To buy: Tamara Dark Distressed True Blue Shirt, $118; mavi.com. Rachel Flare Ultra High Rise Instasculpt Jeans, $199; dl1961.com. Loran Deep Hemp Jacket, $128; mavi.com. Infinite Necklace, $195; maisonmiru.com. Chuck Taylor All Star Classic Sneakers, $65; converse.com. Rings, models own. To buy: Mainstay Cotton Catalina Pop Over, $115; buckmason.com. Sheri Slim Jeans, $119; nydj.com. Nouveaux Puff Earrings, $118; jenny-bird.com. Christian Dior vintage silk scarf, stylist’s own. Emaline Heeled Sandals, $140; vionicshoes.com. To buy: J.Crew vintage leather moto jacket, stylist’s own. Fine Line Jeans, $59; revicedenim.com. Arlo Ring, $80; jenny-bird.com. Kam Leather Sneakers, $99; kennethcole.com. To buy: Soft Focus Ruched Turtleneck, $50; onestopplus.com. High Rise Vintage Slim Jeans with Washwell, $70; gap.com. Havoc vintage 1980s acid-wash fringe jacket, stylist’s own. Analeah Crocodile-Embossed Leather Boots, $238; schutz-shoes.com To buy: Sequin Boxy Shaker Vest, $176; autumncashmere.com for similar. In Awe Stonewash Frayed Jeans, $89; mistressrocks.com. Levi’s SecondHand Ex-Boyfriend Trucker Jacket, $59; secondhand.levi.com. French Twist Ring, $78; katespade.com. Arlo Ring, $80; jenny-bird.com. Suede Classic XXI Women’s Sneakers, $70; us.puma.com. To buy: Surplus Rib Tank, $40; buckmason.com. Tamara Tannin Denim Shirt, $118; mavi.com. Curve Love High Rise 90s Relaxed Jeans, $89; abercrombie.com. U-Link Earrings, $98; jenny-bird.com. Marge Loafers, $149; kennethcole.com.
Frayed Hems
If you’ve got a confident whipstitch—or 10 minutes to watch a YouTube tutorial—you can fold the bottoms up a few millimeters and simply rehemyour pants. Not handy with a needle? A tailor can rehem jeans for a clean finish, and if they’re a little shorter, well, cropped is all the rage right now!
Belt Loops
A loose or broken belt loop is a quick fix. First tack it back in place with a safety pin, then find some strong polyester thread in the same shade as the denim. Do a simple cross-stitch until it feels secure again, and double-knot your thread on the inside of the jean. You’ll feel like you could star in a Little House on the Prairie reboot.
Knees
If you want a shredded knee to look as close to new as possible, you’ll probably need a professional. But if you’re cool with a slightly more bohemian look, consider taking a few squares of your favorite fabric and patching the jeans with a needle and thread. The result doesn’t need to be perfect, just personal. And chances are you’ll love them even more when you’re done.
Can I still wear my skinnies?
You may have heard about the skinny jeans debate that raged online last year. Women of a certain age (read: college sophomores) took to TikTok to swear the style was “dead” (i.e., something only their moms would wear). National media outlets glommed on to the intergenerational controversy, as they tend to. Gen Z eventually declared victory, as it tends to. So where does that leave us? Still standing, defiantly, in our skinnies, which are neat, slimming, and comfortable. “Why would you stop wearing something you love?” says designer Stacey Bendet, founder of the clothing company Alice + Olivia. “Jeans are a sophisticated staple, and if the slim cut works for you, keep it up.” InStyle senior fashion editor Samantha Sutton says her skinnies have become “more of a dressed-up bottom than something super casual,” great with a beautifully tailored jacket and a fab pair of shoes, or with an oversize oxford for a fresh, preppy riff. “Plus, as a petite person, I use them to create an unbroken line that elongates my legs.” Even Snapchat’s global head of fashion and beauty, street-style savant Rajni Jacques, makes no apologies for her skinnies. “I like to wear them with a big sweatshirt to offset the tightness,” she says. Other ways to make them feel current? A trench coat and rubber boots with high-waisted skinnies is your chic, pulled-together armor on a rainy day. (Imagine dragging a wet, wide-legged hem down the street as you run errands. Pass.) Or you can DIY a distressed crop: Measure one to three inches up from the hem and slice the jeans with your sharpest pair of scissors. Fray out the bottoms with your fingers or a piece of sandpaper. The result is a rock-and-roll look that goes well with black pumps and a polished blouse, a motorcycle jacket, or even a band tee from your Lilith Fair era. Because it is now cool to have had a Lilith Fair era! Take that, sophomores.
How often should I wash my favorite jeans?
When it comes to washing your jeans, maybe just don’t? Many fashion designers and fabric experts recommend laundering your denim only once for every 10 wears, because every time you do, the fibers relax a little more, loosening the fit and losing some color. If you’re worried about hygiene, science says you don’t have to be. When a student at the University of Alberta wore jeans for 15 months without washing them, then tested his pants, the bacteria count was unexpectedly tiny. (As was our level of surprise that a college student didn’t visit the laundromat for over a year.) Keeping your favorite flares out of the wash has an eco-friendly benefit too: Besides using less water, you’ll help prevent the microplastics found in some materials from leaking into reservoirs. You save your pants, money, water, and wildlife!
What’s the best way to store jeans?
Fold? Hang? Roll? Crumple on the floor outside of your Zoom frame? Here’s the good news: It doesn’t really matter. Unlike heavy crochet knits (which can get long and stretched-out when hung) or silk and satin tops (which crease the second you put them in a drawer), denim is one of the most resilient fabrics on the planet, and you can stash it wherever best fits your storage space. Easy!
