Alexis Petridis: Kevin Rowland, jeans genie

The most spectacular act of musical career suicide ever may be Dexys Midnight ­Runners ' 1985 single This Is What She's Like . It never achieved the wedding disco ubiquity of its ­predecessor, Come On Eileen , ­perhaps because it's 12 and a half minutes long, two minutes of which are consumed by a rambling conversation about Birmingham ­cafes. Elsewhere, the ­lyrics feature singer Kevin ­Rowland's esoteric list of pet hates, ­including CND supporters, people with hi-fis, and "scumbags" who use the word "super". Top of his list, however, are "the kind of people who put creases in their Levi's". None of the hooting dissent the single caused on release was ­directed at that last line: it was ­virtually the only thing about the song that didn't seem ­insane, ­evidence of how ­uncool the whole jeans with creases in them thing has been for ­decades. But ­apparently no more. This ­season denim should ­apparently be smart, and one f­ashion website has posted a video of a model ironing some jeans: helpful ­advice for anyone trying to put a crease in theirs with the aid of a spade. As yet, it's a trend that hasn't made the leap to the high street – so deep into fashion ­purdah are such jeans that the ­stylist couldn't source a single pair for me to model, a state of ­affairs I filed under "small ­mercies". Perhaps I'll change my mind when they become ubiquitous: or ­perhaps I'll ­suggest to ­Rowland that his country ­urgently needs a ­stirring protest single. And if he could make it a bit shorter and catchier this time, that would be great. • All clothes, Alexis's own.