For a photogenic road trip, great-looking threads are a must
MANILA, Philippines -Somewhere along the line I knew there would be girls, visions, everything: somewhere along the line the pearl would be handed to me.” Jack Kerouac’s 1957 novel On the Road is a literary work that defined the restless and idealistic beat generation whose milieu was marked by the quest for freedom and truth through whatever means available: jazz, drugs, poetry, sex. For the overshare generation nourished by Twitter updates and Instagram photos, though, they get introduced to Kerouac’s work via the Walter Salles-directed film version, which works less as a Cliff’s Notes with pictures and more as a muddled-up interpretation of a story more fit to be enjoyed as a written one. But what pretty images it leaves: Sam Riley, Garrett Hedlund and Kristen Stewart, sinuous and lithe in their slightly too-fitted tees and cuffed plaid shirts the way only the blasé young can, their long tanned limbs disappearing into the frayed edges of their jeans shorts as they drive from city to city in a haze of photogenic smoke.
Images like these fuel the glamour of road trip stories where the destinations don’t matter as much as the journeys themselves. And though long drives in cramped spaces aren’t every traveler’s cup of tea, the sense of going wherever the beat-up pick-up truck takes you is freeing and exhilarating — especially if you have the perfectly faded and creased threads to wear to the trip.
Wrangler Jeans, fall/winter 2012 collection “Find Your Edge” fits the bill. A denim brand that started in 1947 to cater to the rodeo market, Wrangler has long since expanded its reach, establishing links to the world of professional sports and country music and, as emphasized by its current collection, to the youth lifestyle market. “The Wrangler fall/winter 2012 campaign is the story of two people who travel together from morning ‘til night,” the collection’s press notes state. “Fueled by the adrenalin rush of discovery, they are always on the move and eager to explore their next destination with functional yet edgy outfits for every journey.”
There are three lines in the collection that each tells part of that story. The Early Riser takes its cue from its name, using hues that announce the break of day: red, orange, and the lightest of yellows and blues. Pastel plaids, peasant-style blouses with embroidered edges, and soft cotton tees come straight out of a sweetheart cowgirl’s wardrobe and the lightweight denims are easy to match with scarves, jackets, and belts, their well-worn creases conveying a sense of ease and comfort even in the ultra slim-cut jeggings. While Early Riser is about down-home chic, Boundless City is more, well, city slicker. Details such as zips and strings in navy blue, viridian, and striking red complement the modern cuts of its utilitarian denims of reversible cargo pants and shorts. Midnight is a detour to denims with darker wash, from pants to zip-up jackets to vests injected with metallic threads –– they’re what hitchhikers would change into when making a pit stop at Las Vegas.
Day to night, from backwater country to the metropolis –– whatever happens in between is where the thrill of the road trip lies, and it’s best to meet them looking your best in your most comfortable jeans.
