Jeans are the answer…what was the question again? 😆 Seriously though, my jeans are the hardest-working garments in my wardrobe.
Today I’m joining up with some of my favorite bloggers to share ideas on how to style jeans. It will be fun to see each woman’s take on this classic! Be sure to visit the links at the end of this post. 👇
I wear a pair of jeans almost every day. They suit our casual California lifestyle, are versatile, and easy to care for. I can usually wear them multiple times between washings, and they last for years, so are easier on the environment.
Summers here are usually mild enough that I can wear my jeans year-round, though in warmer months I prefer lighter washes and looser fits. (Generally, I find that a slim, straight-leg cut is the most versatile. They work with just about any style of shoe, and top.)
I don’t like to overthink my outfits, so I rely on a few “fallback” formulas.
Jeans & A Tee (or Sweater)
Tee | Necklace | Bracelet | Jeans | Sneakers
Jeans and a tee is a no-brainer, right? But it doesn’t have to be boring…here I’ve chosen tee in a bright color, a pair of sneakers with interesting details, and a few pieces of simple jewelry to finish off the look.
Earrings | Tee (similar) | Necklace | Jeans | Sandals
I’ve almost never met a stripe I didn’t like! This linen tee is really lightweight and the striped sleeves are a fun variant. The yellow sandals add a nice pop, too! (Désolé, this tee was from a prior season and seems to have recently sold out. I’ve linked to a similar style.)
Earrings | Sweater (short sleeve option, citron option) | Necklace (c/o) |
Necklace | Ring | Jeans | Sandals
Here I’ve dressed up a pair of light wash jeans with a Kelly green linen sweater and layered necklaces. The metallic sandals tie in with the warm metals in the necklaces.
Earrings | Sweater (Misses/Petites) | Necklace | Bracelet | Jeans | Sandals
One of my favorite outfit pairings is a bright color and something leopard print. This linen-cotton sweater (now on sale!) is much lighter than it looks, perfect for those evenings when the fog rolls in.
Jeans & A Jacket
Earrings | Necklace (similar) | Jacket (c/o) | Top |
Bag (c/o) | Jeans | Bracelet (c/o) | Bracelet (c/o) | Shoes
An easy jacket is one of my favorite ways to create a pulled-together look with jeans. Above, this linen jacket is really lightweight, and the neutral, slightly metallic color makes it a breeze to style.
Jacket (similar) | Top (similar) | Jeans (similar) | Shoes (similar)
Here I’ve styled a pair of medium-wash jeans with a butterscotch leather jacket and leopard print footwear.
Jacket | Necklace | Top | Bracelet (c/o) |
Bracelet (c/o) | Jeans | Sandals
I kept this look minimal, and let the bright aqua knit moto jacket be the focal point. Cuffing the jeans and pushing up the sleeves lightens the look (and feels cooler, too).
Jeans & A Patterned Blouse
Earrings | Top | Ring | Jeans | Sandals
When it’s too warm to layer up, a breezy patterned top adds visual interest and provides a focal point. This poodle print top is one of my faves this season!
Earrings (similar) | Top (similar) | Necklace | Bracelet | Bag |
Ring | Jeans | Sandals (similar)
An easy floral blouse, straw bag, and frayed hems give this outfit a softer, more Bohemian vibe.
Earrings (similar) | Top | Necklace (similar) |
Bracelet (similar) | Jeans (similar) | Bag | Sandals
White jeans not only look fresh and summery, but can read as a little more polished than blue denim.
Now let’s see how my blogger friends have styled their denim. I’m sure we’ll find some great inspiration here!
- Jennifer Connolly A Well Styled Life
- Mary Ann Pickett Classic Casual Home
- Kelley Motschenbacher Kelley and Co.
- Annie Diamond Most Lovely Things
- Cindy Hattersley Rough Luxe Lifestyle
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So many nice ideas. I love the aqua moto jacket – do I dare?
