The Story of Jeans

LEVELED BOOK • M The Story of Jeans

Written by Elizabeth Austin

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The Story of Jeans A Reading A–Z Level M Leveled Book • Word Count: 720

Visit www.readinga-z.com for thousands of books and materials. The Story of Jeans

Written by Elizabeth Austin

www.readinga-z.com

www.readinga-z.com 24 DRA

L Fountas & Pinnell & Fountas

Illustrated by Darcy Tom Darcy by Illustrated

LEVEL M LEVEL

with research by Heidi M. Powers M. Heidi by research with

Written by Elizabeth Austin Elizabeth by Written Correlation

A–Z Learning ©

Level M Leveled Book Leveled M Level

The Story of Jeans of Story The

Downing; page 10: © Pierre Vauthey/Sygma/Corbis; page 12: © iStockphoto.com/Gregor Inkret iStockphoto.com/Gregor © 12: page Vauthey/Sygma/Corbis; Pierre © 10: page Downing;

Collection, Prints & Photographs Div [LC-USF34-058892-E]; page 8: © Greg Kuchik/Photodisc/Getty Images; page 9: © REUTERS/Larry REUTERS/Larry © 9: page Images; Kuchik/Photodisc/Getty Greg © 8: page [LC-USF34-058892-E]; Div Photographs & Prints Collection,

Bruderer/Corbis; page 4: © LWA-Sharie Kennedy/Corbis; page 7: courtesy of Library of Congress, FSA-Office of War Information Photograph Photograph Information War of FSA-Office Congress, of Library of courtesy 7: page Kennedy/Corbis; LWA-Sharie © 4: page Bruderer/Corbis;

Front cover: © iStockphoto.com/Ekaterina Shvaygert; back cover, pages 5, 6, 11:courtesy of Levi Strauss & Co. Archives; title page: © Rolf Rolf © page: title Archives; Co. & Strauss Levi of 11:courtesy 6, 5, pages cover, back Shvaygert; iStockphoto.com/Ekaterina © cover: Front Photo Credits: Photo Table of Contents

Introduction ...... 4 History ...... 5 Changing Fashions ...... 7 How Jeans Are Made ...... 12 Conclusion ...... 17 Glossary ...... 18

The Story of Jeans • Level M 3

. off took fashion the how and

jeans. wear ages all of People

wonder who invented them them invented who wonder

Jeans are so common, you may may you common, so are Jeans

. shoes denim of pair a or shirt,

you might have a jean jacket, jacket, jean a have might you

Or Or . now right pair a wearing

You may be be may You . pairs seven about

The average American owns owns American average The

. do probably You jeans? of pair

Do you see a a see you Do . drawer clothes

Take a look in your closet or or closet your in look a Take Introduction The miners in California had a problem with their pants . When they found gold or ore, they carried it in their pockets . But the metal was heavy, and the pockets ripped . In 1873, Levi became partners with a tailor named Jacob Davis . Jacob and Levi made tough denim pants with copper rivets sewn into the seams . Rivets are strong metal fasteners . The miners loved the “waist overalls,” as they were called, and they quickly became popular . California miners in the 1880s loved waist overalls.

5 M Level • Jeans of Story The

. businessman successful a Co. & Strauss Levi founded Strauss Levi

became quickly Levi . Rush

in California during the Gold Gold the during California in

Business was booming booming was Business . stores

fabric to sell to dry goods goods dry to sell to fabric

He carried many kinds of of kinds many carried He

. Francisco San to Rush Gold

in 1847 and followed the the followed and 1847 in

. .S U the to went He . Strauss

German man named Levi Levi named man German

Jeans were invented by a a by invented were Jeans History Changing Fashions Levi’s® jeans were work pants . Male workers wore them all the time . But a gentleman wouldn’t think of wearing jeans . Women didn’t wear pants at all . But this changed when Western movies became popular . All the cowboys Cowboys and a cowgirl sport denim pants. wore jeans . People thought the cowboys looked tough and cool . But jeans still weren’t proper for places like school, stores, or offices .

The Story of Jeans • Level M 7

company officially changed the name the changed officially company .

people called Levi’s pants “jeans,” the the “jeans,” pants Levi’s called people

became confused. Eventually, so many many so Eventually, confused. became

look very much alike, and the names names the and alike, much very look

. They They . with blue dyed are fabrics indigo

. But both both But . and cotton of made linen

fabric. Jean is a thinner, weaker fabric fabric weaker thinner, a is Jean fabric.

fabrics. Denim is a strong all-cotton all-cotton strong a is Denim fabrics.

But jean and denim are two different different two are denim and jean But

“jeans.” pants denim call we Today,

Jean or Denim? or Jean

. countries other many in America of symbol a became They

. pants American tough, like seem jeans made They casual

. jeans wore soldiers . .S U off-duty II, War World During Back in the U .S ., fashions changed . Movie stars wore jeans in their films . Teenagers everywhere loved them . Some schools banned jeans because of their “rebel” image . But casual clothing, including jeans, became popular for more and more occasions . Eventually, jeans were so common that it became okay for anyone to wear them . You can even find pictures President Obama wore jeans to open the 2009 All Star Game in St. Louis. of the president wearing jeans .

