Editing Jeans (section)

=== Used and distressed looks ===
[[File:Reagan_with_horse.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Ronald Reagan]] wearing stonewash denim associated with [[Western clothing]], 1970s]]

A significant amount of the aesthetic treatment of jeans may occur after the denim has been cut and sewn into the final garment. Many denim articles are washed to make them softer and to reduce or minimize [[Shrinkage (fabric)|shrinkage]] even beyond what sanforization prevents. Significantly washed denim can resemble dry denim which has faded naturally over extended use. Such distressing may be supplemented by chemical treatments or physical techniques such as [[stone washing]].

The used or "[[Stone washing|acid wash]]" look is created by means of abrading the jeans or treating them with chemicals, such as acryl resin, phenol, a hypochlorite, potassium permanganate, caustic soda, acids etc.<ref>''Der Preis der Bluejeans'' documentary by Studio Hamburg 2012</ref>

Ripping or [[distressing]] of jeans, though also arising naturally as a result of wear and tear, is sometimes deliberately performed by suppliers—with distressed clothing sometimes selling for more than a nondistressed pair. For example, [[Emilio Pucci|Pucci]] sold "embellished mid-rise boyfriend jeans" for £600 (US$860).<ref>{{cite news |title=Am I too old for ... ripped jeans? |author-first=Laura |author-last=Craik |newspaper=[[The Times]] |page=11 |date=March 8, 2014 |url=http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/magazine/article4021673.ece |access-date=June 9, 2016 |archive-date=July 29, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160729194903/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/magazine/article4021673.ece |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====Changes in appearance due to use====
Over time dry denim will fade, which is considered fashionable in some circumstances. During the process of wear, fading will usually occur on those parts of the article that receive the most stress. On a pair of jeans, this includes the upper thighs, the ankles, and the areas behind the knees. Patterns of fading in jeans caused by prolonged periods of wear include:
* honeycombs – meshes of faded line-segments that form behind the knees
* whiskers – faded streaks that form radially from the crotch area
* stacks – irregular bands of fading above the ankle caused by accordioning of the fabric due to contact with the foot or shoe<ref name="Shapira2016"/>
* train tracks – fading along the out-seams due to abrasion<ref name="Shapira2016">{{Cite web|url=https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/denim-jeans-guide/|title=The Denim Jeans Guide — Gentleman's Gazette|website=www.gentlemansgazette.com|language=en-US|access-date=November 23, 2018|author=Shapira, J.A.|date=December 14, 2016|archive-date=October 26, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026064306/https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/denim-jeans-guide/|url-status=live}}</ref>

<gallery mode=packed heights=160>
File:Denim Fibers.jpg|Denim fibers from an old pair of jeans through a microscope
File:Full Count Denim Fade.jpg|alt=|Natural fading on a worn pair of selvedge jeans. Such patterns are sometimes referred to as 'whiskers' or 'honeycombs'.
</gallery>

===== Distressed jeans =====
[[File:Recording artist Leigh Jones entertained troops at Fort Belvoir 090501 (4920457551).jpg|thumb|upright|right|Ripped jeans were worn by singer Leigh Jones in this promotional photo.]]

Distressed denim emerged from the cultural [[Punk subculture|punk]] movement in the 1970s. Early punks tore apart consumer goods as an expression of their anger towards capitalism and corporate greed.

Punks used [[Safety pin|safety pins]] in garments to encourage the youth to not buy endless, meaningless fashion, and thus fund corporations. Clothes manufacturers [[Gentrification|gentrified]] the notion by selling clothes with safety pins already in them, so the original meaning of punk was lost. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thenewspaper.ca/the-arts/ |title=Distressed denim: a history |date=September 15, 2023 |access-date=May 22, 2017 |archive-date=May 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170522152020/http://www.thenewspaper.ca/the-arts |url-status=live }}</ref> Denim became a key target of this politically fueled deconstruction, with both men and women donning torn pants and jackets, accessorized with safety pins and slogans.  

The trend became popular again in the 1990s with the emergence of [[grunge]] fashion. The grunge youth wore loose-fitting ripped jeans, flannel shirts or woolen [[Pendleton Woolen Mills|Pendletons]] layered over T-shirts. Their anti-conformist approach to fashion led to the popularization of the casual chic look, a trend which continued into the 2000s.