American Denim: A New Folk Art

by Peter S. Beagle

A charming, historically-important, and well-produced book from 1975 that highlights the work of about 50 denim artists. The concept is these men and women took denim garments and changed them. There's a wide range of techniques applique, embroidery and other needlepoint techniques, distressing, intergration of other fabrics, painting, studding. The intentions of the artists here are varied. Some of them are coming straight out of the hippie "I drew on my dirty jeans" school. Others are clearly fabric artists interested in seeing how they can transform garments into something new. Some of them are fashion designers, looking to take street wear to a fashion-conscious and upscale place. And some are just pure folk artists -- "I wanted to have two naked chicks with pubic hair on my jacket so I made this." Whatever their intentions, the work exhibited in this book is remarkable. And every stereotype you might have in your head about the mid-70's being a stylistic nadir will be challenged by the groovy stuff here. Applique jeans with flowers and butterflies aren't automatically a joke. They can be an object of great beauty. Almost all color photography with many detail shots and a few fold-out pages. Interspersed are b&w photos of famous people looking famous in denim (the usual suspects like Peter Fonda and Olivia Newton-John are here as well as Marlene Dietrich and Frank Sinatra wearing a truly horrendous bell-bottomed number.) Interspersed through the book is the essay by Peter Beagle which is a free-flowing and personal reflection on the spirit of the time, the fashionable past, crafting, the history of the Levi brand, life in a post-1960's realities, and how he really, really liked fur when he was a kid. Really.

Genres: Art, Fashion

156 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1975

About the author

Peter Soyer Beagle (born April 20, 1939) is an American fantasist and author of novels, nonfiction, and screenplays. He is also a talented guitarist and folk singer. He wrote his first novel, A Fine and Private Place , when he was only 19 years old. Today he is best known as the author of The Last Unicorn, which routinely polls as one of the top ten fantasy novels of all time, and at least two of his other books (A Fine and Private Place and I See By My Outfit) are considered modern classics.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

The narrator was extremely annoying, but the designs were incredible: beautiful, crazy and everything in between. You can really sense the kinds of drugs these people were on by the designs featured here.

[Carlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

found this treasure at the thrift store and it has the most ambitious, inspiring needlework fathomable.