Denim Aficionado Q & A - Mimi Jung

DIY jeans original Rodan vs. Griffith (chained, ripped)

This week we start a new regular feature interviewing denim aficionados. The first person to take part in the Q & A is Mimi Jung who has her own great blog brookandlyn.com. If you love denim and would like to be featured here then email your details.

1) How would you describe your denim style?
I'm a bit fickle when it comes to my denim. I'm always adding new styles to my collection. I wear skinny, wide, tapered, straight, high waisted, natural waisted, all sort of shades and the list goes on.

2) What do you look for in a pair of jeans?
At this point in my denim collection, I only have two excuses left to splurge on a new pair - unique color and style. The fit doesn't matter that much since I get all of my jeans tailored. I'm short with a smallish waist so it's highly unlikely that a pair off the rack will fit.

3) What are your favourite pair of jeans and why?
My favorite pair changes every couple of months. Right now its a pair of recently DIY jeans that I bought in Basel about 5 years ago. The label says Kembei, but unfortunately I've never been able to find any information about the company. It's a dark blue pair that I recently slow bleached, sanded down and ripped for a natural fade. I've been wearing them pretty much with everything. They add great contrast to all of my formal tops, as well as add some character to my more casual wear. That reminds me, I have to get them dry cleaned.

4) Who are your top 3 favourite brands and why?
Right now its Uniqlo, Superfine and Acne.

5) How many pairs of jeans do you own and what is the most you have paid for a pair?
I currently own and wear all 22 pairs of jeans. The most I've paid was $250 for a red pair of high waisted acne jeans.

6) What are the first pair of jeans you remember?
When I was growing up my mother was very anti-denim. She felt that denim didn't breathe. After months of trying to convince her that without them, I'd permanently be an outcast in society (aka middle school) she bought me my first pair of Aeropostale jeans. Getting them was monumental!

DIY jeans original Lux (sprayed bleached)

7) What are the next pair of jeans you are going to buy?
I went to Comme des Garcons the other day and spotted a jaw-dropping pair of eggshell denim (with matching blazer!) from the men's collection. They have exposed stitching in rainbow colors! I fell in love with them and now they have pretty much taken over my life. I plan on going back when they restock the smallest size possible (since tailoring is not an option in this case). If all else fails, I'll buy a pair for my husband.

8) Which is your favourite jeans shop?
I don't have a favorite denim shop but I buy the most from Uniqlo and OAK, both in Soho, NY. Between the two stores they have all styles, colors and prices.

9) What is the worst denim crime?
I think denim is such a good base for any outfit, that if it looks wrong, I would put the blame on the rest of the outfit. If I can fall back in love with stone wash denim...is there such a thing as a denim crime?

10) Who's denim style inspires you the most?
It's not a particular person but pretty much all the men from the Sartorialist's blog. The shapes and the colors of the jeans these men wear always gives me a ton of ideas for my next search.

DIY jeans original brand from Anthropologie (pattern bleached, studded)

11) If you could design your own jeans what would you do differently?
I alter them quite a bit so it's already like designing my own pair sometimes. I'm obsessed with giving old pairs of jeans new life and sacrificing them for endless DIY projects. I bleach (my favorite type is spray bleaching), dye, stud, rip, sew, chain, and who knows what's next. It's such an easy material to work with that you can make mistakes and it still looks pretty cool. My favorite "designed" jeans are a DIY pair of Rodan vs. Griffith extra skinny jeans (the ones where your legs are screaming for help) that I ripped and added all kinds of old vintage brass chains.

12) And finally, any predictions for denim trends in 2009?
I think it's already happening, stonewash is coming back. Perhaps more variation than what we were used to in the early 90s. I'm thinking different colors of stonewash than the traditional blue, perhaps gray or even beige! But then again this is more wishful thinking.

AndyK: 3/03/09