American Apparel

With the start of the Memorial Day weekend, and the unofficial beginnings of summer, it’s that time of year again when friends and families hop into their cars for their summer road trips. In American road tripping is as quintessential as the denim garments we wear on our adventures. The horrifying thought that the lone house in the middle of nowhere might lead to bad things, is at the core of a lot of American horror films. After all our country is enormous, and while a lot is highly developed, there are still stretches of this country that are out of reach to any type of civilization. We see this trope all the time, the fear of isolation and the unknown of the wilderness, but nothing quiet captures that spirit like 1981’s The Evil Dead, and 2011’s The Cabin in The Woods.

Nothing beats Sam Raimi’s classic, the film that broke the boundaries and started the trend. In the beginnings of the slasher genre and the 80’s, The Evil Dead still holds the grit and energy of 70’s horror. It’s dirty and plays with the ideas being challenged at the time, that evil is not from the “other” but awoken by us and perpetuated within spaces that we deem “safe”. The quaint vacation cabin that Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) and his friends decided to occupy for the weekend takes a horrid twist. When in the basement a discovery of the Necronomicon, or book of the dead, is unearthed and read from. One by one evil arises, the woods begin to attack, and each one of Ash’s friends succumbs to the possession. At the helm of the story Ash is the “All American Guy” denim clad, and approachable. Denim has become just as synonymous with our culture as these “Cabin in the woods” stories. Gaining its start in the 1800’s, where western expansion and exploration was at the forefront of the century. The men who built America, miners, rail workers, farmers, etc. can all been seen sporting this fabric in part to Levi Strauss, the denim pioneer. It wasn’t until the mid-20th century that denim became a universal leisure garment, but once its wear became widespread, jeans and denim have become a class breaker. No matter the price, everyone owns this garment and can be seen sporting various styles of it. For our hero Ash William’s there is no exception. There’s a rugged durability to the garment. He’s dressed for comfort and protection, more then he realized he needed when he packed his suitcase. Throughout the course of the story, and subsequent sequels and spinoffs, we see Ash undergo a hero’s journey. One of self-discovery, strength, and acceptance into the situation at hand (or chainsaw hand). His denim shirt, and brown denim pants becomes a uniform of protection, and of the everyman. Anyone can walk into a store and purchase these items. We see the strength within Ash within ourselves and his choice of clothing is a physical manifestation of that.

As decades pass and denim jeans become the staple for every person, Joss Whedon’s 2011 films The Cabin in The Woods, breaks that trope and mold but still keeps each character a vision of us. We all know the story right, five friends (all different tropes but unlikely friends) take a weekend road trip to a cabin in the woods. To get away, to decompress, and bond after a stressful semester. They each have their part to play, the jock and the pretty girl want to sneak away time to rekindle their romance, the nerdy guy wants to spend time with the wallflower, and the stoner just wants to get high. They discover something sinister in the basement, all hell breaks loose, and what was supposed to be a weekend away with friends turns into a weekend of carnage where only one see’s the sunrise and makes it out alive. But what Drew Goddard and Whedon did so brilliantly was flip everything we think we know on its head. A government agency constructing and manipulating this whole event to keep cosmic balance to an under-earth god appeased. Costume designer Shawna Trpcic took these characters and illustrated again that universality of adolescence and gave us a mural of denim looks that at the time I had in my closet. We can each identify with these kids. The original Evil Dead did not have a costume designer, but Shawna pulled inspiration from those who came before her.

I had a professor in grad school who told me to never put denim on the stage. At the time I was confused and defiant, but in hindsight I understood what she meant. Jeans are plain. As I said above, they cross all different types of status and break the barriers of wealth, class, race, etc. But what I don’t agree with her on is that they in fact do inform you a great deal about the character. You know exactly who that person is by the style, cut, and wash of the wearer. Take Jules (Anna Hutchinson) she has been branded the “slut” trope, and she sports, short shorts, low cut tanks. Chris Hemsworth who plays Curt our “jock” can be seen in medium wash denim, a Henley, and a plaid shirt over the top complete with tan timberland workers boots. We know these people even if we don’t personally know them, and the way we style our jeans displays an unconscious bias that we all perceive about each other’s clothing but also how we view ourselves. This film however was breaking the mold and in true horror fashion subverting our previous knowledge. Kristen Conolly’s character Dana is presented to us as the quiet artsy type. Cute tops, cropped cardigans, and her boyfriend cut jeans, tells us this innocent girl isn’t capable or has the strength in her to be more then we see. But Trpcic, just like her writing counterparts, disguises our hero final girl. She disarms her character to come in hard towards the end.  

While Ash set the stage for the “All American” denim clad hero that spawned countless films of the rest of the decade, Shawna’s designs solidified the importance and timelessness of denim in our film cannon. So, this weekend should you decided to getaway remember to pack accordingly and don’t go in the basement. Actually, if the Airbnb has a basement in the woods maybe just spring for the Hampton Inn.