Denim

Denim is a sturdy cotton warp-facedtwill textile in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads. This twill weaving produces the familiar diagonal ribbing of the denim that distinguishes it from cotton duck (a linen canvas).

It is a characteristic of most indigo denim that only the warp threads are dyed, whereas the weft threads remain plain white. As a result of the warp-faced twill weaving, one side of the textile then shows the blue warp threads and the other side shows the white weft threads. This is why blue jeans are white on the inside. The indigo dyeing process, in which the core of the warp threads remains white, creates denim's fading characteristics, which are unique compared to every other textile.

Etymology and origin

The name "denim" derives from French serge de Nîmes, meaning "serge from Nîmes".

Indigo

Indigo is a color that is traditionally regarded as a color on the visible spectrum, as well as one of the seven colors of the rainbow: the color between blue and violet. Although traditionally considered one of seven major spectral colors, sources differ as to its actual position in the electromagnetic spectrum. Indigo is a deep and bright color close to the color wheel blue (a primary color in the RGB color space), as well as to some variants of ultramarine.

The color indigo was named after the indigo dye derived from the plant Indigofera tinctoria and related species.

The first known recorded use of indigo as a color name in English was in 1289.

History

India is believed to be the oldest center of indigo dyeing in the Old World. It was a primary supplier of indigo dye, derived from the plant Indigofera tinctoria, to Europe as early as the Greco-Roman era. The association of India with indigo is reflected in the Greek word for the 'dye', which was indikon (ινδικόν). The Romans used the term indicum, which passed into Italian dialect and eventually into English as the word indigo. El Salvador has lately been the biggest producer of indigo.

Denim (band)

Denim was a British indie rock band, the brainchild of Lawrence (formerly of Felt), and was based in Birmingham, England.

History

Following the end of his former group, 1980s post-punk outfit Felt, Lawrence moved into different territory with Denim, a band whose brash teaming of glam rock with cutting and highly satirical lyrics was very much the opposite of his previous work.

Back in Denim

Denim debuted in 1992 with the album, Back in Denim, a record which was both a revival (particularly with its glam rock influences and its mix of synth and guitar) and critique (in its satirical lyrics) of the 1970s music scene. A single, "Middle Of The Road", was released from the album in January 1993 on Boy's Own Records.

Denim on Ice

Denim followed Back in Denim with the 1996 release of Denim on Ice, which was preceded by a single "It Fell Off The Back Of A Lorry". Following the same musical path as its predecessor, whilst added notable reference to bands such as Devo and Ultravox. Denim on Ice featured even more cutting lyrics with comment on the current state of music in England (The Great Pub Rock Revival, which was a stinging attack on Britpop and the realities of England's social malaise (on the tracks "Glue & Smack" and "Council Houses"). The album earned Denim a support slot with Pulp who were fans of Lawrence and his work.

Sire

Sire is a form of address for reigning kings in the United Kingdom and in Belgium. It has also been used in France, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Sweden and Spain. Historically Sire had a wider usage. During the Middle Ages, Sire was generally used to address a superior, a person of importance or in a position of authority or the nobility in general. The word "sire" and the French "(mon)sieur" share a common etymologic origin, both ultimately being related to the Latin senior.

See also

Sire (disambiguation)

Sire may refer to:

Childe

In the Middle Ages, a childe or child [Old English Cild > "Young Lord"] was the son of a nobleman who had not yet attained knighthood, or had not yet won his spurs. As a rank in chivalry, it was used as a title, e.g. Child Horn in King Horn, as a male progressed through the positions of squire and then knight.

The term is now obsolete, but is still well known from poetry, such as Robert Browning's Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came and Lord Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage.

In the local dialect of North East Scotland known as Doric a Childe (pronounced cheeil) is the name used that may be directly translated as chap or fellow or man in English . For example a working childe was a working man or chap . A dour childe is dour fellow for example.

Cultural references

The term is used to apply to an expected next stage in human evolution in the Childe Cycle novels by Gordon R. Dickson.

Childe in Stephen King's The Dark Tower is, in Roland Deschain's own words, "...a term that describes a knight - or a gunslinger - on a quest. A formal term, and ancient. We never used it among ourselves...for it means holy, chosen by ka. We never liked to think of ourselves in such terms, and I haven't thought of myself so in many years." (p. 859, The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower, Pocket Books, 2006 ed.)