Re-rokking Denim and Tees
S.O.S. Darfur Modal Tank by Tristan Christopher for Couture Tee $28.00; Distressed Angel Jeans by JaymieJean $ 150.00; Available at the Jayime Jean and Tristan Christopher Showroom and www.hbshowroom.com. Photo by D'Angelo/TwoStrayDogs
by Andrea Ruse
Photos by David D’Angelo http://www.twostraydogs.com
Everyone has that favorite pair of jeans that’s been almost everywhere with them.
You know, the jeans you’ve worn out to a night of dinner and dancing, a stroll down The Strand, and a cozy evening at home on the couch — sometimes all in the same weekend.
They’ve become comfortably worn, hug you perfectly, and feel like a second skin every time you put them on.
They are the jeans that make you look in the mirror and think, “Damn, I look good.”
And of course, they do wonders for your derriere.
Though you’ve been through so much together, after hundreds of wears and washes, they’ve become, well, a little too worn out. The cuffs are shredded from stepping on them one too many times. The midnight blue wash you loved when you bought them has now faded about ten shades lighter. The once intact fabric has become hole-ridden almost to the point of indecency, threatening to expose things that are better left covered.
And yet you can’t seem to say goodbye.
“Everybody has a graveyard of denim in their closet that has become old and boring,” said Jayime Bailey, designer and co-owner of the Jayime Jean and Tristan Christopher Showroom in Hermosa Beach. “Instead of buying another pair of designer jeans, why not just bring in the ones you already have and get a new look?”
Bailey, 32, has been reviving hundreds, maybe thousands, of pairs of jeans from near-death experiences since long before the boutique showroom opened last May at the intersection of Hermosa and Pier avenues (next door to Zane’s restaurant).
In 2003, the Redondo Beach native started “re-rokking” her own jeans as a hobby and artistic outlet in the garage of her Hermosa Beach home, where she lives with her two daughters.
Re-rokking, a term coined by Bailey, includes cutting, ripping, shredding, grinding, bleaching, dyeing, heat transferring, sewing, and any other technique that can be applied to a pair of jeans that changes its original look into something unique and customizable.
“I look at every pair of jeans as a storyboard,” Bailey said. “Once I get started, each pair just takes off in its own direction.”
That same year, while Bailey was out donning one of her designs at former Club 705 on Pier Ave. one night, she met Christopher on the dance floor.
“I saw her wearing some crazy jeans,” Christopher said. “I walked up to her and said, ‘I like your style.’”
At the time, Christopher was creating artistically-inspired T-shirts out of his kitchen.
Combining their forces seemed like a natural fit and so began the journey that led them to open the small showroom after several years, tradeshows, and hard knocks in the often cut-throat fashion industry.
Damasque Pocket Modal & Silk Top by Tristan Christopher for Couture Tee $58.00; After Kenn Jeans by JayimeJean $ 420.00; Available at the Jayime Jean and Tristan Christopher Showroom and www.hbshowroom.com. Photo by D'Angelo/TwoStrayDogs
The store — which caters to both retail and wholesale markets — showcases women’s, men’s, and children’s collections that include jeans, tees, dresses, shorts, and mini skirts for customers who want to walk in and choose off the rack. Once a customer settles on a clothing item, the designers reproduce the piece with subtle variations to maintain a one-of-a-kind look.
The result?
Everything from polka dots and pin-up girls to zebra and paisley-printed fabrics appear between carefully-placed shreds on jeans. Skulls or pairs of ruby-red lips straddle holes down the length of other pairs. Buttons are added to give the look of denim jacket sleeves on leg cuffs. Old boot cuts are transformed into more fashionable skinny jeans. Less exotic pieces are simply given new washes, each uniquely be-speckled with bleach spots or splashes of vibrant color.
But the designers are more excited about customers bringing in their own ideas, creativity, and clothing to be translated into wearable art.
“I don’t want to just sell T-shirts,” Christopher said. “I want people to be able to build their own T-shirts.”
“People bring in old fabrics from their grandmother, moms come in with pictures of their kids, and high school kids bring their poetry,” Bailey said. “They all want to put these special things onto their jeans. It’s a service that lets you get involved and make your own statement.”
Professional seamstress Alma Rocco works closely with Bailey to ensure top-quality stitching of re-rokked fashions.
The Jayime Jean line has been featured in Women’s Wear Daily, OK, and Fashion L.A. magazines. In 2008, Bailey was invited to showcase her clothing line at an exclusive tradeshow by Christian Audigier, designer of the famed Ed Hardy clothing line.
Antique Cross Sheer Cotton Tee by Tristan Christopher for Couture Tee $28.00; London Jean Skirt by JayimeJean $ 75.00; Available at the Jayime Jean and Tristan Christopher Showroom and www.hbshowroom.com. Photo by D'Angelo/TwoStrayDogs
The Tristan Christopher line offers customizable couture tees, hoodies, and yoga pants that complement Bailey’s denim fashions in much the same way the two friends complement each other.
“We are really good friends and are always creating together,” Christopher said. “We exchange ideas as if part of an entity. Whatever you see in here, you can mix and match with something else in here. There is continuity of imagery through all our designs.”
Christopher approaches each piece the way a painter does a blank canvas and draws his inspiration from social and cultural concepts to fleeting or deep-seated emotions.
His personal technique of dye-mixing and image transfer produces the illusion of rich textures on cotton fabrics, resulting in fashions ranging from a T-shirt with one small square of abstract design to a thoroughly tie-dyed pair of yoga pants with Chinese characters printed on them — all done by hand.
Christopher knows that some of the store’s loud fashions don’t fit everyone’s style.
“Some people just browse around the store the way they would in an art galley,” he said. “Others think it’s so cool. But I think everybody feels the good energy in here and it’s fun. It brings older people back to their youth. Hipster teens come in and their faces light up too.”
The store also hosts performances by local musicians, spoken word nights, sidewalk karaoke, cocktail parties, and art shows to enhance the creative vibe Bailey and Christopher have worked to create.
“I’ve always wanted a spot in downtown Hermosa,” Christopher said. “The laid-back feel of the clothing, the colors, and the style go well with the beach community. You can go to the mall if you want. But it shouldn’t be like that down here. It should be like an art fair.”
For more information, visit www.hbshowroom.com or call (310) 540-6910. B
Photo: D’Angelo/TwoStrayDogs
Art Direction: Marco Ciappelli/TwoStrayDogs
Model: Celeste Thorson
Hair & Makeup: Ashleigh Louer
Wardrobe: Andrea Garst
Photographed in downtown Hermosa by David D’Angelo | Two Stray Dogs | A Band Of Creatives | 310.251.7967 direct