Throwback Thursday: Women Wear the Pants (2024)

Eighty years ago this month, Levi Strauss & Co. forever changed women’s fashion with the introduction of Lady Levi’s®jeans — the world’s first jeans made exclusively for women. To celebrate, we’ll be sharing Levi’s women’s fashions from our archives throughout the month.

Mention of the 1960s probably evokes images of sex, drugs, and rock and roll that marked the cultural revolution of the era. For women, the decade also represents a time of dramatic change in fashion. While jeans first gained popularity among women in the 1950s, it wasn’t until the 1960s that pants — and denim specifically — became a true staple in women’s wardrobes. Here are a few images from the decade.

In the 1960s, teenagers started to appear in advertisem*nts reflecting the power of the Baby Boomer youth culture. In 1964, LS&Co. offered skinny stretch jeans for juniors, and these images appeared on in-store advertising cards that year:

Lady Levi’s^® jeans were made for both mom and daughter in the 1960s and looked stylish on everyone. This advertising in store item is from about 1963.