on denim

Now, I'm by no means an expert on fashion. I have friends that help pick out my clothes when they actually matter. But there are some things about clothes and style that I do know. Like the fact that they must be talking about a different Europe from the one I lived in...

"In Europe, denim is for girls," said Suzanne Gallacher, associate brand manager for Levi's in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In Europe, she noted, roughly two-thirds of jeans products are bought by women. Industry experts reacted warily, but said that in the face of vigorous competition, Levi Strauss had no choice but to innovate.

Denim's for girls? Has she ever been to, say, Italy? There's probably more guys in tight jeans than there are girls in tight jeans, and that's saying something.

Besides, that 2/3 of denim products are bought by women doesn't necessarily mean much. What proportion of clothes in general are bought by women?

(from an article in the NYT on Levi's creating male and female lines)