And those yellow-framed glasses have really worked.
Hi Lisabee,
I wanted to let you and all know I ordered the moto jacket from Kettlewell over a month ago. I am yet to receive it as it comes from the UK. The customer service at Kettlewell was super responsive and gracious but explained there are many delays due to Covid. Just want to give you a heads up incase you needed it soon.
You gave really good examples of how to wear jeans. But oh gosh Susan… how could you forget to include me as your bloggy friend? Jeans are my signature style!! Haha. Don’t worry, I am only joking.
Greetje
Great line up of looks for us this morning. Looks like you and Jennifer are the only ones doing the posts today. It has been too hot for jeans lately, but looks like this will change for next week, I hope. I like how you accessorize so well to keep the look interesting. Personally, I would add another one, the structured button shirt, which I actually wear more than the tee due to arms, and no it is not my imagination.I do like the soft blouses you are showing. Lots to choose from.
Bookmarking your ideas for winter. With a heat index in the 100’s daily, it will be a few months before the jeans come out again! I love the bright sandals with denim, so pretty!
Great post with so many good ideas. I have to agree that the slim, straight cut jean is much more flattering and versatile than the stovepipe or mom style jeans (even the names sound unflattering!). And the platform sandals with those jeans make your legs look so long. Love all the outfits.
Colour reset looking fabulous on you
For my entire adult life (30+ years), I think I’ve only had ONE PAIR of jeans that fit. I loved them! Since then, esp after trying pair after pair and finding nothing, I toyed with the idea of having jeans made by a tailor. My ideal would be a side zip, wide legged style, in a tall length.
Today’s Washington Post joins me in finding jeans supremely uncomfortable. Interesting.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/07/28/jeans-sales-leggings-pandemic/
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It would be a boring world if we all liked the same things, no? 😉
Thanks for the link to that article Bette. I never got the “excitement” over jeans on Casual Friday at the workplace, and never wore them. Uncomfortable to sit in all day, hot, tight, cutting in at the waist and upper leg. My current workplace is very casual. I am the only woman not in jeans. I am casual, comfortable and classy. Now if only I could do away with the brassiere.
Indeed. For me, leggings are things to be worn under skirts and even trousers when I’m cycling in chilly weather. If not, strictly for wearing at home.
Since I’m about a G cup and these days not particularly hefty otherwise, that would be impossible. It would be a dream. I’ve never had a problem with jeans. as I’ve been able to find “curvy” models with a relatively small waist and curvy bum.
I join you in celebrating the present reported sidelining of jeans. It must tell you something that when given a choice in the confines of your own home, women want to ditch them for something more comfortable and there are plenty of choices. They just don’t fit me; never have, never will. Also echoing Bette, in finding that in my lifetime I have spent hundreds in search of the fitting jean and perhaps I have found one pair has fit me properly, only to become unflattering after I have gained or lost a few pounds.
I came here today to see if that piece had been posted and the reaction to it. Some agree, some don’t, but with so many fabrics and styles to choose from now, why torture yourself.
Susan, this post has given me a new project. I’m going to put together various jean outfits and make a list of what works together including footwear and accessories. Although I live in SC I wear jeans year round. Thanks for the links to the other blogs as I’ve already subscribed to one of them that spoke to me!
I love jeans but it’s so hot in Sacramento (100 degrees today) that wearing them is impossible most days in the summer. Better do a post on shorts.
Susan that turquoise jacket looks amazing on you. I know I have blabbed this a million times but I love you in color! You seriously look ten years younger! If only it would work for me!! I need to become more daring as well. Thanks for joining us! We always love having you!!
I love all your ideas Susan. I just bought that straw bag last week! It’s great. Jeans are synonymous with casual and easy in my life so I’m always inspired to see how other women style theirs.
I love love LOVE you in all this color! So fresh, and the way you style things is so lovely and pleasing to the eye. A delight to see you in non-neutrals with all the posts together! Aaahhh!!
