Several centuries ago, in the French town of Nimes, a strong
twill-weave cotton cloth to be used as ships sails were made.
'Serge de Nimes' ___1___
to be called denims were made into tough sea-faring clothes by ___2___
sailors. However, it was only in the 1850s, during the gold
rush years of San Francisco that a man named Levi Strauss had
the foresight to___3___
unsaleable canvas tents into sturdy work wear. Little did he
realize that he was starting a ___4___
that was to be a uniform of youth in the Fifties and that in the
Eighties, designer jeans would ___5___
as much as the price of gold.
The Sixties saw ___6___
decorated, colored, and reworked into bags, flares and other ___7___.
The Seventies were the years of the 'stretch' jeans, ___8___
with elastic threads to hug all contours. The Eighties saw hard
times as jeans were torn and shredded to ___9___
economic recession and high unemployment.
For now, anything goes. But out there, some French sailors
will be ___10___ to think
that someone will pay $200 for a piece of sail cloth. |