The Story of Jeans • Level M 9

of fashion shows. fashion of

walk the runways runways the walk

jeans jeans Designer

. .00 $3,715 for

Gucci sold a pair of jeans jeans of pair a sold Gucci

In 2000, the Italian designer designer Italian the 2000, In

. flared and stretchy, baggy,

They made them them made They . jeans out)

(wore stonewashed and

They bleached, decorated, decorated, bleached, They

. styles new made designers In the 1980s, clothing clothing 1980s, the In Jeans are dyed every color Do You Know? of the rainbow . Denim You may have noticed that many is used to make almost blue jeans are sewn everything, including with orange thread. This is unusual. Most jackets, hats, skirts, shoes, clothing is sewn with and wallets . Antique, or thread the same old, jeans are also popular . color as the fabric. The orange thread You can find them in thrift matches the copper stores for a very low price . rivets. Many kinds of jeans use two Or you can find them in stitches side by specialty stores, where side to make the These Levi’s jeans from the orange show up. they are very expensive . 1930s are very valuable.

The Story of Jeans • Level M 11

. yarn called thread thin long, a into stretched and twisted,

The rope is pulled, pulled, is rope The . rope thick a into lint the twist Machines

. pocket your in lint the like lint, called are fibers The . them

combed to untangle untangle to combed

White bolls on cotton plants cotton on bolls White

Then the fibers are are fibers the Then

. removed are seeds

are picked and the the and picked are

The bolls bolls The . called bolls

cotton plant in puffs puffs in plant cotton

fibers growing on the the on growing fibers

Most jeans begin as as begin jeans Most How Jeans Are Made Are Jeans How Yarn is dyed before it is woven into denim . Blue denim is made from both blue and white yarn . When your jeans wear out or rip, you can see the white threads showing through . Denim is woven in a diagonal pattern . The fabric is so sturdy that it is used in some paper money . That’s why money doesn’t fall apart if you accidentally wash it in your pocket . Bundles of fabric are called bolts . One bolt of denim weighs 500 pounds (227 kg) . It can make 60 pairs of adult-size jeans . Electric saws cut through 120 layers of cloth at once . The cloth is cut into many sizes and sewn together . One pair of jeans goes through 37 different sewing steps . It takes 213 yards (195 m) of thread to sew one pair of jeans .

13 M Level • Jeans of Story The

before weaving, rather than after. than rather weaving, before

bacteria! dyed is denim fabrics, many

Unlike denim. of Bolts buy may have been dyed by by dyed been have may buy

dye. The next pair of blue jeans you you jeans blue of pair next The dye.

found special bacteria that make blue blue make that bacteria special found

pollution. Some jeans makers have have makers jeans Some pollution.

from coal or oil. But these dyes cause cause dyes these But oil. or coal from

many years, jeans makers used dye dye used makers jeans years, many

But indigo is very expensive. For For expensive. very is indigo But

orange to yellow to green to blue. blue. to green to yellow to orange

This changes the plant mixture from from mixture plant the changes This

stirred, in order to mix in oxygen. oxygen. in mix to order in stirred,

soaked in water. Then the water is is water the Then water. in soaked

plants. The plant leaves are first first are leaves plant The plants.

with indigo, which comes from special special from comes which indigo, with

The original jeans were dyed dyed were jeans original The

Making Blue Jeans Blue Jeans Blue Making Custom-made jeans will perfectly fit all of Now, people can your measurements. even order custom- made jeans . You can send all your waist measurements hip to a custom jeans thigh company . They will make a pair to fit inseam you perfectly .

leg opening

15 M Level • Jeans of Story The

to make jeans. make to patterns and sizes. and patterns

together sewn is fabric cut The The fabric is cut into into cut is fabric The 4 3

lint into yarn. into lint

Round bobbins pull and twist twist and pull bobbins Round

1 into strips of cloth. of strips into

Looms weave the yarn yarn the weave Looms 2 Conclusion Today, all kinds of people around the world wear jeans . People wear them everywhere . Designers have even made denim tuxedoes for the most formal occasions . Jeans are popular today for the same reasons they were popular when Levi Strauss first made them . They look good, they last long, and they are comfortable .

That’s probably why you own a pair A denim tux, complete with or two, or seven, yourself . vest and tie

The Story of Jeans • Level M 17

14) . (p 6) . (p together

angle an at slanted; (adj.) diagonal diagonal that hold things things hold that

metal of bits (n.) rivets rivets 16) . (p person one for

specifically made (adj.) custom 6) . (p it in metal

rock with precious precious with rock (n.) ore ore 8) . (p

formal not relaxed; (adj.) casual casual 8) . (p flax called

made from a plant plant a from made 14) . (p fabric of

a thin, light fabric fabric light thin, a (n.) linen linen strips rolled-up wide, (n.) bolts bolts

8) . (p color 12) . (p cotton of puffs (n.) bolls bolls

a deep, dark blue blue dark deep, a

9) . (p forbade (v.) banned

also, plants; from

made dye a 11) . (p old and valuable (n.) (adj.) indigo indigo antique Glossary