Jeans have been my wardrobe staple for my entire life; everything goes with them, you can dress them up, or down and they’re just so damned comfortable! Thanks for the styling ideas! PS, I’m a stripes fiend, as well:-)
You look great, polished yet modern and relaxed. I live in a moderate climate ( NorCal) but can never wear jeans In summertime, as others say, just too hot.
You look awesome in every picture. Loving all the color on you !!
“Jeans are the answer…what was the question again?” HAHAHA! You are so funny, Susan…and I agree with you! You have given me so many great colorful ideas! Loved this post. Thanks for participating!
Mary Ann
Washington Post had a story today about how no one’s wearing jeans anymore! True Religion, Lucky Brand, Joe’s Jeans/Hudson have all filed for bankruptcy, and Levi’s sales have fallen by 62% (!). Americans have turned to athleisure and comfort – maybe that should be your next group effort?
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I’ll suggest it to the organizer, thanks!
I’d love that as well!
Yes but I also read articles that in some opinions, people are dressing like slobs during covid. Pajamas and sweats but who can blame us?
So jeans are a great idea and you can dress them way up with jackets etc. The timing here may be the issue. I live-in white jeans. We are confined to home and it is hot nearly everywhere. But the dressing in athletic wear is not really getting dressed in my opinion. Jeans help with both. I mostly wear dresses but jeans are always on my radar. The sad bankruptcy situations are mostly because of covid.
I love you styling ideas for jeans. You look amazing in your new colors too.
I live in AZ and most days the temps are hovering close to 100. So far we’ll to jeans for a while. I have purchase some good looking shorts from Athleta and Chicos that serve me well. I pair them with bright t-shirts and cool linen short short sleeved tops. Trying to look chic eleven i the heat. You have inspired me to try to look more fashionable.
Hard to believe that people find jeans uncomfortable, given the wide range of styles, fabrics, sizes, prices, etc. But I do find I need to be in a real store when buying jeans since I might take 6 or 8 different pairs into the dressing room to get started. Of course jeans do have some structure to them and most bodies benefit from that. I for one don’t want to be walking behind groups of people in sweats and tights who have not checked their “rear view”, as one of today’s bloggers recommended!
Susan, I looked at the other blogs you highlighted,, all of them new to me, and I came away with an extra appreciation of the look and feel of your blog (aside from your always interesting content). Yours is visually appealing, nicely organized, with bright, interesting photos that seem to be a step above the rest. Thanks for the effort you put into your work!
I agree. I looked at the links as well, and they only increased my appreciation for Susan.
Thank you for reminding me about that fabulous linen metallic jacket from Chico’s, which I just practically ‘stole’ from the Chico’s website where it is marked down then another % off. While it’s hotter than blazes here in N.C. and we’re not going out right now, hope springs eternal, does it not, that someday soon the temperatures will once more allow for jeans and jackets and I’ll be able to sport this lovely jacket somewhere besides the grocery and drugstore.
Wow 10 styles and all look great. I was lucky to get 3 up and running. I don’t really understand the comments though about jeans being uncomfortable or somehow less classy in a working environment. Jeans are as American as apple pie and I feel lucky as a woman to be able to wear them whenever I want. And jeans come in all shapes and sizes. Now bathing suits…thats a whole different story! LOL.
My best friend is an all-black cat. No white jeans and frankly no white anything. I find that many greens don’t show the cat fur as much as jeans, and aren’t anywhere as hot as navy or black. Livia is a shorthair, but her beautiful fur is very plush, and yes, I brush and comb her every day.
I am SO glad I’m not the only person here who styles her wardrobe around the colour of her cat(s). The present resident feline is a classic tortie — glossy white, black & orange — so her fur stands out on pretty much everything I wear [sigh]. I just use a LOT of masking tape to clean it off & pretend to not see what I miss 🙂
Jeans actually emerged on the Mediterranean coast as workwear for sailors. Jeans is a corruption of Gênes – Genova/Genoa and Denim comes from Nîmes (another coastal port in southern France). Jeans have certainly become pan-American workwear and later casual clothing, but not only in the US. Certainly in Canada and Mexico very early on, and later more generally. And now worldwide.
