Travel Jeans
Scenes from my recent trip, with tips from other writers and some of you.
Before we get into today’s topic, I want to thank the inimitable Christene Barberich for inviting me to share my studio with everyone at A Tiny Apt. If you’ve ever wondered what my work space looks like beyond the white seamless, here’s a peek:
OK, so I wear jeans when I travel. Of course I wear jeans when I travel. And because holiday travel is currently in full swing, I thought today it’d be fun to talk about the jeans we wear when we travel.
Now, I realize that many of you do not wear jeans when you travel (“I genuinely shudder for people I see wearing them on planes,” one reader wrote), but a lot of us – as the JoJ Chat suggests – do. (“At least when it comes to flying, I do agree with [Karl Lagerfeld’s] insistence that ‘sweatpants are a sign of defeat,’” wrote Gillian Orr of Slouching Towards Bethnal Green when I pushed for her thoughts on the subject; We’ll get to her jeans in a minute.)
No one is wrong. In fact, I often cite the airport as a good place to take a temperature check on denim’s importance in people’s lives. Look around. Is every other person you see wearing a pair of jeans? In America right now, it seems the answer is yes. (Even as the Scrooges still claiming denim is dead or whatever harp on.) I’m really just calling it like I see it. And I always see a lot of jeans at airports.
My criteria for travel jeans is specific. First, I never wear vintage jeans on airplanes. I don’t like to wash my vintage jeans that often – it changes the fade, which is not a process I wish to accelerate – and I am someone who needs to clean all of my clothes after being on a plane in them. Airports are dirty, dirty venues (dirtier than urban playgrounds? Hard to say, but at least the playgrounds get fresh air). My point is, the jeans I wear for air travel have to be low-stakes washable. This is actually more important to me than comfort.
To Seattle for Thanksgiving I wore my Georgias in Jet – really touchy-feely jeans that I almost can’t believe I made. They’re like sweatpants with rivets and a button fly. Delicious; fuss-free; stretchy. A gift when navigating airports with little kids during busy travel times. Flexibility is a really good thing to have in your heart and your jeans whenever mass transit is involved. Nowhere to sit? Watch me take a spot on the floor. (Just thinking about it makes me want to take a shower. But see? I’m flexible.)
It took writing this letter for me to realize that I really only travel in black or white jeans. The other black jeans I reach for are from Paige. (Side note: Hillary Kerr who writes the friendliest, fashion-informed Hi Everyone also loves Paige jeans for air travel. Her style of choice is the Mason Ankle Straight in black. “Soft pants that look like hard pants, cropped so you’re not dragging your hems whilst in the loo, and the black makes you look like you tried, even when you didn’t,” she told me over text.) To me, black jeans are like an immediate outfit upgrade. I bet Ayr’s Secret Sauce in Date Night are great if you have to hit the ground running/working the minute you land.
If I’m going somewhere warmer than L.A., I’ll wear white jeans, and before you tell me I’m crazy, consider the efficacy of OxiClean. A white jean is typically easy to spot treat, and also something one should actually wash often. B Sides’ Plein Relaxed Straights in Clair and DL1961’s Taylor Relaxed Barrels in Flax are both excellent travel jeans; I wear them a lot. Meanwhile, Kelly Williams of Midimalist recommends AMO’s Rosalinds in White Lotus: “I cuff them to keep the hems from dragging, then unroll at my destination.” Smart.
By the way, Charlotte Parker who pens my absolute favorite interiors and decorations Substack Charlotte’s Web, wears this Everlane style in black or ecru (she has both). “They’re incredibly comfortable and the barrel leg gives a relaxed fit which is great when you’re tucked in a tight airplane seat,” she told me.
OK, but remember, not everyone has to do it my way – that’s not how jeans work here! Gillian of Bethnal Green, who “would never enter an airport in leggings or tracksuit bottoms (as us Brits rather quaintly call them),” likes Victoria Beckham’s blue Alina jeans, which – very important – don’t ride-up in the rise. “I bought them because they reminded me of one of my favourite low-key denim outfits ever: Kate Moss in patch-pocket flares with a brown leather belt and grey sweatshirt from when she attended a Topshop show in 2006. I could fly to Australia in them. Hell, make it New Zealand.”
(Victoria Beckham jeans were mentioned in the Chat, too. See below).
I love that Tracy Georgiou of the creative firm and Substack Long Weekend does wear vintage when she travels (even if I can’t). Levi’s 505s. “They’re great because they’re a little bit baggy, super soft…but still high-waisted and look put together,” she said. “I like to dress up for the plane without actually looking too dressed up.” (Meg Younger at Jean Genie Vintage has a bunch of great 505s in stock, if you’re feeling inspired.)
There’s a lesson to be learned from All Of It’s Mandana Dayani, too, about how to dress up without dressing up. Crisp layers on top with kitten heel boots make even a very relaxed, raw-hemmed wide leg look sharp. Who am I kidding, Mandana always looks sharp. Which brings me to my final point, and that’s this: For many of us, traveling is a part of life, and if we feel good wearing jeans in life we probably also feel good wearing those same jeans when we travel. “[I wear] any pair that I would have packed anyways,” wrote Kathy L in the Chat. It might just be as simple as that.
JoJ readers share their favorite travel jeans…
✔️ Citizens of Humanity Palma straight jeans in a size up. “Stretchy, wide-legged, raw-edged crop. Comfy enough to sit cross-legged! - Blake W
✔️ “Nili Lotan Shon.” – Ana S (and so many of my mom-friends)
✔️ Frame’s Slim Palazzo. This jean got two endorsements. “If it’s a short haul,” said one reader, and “even for 7-hour flights,” said another.
✔️ Frame’s Borrowed jean. “Mid-rise with stretch. Not winning any cool girl fashion medals, but they are wonderfully comfortable – wearing as we speak about to board my flight.” – A.A.
✔️ “I wore these Victoria Beckham jeans on a flight yesterday.” – Jennie R
✔️ “Citizens of Humanity Miros or any barrel because the waists tend to be lower. Recently Haikure, I think the Bonnie style. I [also] look at my packing list and pick the most comfortable, unoffensive pair.” – Shelby
Happy Hanukkah to all of you who are celebrating now and Merry Christmas to anyone awaiting Santa’s visit. My kids are psyched. I am, too. This life is a gift. Thank you for reading and trusting me with your jeans. As always, Denim Forever.
Jane
More good links…
JoJ readers get 20% off at UBeauty with code JANEHERMAN. I really love the Resurfacing Compound.
Noora Raj Brown asked 10 women – including those who designed some of my favorite jeans of 2025 – to share their uniforms.
The Absolute Best T-Shirt for Jeans now comes in heather grey and black. My preferred size is S.
I’m so jealous of all of you who clearly don’t bloat like crazy on the plane. It looks so chic but i would literally be in so much pain in jeans! (Mile High IBS Club)
Thanks for the shout out Jane! Happy travels!!! In vintage or not… ❤️