So you're rolling along, middle of winter, secure in your belief that white denim is not appropriate from September to March when BAM!:
This picture of Emmanuelle Alt, Editor in Chief at French VOGUE, pops up on your Pinterest feed and, out of nowhere, you decide you gotta get summa them white jeans asap. Here are more images of Alt in her white skinny jeans:
These pictures aren't new, they've been floating around fashion blogs for the past year, but I guess I didn't really pay much attention since the voice in my head was saying "She's the only person alive who can pull that off." But then her influence started trickling down the fashion food chain, first to the Voguettes in Paris, NYC, and Milan...
...and then to various gorgeous fashionistas everywhere.
The secret to pulling off white jeans in the winter appears to be combining them with dark boots on the bottom and dark layers on top. I love the white/black/gray combinations most of all since I have a lot of black and gray in my wardrobe to begin with, but I also like this lady's biker/bohemian take in earthier tones:
And then, when the weather warms up, you have your white jeans that transition perfectly from Winter to Spring or from Summer to Fall.
I bought a pair of J.Crew cropped white denim pants last year, but they lost their shape in the butt and thighs after 2 wears and looked awful, so I donated them to Goodwill and planned to shop for another pair this Summer. However, inspired by these images and a stretch of 75 degree weather, I decided to take advantage of the recent sales at Madewell and bought a pair of their white denim Skinny Skinny jeans at nearly 60% off the original price.
The only size left available was 2 sizes bigger than my own, but I ordered them anyway because a) Madewell has a free shipping/returns guarantee on jeans, and b) I had planned to go up a size in any pair of white jeans I might have found to try since white pants have the potential to be VERY unflattering if they are too tight.
I tried them on immediately after they arrived and they were definitely too big all over, but I decided to use the mistakes I've made with denim over the years to my advantage. That's right: I washed them on hot and dried them twice on the super hot speed dry cycle. When I pulled them out of the dryer and tried them on again, they were an absolutely perfect fit (and smelled like fresh mountain air)! Now I just need a date night with the BF or a day trip to Atlanta to properly show off my winter whites.
What do you think? Would you wear white jeans in the winter? Have you already been wearing white jeans in the winter for years and are rolling your eyes like, "Whatevs, Emmanuelle Alt"?
All images pinched off of Pinterest.
I love it! I don't have white jeans but I have a pair of white midrise toothpick cords and now I know what I am going to wear today to pick up a friend that haven;t seen for a few years from the airport. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteajc, as soon as I saw your comment I remembered your toothpick cords and how great you look in them :) I hope you had fun with your friend!
DeleteLove! I think it's fine to white jeans during the winter as long as there is no snow - so in some climates that might mean they look good all year but those of us who get a real winter we generally need to put away the white jeans in November or December and get to break them out again in April.
ReplyDeleteThat's an excellent point! Maybe my move to GA is a factor in why I suddenly think I can pull off white jeans in winter, since I never would have considered it in WV or MD. Thanks, Luxette!
DeleteI'm sure you will look great in your white jeans Whitney, hope you will give us a peek. I wear an ivory skirt occasionally in winter but I'm always worried I will get it dirty with all the snow, slush and dirty cars here. For some reason I tend to rub up against the car when I'm wearing light colors. Honestly, you can't take me anywhere!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of you wearing white jeans with dark brown or black boots and your horsie shirt. Sorry, I can't remember the name of it but I think that would be cute.
Deletexoxo - yes! My Horseplay shirt from Madewell! I love it so much, I have to restrain myself to only wearing it a couple of times a month or risk being known as "The Horsie Shirt Woman", haha ;) It was 65 here on Sunday and I wore my white jeans (with black cashmere tee, black scarf, and black Ferragamos) to the local Home & Garden show with the BF. I felt awesome. I should have asked BF to take a pic but I never remember until it's too late and I've already changed into my mud clothes to walk the dog!
DeleteI love white jeans! I have 3 pairs. The bohemian look in biker boots... She's my new icon! I think for winter they def have to be a certain weight.
ReplyDeleteHi pathos! Yes, definitely agree about the weight of the denim making it more/less appropriate. These Madewell jeans were a good thickness to begin with, and my shrinking them made them perfect! I might have to try this trick in the future when I don't have to worry about length. Isn't bohemian-biker lady cool? She's just doing her thing :)
DeleteI think this look is terrific but not one I could ever pull off. I'm laughing at your custom-fit jeans, using your past mistakes to your advantage!
ReplyDeleteI really like the white jeans with dark brown.
Thanks, DaniBP! I'm shocked that it worked out so well, actually - I'll probably never be able to repeat the results with anything else.
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