Siwy New Denim Brand

[melonie]

We believe in the great powers of denim.

And so does Michelle Siwy, the 29 year-old founder of the newest, "most-wanted" denim label, Siwy. Ms. Siwy, a striking Rhode Island native (she's half Vietnamese, half Polish) and FIT grad, worked for a few different brands and found that she always ended up in the denim department.

"I loved to experiment with denim," she told FWD while sitting amidst what looked to be a stockroom full of jeans that was in fact her office/studio in Manhattan's Nolita neighborhood. "I had all these ideas about how to improve their jeans, but I didn't want to give my ideas away, so I went out on my own. I wanted jeans that flatter. That had more style without being too over-the-top and trendy with buckles and studs and things."

Siwy launched her eponymous brand in the spring of 2005 and hasn't had a moment of peace since. It's literally been a struggle to keep up with the insatiable demand. As soon as a celebrity puts her jeans on, the stores sell out and her mailbox is filled with e-mailed requests like: "I want the exact pair of jeans Nicole Richie is wearing in the attached picture." Siwy personally responds (for now) and tells them where they can buy the jeans in their area. She's even been a bit of a sucker at times and has sent out personal orders for people who live in rural areas where it's impossible to find Siwys.

What makes Siwy so special? Well, Ms. Siwy simply went through the "perfect jeans" list we defined at the beginning and focused on each and every element. Her cuts are long and lean. The washes are veritably vintage and all the lines and wrinkles that are "worn" into the comfortable stretch denim also happen to occur in a slimming manner. It's similar to the effect that those "contour" spray tans were meant to achieve when they were all the rage a couple of summers ago. The legs are shaded darker in certain areas to make the inner thighs look more slimmer and, yes, even more toned. Siwy jeans are strategically worn-in at flattering places and strategically un-worn-in others.

Another slim-ifying aspect of her jeans is that while most shapes appear to be pin straight, if you look close enough, you can see that the seams are contoured just so. The seam slowly goes in a bit at the outside of the knee and is brought out a little on the inside of the knee. This special curving makes the hips look more balanced to proportions of the body, making the legs look longer and slimmer.

The cuffs of the all the jeans are also slightly shaped. The back hem is shorter than the front so you don't have to worry about stepping on it if you choose to wear flats instead of heels.

The waistband is also curved. It, like the hemline, dips down in the front but stays higher in the back. It isn't the super-low, vulgar, Britney Spears-cut that was so popular not so long ago, Siwy keeps the butt-cleavage covered. There really is no need to see any kind of cleavage below the waist.

All these nuances are great, but the most defining facet of Ms. Siwy's jeans is her signature quilted back pockets. In this historical moment in time when it seems like everyone in our culture wants to have a little extra junk in their trunk, Siwy discovered a way to strategically place her slightly puffed pockets in such a way to appease booty-deprived ladies of the world. The result has been much appreciated: "I had this girl from England write this crazy email to me. She was like, 'Thank you, Michelle! Thank you! You saved my relationship because you made my butt look great!' I mean, it's a little strange - I doubt that my jeans saved her relationship," she said laughing, "but, I don't know, maybe they gave her more confidence, or something…it was really bizarre!"

Besides beautifying the backside, Siwy also endeavored to make jeans that work with the ever-popular jeans-inside-the-boots trend that everyone and their mother has been sporting for the past year and a half. She was one of the first designers to make jeans expressly for that purpose and many have followed. She didn't want us to have to peg our jeans and shove them awkwardly into knee-high socks in order to make the look work. From the very start, Siwy created a pair of super-slim jeans that are tightly cropped above the ankle. They are called "Hannah" (after her sister) and they slip right into your boots. It just so happens that they also look extremely sexy with a pair of heels - and very Audrey Hepburn-ish with a pair of flats. She's pretty much mastered the art of making a perfect pair of jeans.

For spring, Siwy will be adding white denim to her classic cuts and will be once again cutting her pants into shorts, which she did on a whim her first season. "Last summer the shorts outsold the pants three times," she said, "The stores couldn't keep them in stock. No one made cut-offs." At least no one made cut-offs the way she does. Her shorts flatter just as much as her jeans do. They are cut right below that little inner-thigh bulge that all of us, except Karolina Kurkova and Ms. Moss, seem to have. With that physical indiscretion gone, our legs seem that much slimmer and that much more worthy of being shown off. Flattering a woman like that is no small feat for a young designer.

Siwy's denim collection also includes pencil skirts and minis. "The pencil skirt has been pretty popular," Siwy said. "I think everyone is Paris Hilton-ed out with the mini."

Siwy plans to further expand her line by adding tops to her spring/summer collection. She also plans to add accessories like belts for Fall 2006. "We plan to develop the line further by adding tops and accessories that all still hold a classic and comforting look and feel, but look balanced with interesting, forward designs," she said. "They should be as wearable as the jeans. The t-shirts will have classic shapes, but be a little more flirtatious… without being vulgar or trashy. There will be a lot of detail on the back."

Well, it does seem to work when she puts the details there…

[Bernice]

a jean to make a girl look 2 sizes smaller, ahhhh true alchemy! like alchemy it doesnt exist.