Susan, you look absolutely smashing in each of these looks!
Believe it or not, we’ve got a heat wave in Canada, west of Toronto & with the humidity, it feels like +100 F ! This has been going on & off for over a month. No jeans here! A lot of shorts & summer dresses, though.
But, would you consider doing a post on bathing suits? Styles & patterns to suit a variety of figures for us 50+ bathing beauties?
When I was 15 I helped a neighbour clean out their garage in preparation for a move & they gave me $20 (a fortune when I was 15!). I bought my first pair of jeans & got my ears pierced (the first time). My mother said “ladies don’t wear jeans OR have pierced ears”. I told her I had no desire to be a lady, I was going to be an engineer like my dad & wear jeans every day — which, in fact, I did. Almost 5 decades & several more piercings (& a couple of small tattoos) later, I still wear jeans almost every day. My preference is a light wash slim fit long rise, sometimes with sparkly designs on the butt, & last time I counted I had 28 pairs. I find most of them at thrift stores, well-washed & worn in, & recommend that anyone who can’t find jeans that fit to spend an afternoon there trying dozens on, because there is a pair for everyone. My favorite styling is the classic white V-neck tee under a black leather moto jacket, boots, silver hoop earrings, bracelets & all my rings, but the magical thing about jeans is how flexible they are. Pair them with a loose boyfriend blazer, sleeves shoved up, & loafers or high heels or sandals, or a crisp white shirt (or one with ruffles) or a fringed vest or one of your husband’s dress shirts worn as a loose tunic or with just about anything else in your closet. Jeans are my version of the LBD (although I have a couple of those, too). I’ve always thought that in spite of my mother’s disapproval, jeans are one of the most feminine (if not lady-like) things you can wear if you style them right.
Thank you for another wonderful post, Susan. Enjoyed reading the others, but yours really is a step above IMHO. I also wanted to thank you for your mask recommendations the other day. Just got my Lesley Evers one – and I LOVE it. Was pricier than anything I’ve bought up until this point, but it’s great to be able to wear something a little looser that stays put on my nose AND keeps my glasses from fogging up! I’ll probably reserve it for special occasions, but I’m enjoying building a nice little wardrobe of masks. And since they need to be washed daily, I think everyone should have at least as as many as they do underwear! 🙂 I wear mine all the time except when walking the dog, but I’ve taken to tying a cute bandanna or small square silk scarf in a single knot on a front belt loop just in case I need to cover up in a pinch. I feel like it adds a little color to my outfits, too, and enables me to pull off that half tuck/front tuck thing much more easily! Most of my tops “rest” nicely on the knot and it makes a fun and practical little touch. And I discovered it by accident, which is always the best!
Just coming back to add that I’d missed several of your fellow bloggers’ posts the first time, and I enjoyed several of them quite a bit.
Maybe when I’m older I can wear jeans again. Ever since hitting pre-menopause and still have my c-section pooch from a cesarean birth, I don’t wear jeans at all– too tight in the hips and cut in the waist or doesn’t fit the waist at all. I also prefer my jeans to cost less than $50 and be 100% cotton. I don’t wear leggings or any tight clothing on my lower half at all- not since I was in high school many decades ago.
Your outfits look great on you, Susan!
I love jeans! They are easy to dress up or down. Right now it’s very hot and humid so I don’t wear them often. When it cools down they will be in regular rotation.
I love the t-shirt with the striped sleeves! Too bad it’s no longer available. I’m like you… jeans are an absolute staple in my wardrobe. I couldn’t live without them!
Nice ideas. Jeans get packed away during the summer. But, come Fall when the humidity has lifted, out they’ll come.