THE AMERICAN CASUAL 2022 Vol.2
An introduction to American casual by 2021. The relationship between American casual 5-pocket jeans and shoes.

Originally, boot-cut five-pocket jeans have a wider hem silhouette to cover the shaft when combined with western boots. They are a symbol of the cowboy's masculine style, and are an essential item for masculine coordination, as they create a beautiful silhouette when worn with longer boots such as engineer or lace-up boots. It is still fresh in our minds that 517s by Levi's (®︎) and engineers by Red Wing became the standard footwear during the Shibu-Kaje boom in Japan. In the hippie movement of the 1970s, boot-cut boots (or bell-bottoms) were the only choice, and it was commonplace to match them with sneakers as well.

Since bootcut jeans have their roots in the western style, the brand of choice should also take this into consideration. For example, rivets are a symbolic part of jeans, but in fact, they are not allowed on western jeans. This is because they can damage the saddle, the soul of the cowboy. Lee reinforced their jeans with threaded rivets sewn in the shape of a "cross" and Wrangler used "flat rivets" with a flat surface, which are still popular among cowboys. Each brand has its own unique twist, and these details are also important to look at and styling points.

And the shoes we chose to match the boot cut with this time were jogging shoes. Jogging became popular in the U.S. in the 1980s, and many masterpieces of jogging shoes, including New Balance's 990, were born around that time. However, it was a period of winter for bootcut shoes, which had been all the rage in the 1970s, and they were lying low until they made a comeback in Japan in the 1990s, which is why they are not usually paired with other items. However, this is why we propose to combine the hippie culture of the boot cut with clean, sporty, urban shoes and enjoy the mismatch with an urban yuppie flair.

The drawback of the boot cut is that when the length is cut to fit the inseam, the nice wide-hemmed silhouette disappears (tears). (Crying). And they don't look good rolled up, either. Therefore, why not leave the hems dubby and coordinate them with voluminous jogging shoes? The image is that of a hippie who wore boot cut shoes with heeled boots in the 70's and started jogging when he grew up and got a job. The 990v5 from New Balance, with its moderately high-tech and moderately retro look, will add a clean look to the faded jeans.

The first choice for jogging shoes is a high-tech retro style with a classic design base. The upper and sole are moderately voluminous, and they are versatile enough to fit a variety of jeans. If you want to add more of an "in" feel, you should also keep the evolutionary trekking shoes as an option. The welded upper and thick sole with cushioning provide a futuristic look and emphasize the mismatch with the boot cut.