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Since You Asked: People are buying ‘stretchy’ jeans Thursday Mar 15, 2018 at 2:01 AM Why is it almost impossible to find any jeans that are not stretch fabric in major department stores these days? Whatever happened to good old cotton denim? ­— George D., Medford What you’re describing is the reverse of how pants shopping must’ve been back in the day, when unwitting folks needing new pants simply had no choice beyond “good old cotton denim.” What gives? Well, supply and demand can be a helpful explanation. Stretch and comfort-style jean styles for men and women have been at the center of a rebound in the jeans industry starting in 2016 following sales declines in ’14 and ’15, according to a Wall Street Journal report, “Blue Jeans get their game back,” which included interviews with executives at Levi’s, Lee, Gap and Old Navy. The article attributes the stretchy styles as a reaction to the growing trend of wearing sports clothing as casual styles — sometimes called “athleisure” — that’s made it acceptable for women to wear yoga pants in situations having nothing to do with cobra, lotus or bridge poses. Mens jeans were also under threat, with Tom Brady making gray sweatpants work with a blazer, turtleneck and gold watch for a 2015 GQ spread. That shift to stretchy fabrics reached its zenith in 2016, after Levi’s added stretch fabric to its famous 501s. “The 2016 change was almost contradictory, adding softness to denim, which was historically built to be durable,” the Wall Street Journal reported. If you’re not a fan of the Lycra-laced denim, this too shall pass ... probably. Women’s designer jean labels have rolled out rigid, 100-percent cotton jeans in looks starting to trickle down to the mainstream. A little online shopping hasn’t shown the same enthusiasm for men’s jeans in the fabric, but guys hoping for a normal pair of jeans can wish. — Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by email to [email protected]. We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them.