Norma '501' Jean

After a morbid Wednesday night in, and with the prospect of having to go to bed early due to the lack of entertainment on the telly ! I stumbled across Kimberly Walsh: Blue Jean Girl. The Girls Aloud singer had jumped over the pond to investigate the wardrobe staple jeans ! Kimberly discovers the origins of denim and their changing status from an item worn by American gold miners in the 1800s to the cowboys of  the 1930s.
But it's the 1960s I want to talk about and in particular one actress, pop icon and my idol who is still on everyones mind even after her tragic and untimely death.


I am of course talking about Norma Jean a.k.a Marilyn Monroe !

From watching this programme I discovered that in the 1960s during the filming of Arthur Miller's TheMisfits, Marilyn Monroe began wearing the classic mens Levi 501 jeans. It is unknown whether this was due to her starring in a Cowboy/Western movie, or because Marilyn was simply pioneering the unisex way of wearing what had previously been reserved as men's apparel. Whatever her reasons I think we all owe Miss Monroe a thank you for setting the trend that we know today as the "boyfriend jean"