The Inexplicable Beauty/ Popularity of Denim (and One-piece Collar Shirts)

I am a very direct person, and I try to be consistent with my very strong beliefs as much as I can. That said, there have been lapses in rational thinking which, in retrospect, have led to interesting sartorial detours.

Canclini "Okayama" denim. Made in Japan for the Italian mill.

There is no genuine denim that is of high enough count that can be qualified as "dress (shirt) fabric". Real denim is supposed to be rugged. There are, of course, luxury denim(-like) shirting and shirts, such as those made in Naples with 10 steps by hand from The Armoury, using Carlo Riva denim - but then, as I would argue, the true beauty of a denim shirt comes from its casual and nonchalant flair, which is symbolized by the necessary fading of the indigo hue. It is exactly this friction-mediated fading that gives denim garments their unique ability to age gracefully.

Italian denim, brand unknown. Fabric purchased from Camiceria Piccolo.

My Canclini "Okayama" handmade shirt by Germain Tailors (HK). The fading effect became rather apparent after about 10 washes.

To create contrast, I believe it is essential to "realize" (as the Italians would put it) denim shirts in a modern formal style. A really casual denim shirt is just bad, unrefined and not sartorial. Resonating with this philosophy, and presumably to stir market demand, many tailors in Hong Kong are reviving a flamboyant style once popular in the 90s...

[1] Screenshot from Fight Back to School (1991)

...and just in case the reader has not clicked the link to the Armoury shirt above (here, if you want to take a second look), yes, it's incidentally also in this so-called one-piece collar style as seen below:

[2] Shirts by @wongmanhoi2015 (or @wmanhoi since his old Galaxy phone broke) for connoisseur @miradormansion. Note the buttons at the collar tips - which are essential to improving the wearability of the one-piece collar shirts.

What I think is, to maintain the look in (2) and avoid looking like (1) is extremely hard, unless you are a fashion blogger who can spend 25 hours a day to maintain your impeccable look. Sometimes I do wonder how many actual wears these shirts get once they have fulfilled their photography purpose on social media.

But to be honest: in a world where people buy out of desire instead of necessity, I do own a one-piece collar shirt, without collar buttons, in an acid-green cotton/ linen mix, and I am simply too ashamed of posting a photo of that shirt (not to mention a photo in that shirt)...

P.S. Some people write to confess, to positively manage their guilt and to make jokes about themselves in an (somewhat futile) attempt to avoid future embarrassment. This should be considered normal.

Until then, goodbye!