Grey Jumper

Wearing: grey peplum jumper (can't remember where from) Gap navy skinny jeans Gap shirt Ash boots ASOS hat Handmade bag Vintage jewellery Marc Jacobs watch

I find it so funny that I wear jeans so often these days, when I look back at my earlier blog posts I never, ever wore them. In fact, I think I definitely stated as fact that I don't 'do' jeans. I must have had a screw loose because now I can't imagine my wardrobe without them.

I know that denim comes in many washes and styles, in many colours, shades and prints, and over the course of my denim discovery I've tried a lot, from patterned to coloured, rinsed, destroyed and ripped. I have drawn the conclusion that I feel I know what flatters me, after a bit of trial and error (polka dots? peach? pale pink? hmm) I've definitely decided I prefer a dark denim. Preferably black. Possibly navy, at a stretch-these navy coated skinnies from Gap just about come in under the umbrella of what I deem is acceptable to me. I like plain. I don't like whiskering, bleaching, stonewashing or (god forbid) tie dye. I can only make this statement because I have been there before: late 1990's, stonewashed AND tie dyed superflares that were made by a brand called Gentle Folk. I'll see if I can find a picture. I googled them but couldn't find one-lucky for you!

To wit: I like basic, plain, skinny fitting jeans that aren't fashionably high waisted but neither should they be sliding down my backside at every opportunity they get. I like to wear a belt with my jeans, necessitating belt loops. Find these, and you have a cornerstone of a good wardrobe (or: my wardrobe, at least.) They've become a bit of a linchpin, somewhat of a daily essential, a sentiment echoed by around about every single French Style Guide I've ever read (and there's more than one, unsurprisingly) and also, my modern muse, Alexa Chung. Let alone Kate Moss, though she favours a pale grey, I fancy, and this is not a colour I choose to wear on my bottom half. 

I'm actually in the market for a new pair of jeans or two (my current 3 rotational pairs have exceeded their level of duty) and the key performance indicators (so specific!) I look for in the perfect pair read thusly:

-Rise is key. As I have already mentioned, not too high, nor too low, please.

-Wash is essential. Plain, simple, the best way to ground any look, and they are multifunctional this way: can be dressed up or down pertaining to occasion for wear;

-Fit must be correct for the entire length of the jean. No saggy knees. No loose ankles (that's the pet peeve)

-Durability and washing is important, too. I don't like that papery denim that gets all peaky like a bit of old cardboard. Neither do I like that uber-elasticated stuff that snaps apart at the knee or (hells bells) crotch after minimal wearing. Likewise, colour fastness is a biggie: especially on dark denim where cheap rinses, er, rinse out, leaving those awful streaky dye marks on the fabric.

-Finally length is also a stickler; too short and they look like vile 90's 'clamdiggers' and too long and you end up with boxy reams of fabric bludgeoning each ankle when you try to roll them up. Not the look.

I will report back on my findings! Finding the perfect pair is as hard as finding the perfect boot, it seems!

XO Amie