Wealthy women started wearing denim at dude ranches

Until the 1930s, a rich white woman would never wear jeans. But that changed during the Great Depression, when struggling farmers opened their properties to snappy tourists under the mantle of exotic dude ranches.

“These wealthy people from Connecticut or Rhode Island would go out, sometimes for weeks or months at a time, and in order to enjoy themselves and play this role of cowboy, they had to dress the part,” Strachan said. “And you had these [equivalent to] pop-up shops, Levi’s and other brands at the time, they were selling menswear for women to wear to do these chores for fun.”

When the conquering agro-tourists returned home, their jeans became “souvenirs” that they showed off to their friends, Strachan said. Slowly, humble denim workwear became a full-blown fashion trend among Northeastern gals.