadows of Atlantic City's glitzy casinos, to picture-perfect Avalon, to gaudy Wildwood, the wooden planks swarm with fashion sinners. Some wear Bart Simpson T-shirts - last year's rage, this year's embarrassment. Also much in evidence but out, out, out: Jams, Bermuda shorts, Spandex, straw hats, tight jeans, ripped denim, gold chains, flip-flops, golf hats, celebrity T-shirts.

So, what a world. Dungarees are back, they're hot, they're young, they're now, and you gotta get a pair because they're so bleeping uncomfortable. To elaborate: They are stiff with a vengeance. They are so stiff you'll have to learn to walk all over again. They are, in fact, so stiff you might say they suffer from denim rigor mortis. Those same rigid, retro blue jeans that your grandfather wore - for mucking out the stalls, say, or pitching hay - are now a cresting fashion statement for 14-to-25-year-olds apparently eager to shed the stonewashed, faded look for sterner stuff.

OK, men, now that June is nearly here, it's time to freshen up your wardrobe. The prescription for summer style isn't that difficult to swallow this year. First off, the tank top is no longer tops. It has been replaced by the vest. No, not the kind you wear under your suit jacket. These vests come in bold patterns, bright colors and in silk and other snazzy fabrics. There are also vests of denim or brushed cotton, some with fancy buckles or zippers instead of buttons. The vest can be worn with jeans, shorts or even dressy pants.

I've been looking for jeans all my life. But this fall, I made it a mission. In September, the search began in earnest for the perfect pair of dark-blue jeans. I wanted them to fit my waist, not sag in the crotch, feel comfortable in the hips, and hit the perfect spot on my pointy-toed shoes. Whew! In all, I tried on more than 30 pairs of jeans, about 16 brands, which I found at department stores, specialty boutiques, and discount chains in the city as well as the suburbs.

The girls at Lower Merion High School said Steve Singer was "cool" back then, and 20 years apparently have not diminished him. Last weekend, in a sea of gray business suits, he struck a Clint Eastwood pose in a denim jacket and boots. Late in the evening, he strode across the room, pulled up a chair, straddled it and fixed his gaze on the high cheekbones and wide smile of Ollie Boston. It was not until someone else said his name that she shrieked, "Steve Singer!" He grinned. Within minutes, they dispensed with the last two decades - he works in theater production in Houston; she has been married to the class president for 16 years and is rekindling her acting career, with one line in an unreleased movie to her credit.

AS A LIFELONG city resident and a more than 20-year breast-cancer survivor, I'm proud of my city. Contrary to the statements made in your Sept. 4 editorial, city departments and employees embrace many different charities, issues and fund-raising campaigns, including the City of Philadelphia Employees Combined Campaign. As president of the National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund, I was honored that the controller's office added the denim day campaign for its employees to consider and encouraged others to do the same.

If you're hip, raid your father's closet - for those funny-looking cardigans, slip-on loafers or maybe a leather bomber jacket. Or buy a tapestry, paisley-print vest and acid-washed, blue-denim, baggy jeans. Mix in an earth-toned blazer, a turtleneck, maybe a scarf and dangling earrings. Or try a knit matching outfit in mustard, teal or purple. Also, bobos - those white, cheap tennis sneakers worn only by losers last year - are winners this year. No laces, though.

A man who was wearing two earrings in each ear is being sought in the gunpoint sexual assault of a 32-year-old woman in Center City, police said Wednesday. The assailant approached the victim from behind about 1:30 a.m. Dec. 7 on the 100 block of North Mole Street, near 16th and Cherry Streets, and assaulted her in a nearby courtyard, police said. The attacker was described as black, with a medium brown complexion, 5 feet, 8 inches to 5 feet, 10 inches tall, 150 to 180 pounds, with an athletic build.

The "1969: L.A. and Beyond" series of short videos has all the elements of a reality TV show. It has action. It has fashion. And the star of the show is always in demand. Gap, the nation's largest clothing chain, on Monday rolled out a marketing campaign that features 30- to 90-second online documentary-style videos centered on the activities at its denim design studio in Los Angeles called the Pico Creative Loft. The series of about 30 videos shows designers talking about what it takes to create the Gap's 1969 denim line, which has been expanded with stretch leggings, corduroy pants, and other offerings for between $59.50 and $89.95.

WE ARE our fear of frump. Blame aging baby-boomers, our expanded waistlines and the recession-inspired instinct to nest, but fashion continues to take a back seat to comfort, which is why PajamaJeans are hot. A cross between denim pants and night clothes, these new-fangled lounge pants look like blue jeans but feel like cozy flannels, hence the tagline: "Pajamas you live in. Jeans you sleep in. " PajamaJeans are sold via the Internet and...

There comes a time when even a diehard fashionista has to stand firmly in her suede, studded clogs and ask, "Do we really need a label on this?" Sneakers? Maybe. T-shirts? Only of the soft Michael Stars variety. Jeans? Labels mean a lot on those. But diapers? C'mon, really? This summer, both Pampers and Huggies introduced specialty diapers - do those words even go together? - to the children's market. Pampers worked with designer Cynthia Rowley (more runway than rumpus room)

AS A LIFELONG city resident and a more than 20-year breast-cancer survivor, I'm proud of my city. Contrary to the statements made in your Sept. 4 editorial, city departments and employees embrace many different charities, issues and fund-raising campaigns, including the City of Philadelphia Employees Combined Campaign. As president of the National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund, I was honored that the controller's office added the denim day campaign for its employees to consider and encouraged others to do the same.

After years of mismatched fashion irreverence (which included pairing teal shoes with everything) the classic suit is reemerging in a much different landscape than the last time it dominated women's wardrobes in the 1980s. Dresses, the most feminine of fashion items, are peaking in popularity as more and more women are moving away from dressing like men in order to be taken seriously in the workplace. We are even seeing more and more cleavage during daylight hours. Still, dark-hued, menswear blazers and skirt (or pant)

After years of mismatched fashion irreverence (which included pairing teal shoes with everything) the classic suit is reemerging in a much different landscape than the last time it dominated women's wardrobes in the 1980s. Dresses, the most feminine of fashion items, are peaking in popularity as more and more women are moving away from dressing like men in order to be taken seriously in the workplace. We are even seeing more and more cleavage during daylight hours. Still, dark-hued, menswear blazers and skirt (or pant)

On a recent trip to New York, Keven Parker popped into the ultra-edgy D&G boutique and snagged a pair of moderately distressed jeans with colorful embroidery covering the right back pocket. Price tag? $575, a sum for which Parker is decidedly unapologetic. "I just had to have them," says the Philadelphia restaurateur who frequently drops good dough for trendy clothes. In fact, he's amassed about a dozen pairs of True Religions, the horseshoe-pocketed denim seen on the famous backsides of Bruce Willis, David Beckham, Chad Michael Murray, Justin Timberlake, Kirk Franklin, and Usher.

When Gwendolyn Dawan converted to Islam in 1973, she wore a long skirt, a long top and wrapped her hair. Today, she designs pinstriped suits and ankle-length denim skirts for Muslim women that are modest, yet follow current fashion trends. "I get a lot of requests from business women for suits with skirts," said Dawan, who also offers sage green and paisleys in her collection. "Nothing in the Koran says we can't wear color. Many Muslim women have always worn designer labels underneath their outer garments.