With looser, wider-leg denim popular right now, I have enjoyed pulling out my two pairs of trouser jeans, which I find a nice tailored alternative to the very baggy, casual wide legs on the market. This "dressier take" on wide legs (which I was happy to see trending for fall 2022) is a good fit for the classic aspect of my personal style.
Not only are both of my trouser jeans thrifted, I purchased them both on the same Goodwill trip! Both were in excellent condition and have held up well with over 20 wears each. I got both pairs for under $15, too. I admit that the distinction between "medium" and "dark" wash is more a matter of semantics than of reality, but the "medium" pair (left) has some fading on the thighs and vertical streaking in the denim that give them a somewhat lighter appearance than the "dark" pair (right) that a more uniform wash.
Medium wash trouser jeans - thrifted, CJ Banks - 22W - $7.49 - 10/2018
Dark wash trouser jeans - thrifted, Lane Bryant - 22 - $7.49 - 10/2018
Outfit #1: Button-up Shirt
My husband's button-up shirt came partially untucked, so I was teasing him about styling it with the J. Crew half tuck. (He is 100% a fully tucked shirt + belt man, which works well on his skinny frame.) So of course the very next time I wore a button-up shirt, I had to style it this way! This may not be a 100% J. Crew version because I do let the tucked half of the shirt in front blouson slightly rather than have it tautly tucked in, but close enough! These are the "medium" wash jeans...they fit me like a loose straight leg without any bagginess at the hip and upper thigh, which I like.
I didn't go crazy with 37 million layered necklaces like I sometimes do, opting for a single simple blue necklace. I did have to get some low-key print mixing into the outfit though with these floral loafers.
My bracelet stack is based on a DIY paper bead set I made in a red/dark blue/white color scheme to match this shirt. It has a vaguely wintry/Christmas-y vibe with the silver snowflake bead on the middle paper bead bracelet, and (known only to me) the bottom paper bead bracelet was made from a Lands End catalog page of Christmas stockings. I supplemented the paper bead bracelets with white 5mm glass beads and 6mm dark blue lapis lazuli beads. (All bracelets DIY.)
I have two other me-made accessories in this outfit. The blue headband is a DIY 5-strand braided headband made from an old T-shirt and fabric glue. The earrings are world's easiest DIY hoop earrings with red seed beads and a White Rabbit charm added to the pre-made hoop and hook from a set I bought on Amazon.
I chose red seed beads because of course the White Rabbit works in the court of the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, and she's very particular about things being red!
Outfit #2: Blouse & Sweater Vest
Now for the dark wash jeans, which I think you can tell better in the outfit photos do have an overall darker appearance than the ones above. They also have a different cut from the previous pair, being more of a wide leg meets a bootcut with a bit of a subtle flare from the knee down. Even this mild flare gives me a bit of a 70s fashion feeling, so I paired them with a boldly printed polyester blouse with a collar that lays down nice and flat over the cardigan vest. And yes, I like wearing any kind of flared pants/jeans at full length so they are just a bit short of skimming the ground like it's 2011. I know cropped flares have been popular for many years now, but I just prefer the clean unbroken line of the full-length version for my style.
This blouse + vest + flats combination is a favorite of mine. Something about the rich warm burgundy/maroon with the dark muted grape background on the blouse is so wrong it's right. And of course a cousin color to the burgundy...a rust/burgundy color...does exist in small quantities in the print, so it's just harmonious enough.
My daily bracelet stack is based on a pair of DIY paper bead bracelets I made to coordinate with a different blouse, but it works very well with this one too. The bottom striped bicone bead bracelet I call the "sunrise" bracelet with its purple-wine, warm pink, and grey colors. (I wish I could show you the paper I used, but I didn't photograph it.) The burgundy tube beads were made from a dress image in a clothing catalog (Coldwater Creek, I think), shown below. I added a DIY burgundy garnet bead bracelet and two silver spacer bead bracelets (from my Amazon set) to complete the stack.
Outfit #3: Blouse & Cardigan
This photo of the dark wash jeans shows you that when I front tuck a blouse into them (left), you can see the baggier fit of the jeans in the belly and high hip area. They are definitely the right size...a smaller size would be too tight in the rear...but they are just cut a bit looser than the medium wash jeans in Outfit #1. I wasn't sure whether I wanted to partially tuck the blouse or leave it loose...
But when I added my cardigan to it, the flat smooth surface of leaving the blouse untucked looked nicer underneath the cardigan. With the blouse and jeans both reading as "navy," it's almost an inner column of color under the cardigan, so I think that proportion doesn't matter as much as if it were, say, a white top. Boxy cropped chunky-knit cardigans are pretty popular with wider-leg jeans, but I think this cardigan is fitted enough that it looks well balanced with the slight flares.
This is another foray into Jodie's "color not in the print" method of combining a solid and a print. The fall foliage blouse has a range of mostly dark, definitely muted colors, including brown, rust, olive, indigo, and aqua on a navy background. This muted dusky rose color just seemed like it would work because it shares that "highly muted" quality with the other colors. I loved the combination and will wear these two pieces together again! Another way to wear pink with fall colors. I kept to the muted theme with my selection of two dark bronze tone necklaces: a short charm necklace with birds, flowers, etc., and a fun owl clock pendant. I am very fond of animal clock pendants because they remind me of Tock, the clock dog from one of my other favorite childhood books, The Phantom Tollbooth...pictured on the cover.
My bracelet stack started with three DIY paper bead bracelets I made in blush pink, brown, tan, and gold (inspired by a particular outfit). I added a pink quartz bead, mixed spacer bead, and brown glass with gold roses bead bracelets (all DIY). I thought that the brown, tan, and gold blended well with the fall colors of the blouse.
Do you have a favorite type of jeans you're wearing lately? Is there a type of jeans you don't like (for yourself)?
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