DENISE, a mid-sized retail hub known for its concentration of boutique clothing stores, was rocked this week by the revelation that area resident Trent Whitfield had been wearing his premium distressed denim backward since purchasing them in March. Whitfield, who spent $412 on the jeans after a store associate assured him the asymmetrical rips were ‘intentionally directional,’ says he only discovered the error after a stranger at a coffee shop gently pointed out that the back pocket was, in fact, located on his crotch.
‘Honestly, it felt right,’ Whitfield explained, adjusting the jeans for what he confirmed was the first time in the correct orientation. ‘The tag was kind of itchy against my stomach, but I just figured that was part of the aesthetic. Fashion is supposed to be uncomfortable, right? That’s what my barista told me.’ Whitfield added that he had received numerous compliments on the jeans during the six-month period, which he now attributes to onlookers being too polite, confused, or frightened to say anything.
Boutique owner Marcelline Foss defended the original sales interaction, noting that in high fashion, the line between ‘intentional’ and ‘incorrect’ is often ‘a construct designed by cowards.’ ‘We don’t tell people how to wear our garments,’ Foss said. ‘If Trent felt the jeans backward, then backward is how the jeans wanted to be worn. Clothing has agency. We simply provide the fabric and get out of the way.’
Whitfield says he has since had the jeans professionally assessed by a tailor, who confirmed the backward configuration was not only wrong but had caused the zipper to slowly migrate three inches to the left. He has decided to keep wearing them as originally worn, stating that changing now would mean ‘admitting defeat to a pair of pants,’ and that he has already ordered a matching backward belt to complete the look.
