Interesting Ways To Style Your Jeans

Soooooo, yeah. Here we are. I wrote about my feelings on the election here, you can read it, or not. I’m really really sad, but I’m also determined to not let this get the best of me. I wrote this post on Monday week, filmed the video on Tuesday, and while I know a lot of us probably aren’t really in the mood to talk about fashion, this is what I do. If I let him stop me, he’d win. I’m not giving up any more of my space, or my voice (even if it is just to talk about denim!) because the election didn’t go my way. I understand if you don’t want to see this right now, please feel free to skip this one. As brokenhearted as I am, I’m getting back to work, protecting the things that bring me happiness, and still hoping to see the night sky filled with billions of brilliant stars.

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I realize in my latest posts about styling, I keep saying things like - this is a great alternative to wearing jeans, or, this is more interesting with XYZ item than it is with jeans, jeans make it feel expected. I’ve been kind of down on denim! But the truth is, I LIVE in denim. I live in my jeans. I’ve been lucky enough to find my all time favorite perfect pair, and I wear them with everything, all the time, everywhere.

And yes, sometimes pushing yourself a little bit and wearing something tricky with something other than denim can produce a really lovely, surprising outcome. But the formula of (XYZ crazy thing + denim = good outfit) feels tired to me because I’ve relied on it so many times. But the fact remains, denim is supreme, and done with a little bit of finesse and thoughtfulness, jeans can be just as interesting as emerald green shiny pants.

The rest of this post consists of a bunch of ideas from the runways and jumping off points, shopping picks (which you can also find here), and then in the video, I try some out myself and talk about why they work. The whole idea, however, as always, is that you don’t need MORE stuff, you just need to figure out how to put your stuff together. I don’t believe in denim trends or buying eighteen different styles every season (unless that’s your thing). This post focuses on styling your everyday denim (which is likely straight, skinny, or bootcut) and then one additional pair, which is wide-leg (these are mine). If I were going to be prescriptive and say everyone should have this style, I’d say something everyday that suits your body type, and then something wide-leg or slouchy. AND! At the bottom of this letter, true denim expert Jane Herman (who writes the brilliant newsletter Jane on Jeans) offers her picks for two perfect pairs, and how she’s styling them.

Here we go.