10A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, November 9, 2000 A RTS
Levi's gets ambitious with hip new 'EJs'
By Alatthew Barrett
and Ben Goldstein
Daily Fashion Editors
^Dailv Fashion - no, it's not an oxy-
moron. Writers Matthew Barrett and
Ben Goldstein took to the streets on
their inaugaral assigment as Daily
Fashion Editors to get the scoop on
:whether the Levi s Engineered Jeans,
hig overseas last winter would make
the cut on American soil. This is the
first in a continuing series of fashion
artidIes by the two.
The new style of Levi's jeans marks a
bold new step for the clothier best
known for their 501Is. Levi's has recent-
ly released their Engineered Jeans
(retailing at about $76), constructed
from a blend of cotton and the man-
made fiber TENCEL, which is intended
to provide greater comfort and durabili-
ty.
The Engineered Jeans (or Us to their
loyal fans) feature several improvements
on the basic five-pocket design. The EJs
boast large low-lying back pockets for
greater hand accessibility, a curved bot-
tom hem which rests more comfortably
on your shoes and a larger watch pocket
which is convenient in the days of
portable phones and MP3 players.
The public response to the jeans was
decidedly mixed. The major point of
critique was the style of the back pock-
ets. Most of the people we talked to had
some issues with their low position.
"It's like you want your pants to hug
your ass but don't want them to look
like they're hugging your ass," said
LSA junior Aaron Brink. "The pockets
accentuate your ass, they lengthen it."
When asked to rate the jeans on a
scale of 1-10 for hipness, LSA junior
Amy Chatfield said "I'd give them a 10
but the pockets bump it down to a 4."
LSA sophomore Agnes Aleobua said
she liked the jeans but thought that the
pockets would be much improved by "a
Defend Affirmative Action Party stick-
er." Aleobua gave the jeans a 5, finding
them only average, minus the sticker.
In an informal election day poll, the
jeans received an average of 7.3. The
rating could be higher once the pants
have a chance to catch on in the United
States. LSA senior Katherine Carlson,
who spent her summer in London, said
the jeans were very popular with the
men there.
Polling issues aside, the addition of
TENCEL didn't do much in terms of
comfort for the jeans. Even after a trip
through the washer, the jeans felt stiff
and somewhat uncomfortable. When
put to the test on the basketball court,
the jeans were revealed to have prob-
lems with breathability, but this could
be related to the small size, close-fitting
review jeans that were sent to us.
Comfort issues were most noticable
when boxing out in the low post or
doing defensive shuffles. They also did
little to help our somewhat mediocre
jumpshots and made us an easy target
JOYCE LEE/Daily
With the new Levi's Engineered Jeans, we
were definitely the badasses in the room.
for trash-talkers. Barbs like "Jeans, get
off the court" were all too common for
those of us trying to get in a clean game
of b-ball. So don't expect the varsity to
be suiting up in EJs any time soon;
make no mistake, they should not be
used as activewear.
Another downside to the new Levi's
is their problematic fifth pocket, which
leaves little room for anything larger
than change for the pop machine. The
twisted side seams were intended to
provide greater freedom of movement,
but they do not accomplish this and
only create an uneven look.
When you cut through all the new
trends, what really counts is what you
feel good in. Take it from trendsetter
and night club owner Maurice T. T.
Rodriguez and "wear what you dig."
While the new EJs may be hip for a
night on the town, they are are a long
way from the comfortable jeans you
kick back in on a lazy and hazy Satur-
day afternoon.
sourtesy ofi
Disney characters, link and even a sad-faced Pikachu make appearances on n
JOYCE LEE/Daily
The Us get their stretch on before a furious game of roundball.
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