Stylish denim shirts seem to be making a comeback these days. While the hearty material makes a great work shirt, it can also be a dressy item in your wardrobe. A men's denim shirt with marble snaps is appreciated by authentic western cowboys and urban fashionistas alike.

Denim shirts are light, durable and machine washable, and hold up well to stains. Some businesses like to implement a denim shirt with the company logo as a work uniform. Denim is the adopted textile for American progress and values. A man who wears a denim western shirt is hardworking and not afraid to get his hands dirty. The fashion trend seems to be moving denim toward formal or even business wear. Ralph Lauren recently introduced a line of women's denim that is fitted, sophisticated and office-appropriate priced between $300 and $2,000.

While denim fabric originates in Italy and has been around for centuries, blue jeans as we know them were developed in 1873 by Jacob Davis, Calvin Rogers and Levi Strauss as a durable work pants with copper rivets that could hold up to the tough physical demands of the California mining industry. Since that time, this simple piece of useful clothing has become a global cultural fashion phenomenon.

Laborers, factory workers and farm and ranch workers all love the sturdy pants and denim shirts there is no need to give a second thought about what to wear. The global denim craze stretches beyond jeans to every possible clothing item: a denim western shirt, a fashionable skirt and a pair of denim shorts, a favorite jean jacket, a package of simulated denim baby diapers and the most recent craze, jeggings.

Through decades past, denim has become a defining clothing item for American teenagers and for hippies, symbolizing a rebellion against cultural norms. Blue jeans have been banished by foreign governments, sold on the black market, encrusted with diamonds and sold for $250,000, and shredded to make insulation for housing, Denim spans over all economic levels, all age ranges and genders and styles for both men and women.

The love of all things denim orbits the planet and comes back to a simple, casual piece of clothing that allows us to just be ourselves. Everyone has a few pairs of jeans in their drawers or closet. There is definitely something to love about a denim mini skirt or a jean jacket, or a favorite men's denim shirt. We can wear them over and over again. Our favorite denim gets better with time, knows our habits, the way we move, and in time becomes a part of our identity.