Layover Jeans
Feeling somewhere between here and there.
I’m not really sure where I am right now. I mean, I know where I am (Los Angeles), but the needle on my internal compass – the one that typically points so solidly in a single direction, especially when it comes to style – feels wobbly. Am I happy to be home? I think so. Last night I wore a long, iridescent silk floral skirt (late 90s Dries van Noten) and hand-knit cream sweater (sort of this shape), with classic black espadrilles and my new Loewe bag (did you think I’d leave Madrid without a little Loewe?). It felt so good. But so not me.
I thought when I moved to Spain that my eye would shift, but if anything I dug the heels of my daily uniform in deeper there as a way of anchoring myself to something familiar. For three and a half months I wore the same twenty-ish things day in and day out, adding only colorful accessories and big drawstring pants. It was easy. Reliable. There’s Jane in that patchwork Bode shirt again. In time, the shirt as a look that needed looking at faded and there was only Jane. I get that clothes are self-expressive. And sometimes what needs expressing has to be new and eye-catching and fashion. But it’s amazing how clearly we can see ourselves when we’re not paying any attention to what we have on.
If I were to play armchair therapist, I’d say my sudden impulse to wear all new things in all new ways now that I’m back in L.A. results from feeling safe. (Not that Madrid was dangerous, but home has nets that I know will catch me. The least I can do is take a few risks.) It’s also a way for me to say that some part of me changed out there. Like, look, I’m a person who throws yellow pants from Aunty B on over a swimsuit and slips into a stretched-out pair of alpargatas to drop my kids off at camp. Anything but the expected jeans and a t-shirt. Is that Jane? Am I back? Maybe not entirely, yet. But again, it feels good. And it is me. Right now, anyways.
It’s also possible that I really missed playing around with clothes in Madrid. That all of the anchoring and routine and same-ness – as comforting and essential to my peace of mind as it seemed – was a temporary thing for a temporary experience. At home in Los Angeles, there’s a closet full of clothes I haven’t seen since March. Why wouldn’t I want to wear them? The question I’ve been trying to answer since I arrived is: Do I even know how?
The thing about being abroad in a bubble with my family is that by losing touch with American trends – and the part of myself that’s in constant dialogue with them – I got better at following my heart… to things like tapestried Bermuda shorts. Now, maybe elaborate shorts are having a moment. Maybe they are in the ether and I’ve inhaled them without knowing and they’ve gone straight to my head, but honestly, I can’t recall seeing anything like them on anyone recently (have you?), and here I am loving mine.
I still LOVE jeans, of course. I just got this pair from Aligne that I can’t wait to try. But I like where this newsletter went while I was travel-living, and frankly I feel reluctant to return to business as usual just because I’m back where it all began. Can I be in L.A. and make space here for stories that aren’t about jeans? I’d like to try. There’s more to share about my business, for example. And I’ve been thinking that an additional Footnote1 each week for paid subscribers would be really fun to write.
My family and I stopped in Mustique to see friends on our way back from Madrid, and since I’m still pretty fresh off an island holiday I’ll end this letter with something I am certain of: My new-and-improved essential beach vacation wardrobe (the original can be referred to here.) It’s full of pieces I’ve linked to a lot already (because I still haven’t shopped for clothes that much in months), and fits really easily into any checked bag. Yes, I check. Overpack and be happy, friends.
The Ultimate – Updated! – Beach Vacation Wardrobe:
✔️ 1 Matteau Square Swimsuit and 1 La DoubleJ swimsuit in this style. (I couldn’t get the Loeffler Randall x Left on Friday collab in time for this trip, but it’s in my cart for the next one.)
✔️ Watskin sun tee. Watskin also makes incredibly cute and high-quality UPF +50 swimwear for girls.
✔️ Muscle tees from Monrow. The best best best. (And sadly sold out in most sizes. So try this one if you need an alt.)
✔️ Drawstring pants from Leset, James Perse, and COS.
✔️ This Zara Home Dress. It’s completely perfect but you have to wear something with coverage underneath because the skirt is see-through. I like these postpartum briefs (yes), which I wore after having both my kids and still wear under dresses and skirts all the time because they are extremely supportive without feeling Spanx-y.
✔️ I don’t know why Matteau stopped making pareos. I have two that I rely on heavily. This Eres one is just as useful and will pack well for years to come.
✔️ Negative Underwear swimsuit (top and bottom), to wear like underwear under light-colored Comme Si linen suit separates.
✔️ Hats in primary colors: Ralph Lauren Polo cap in kelly green. Romualda mustard-yellow bucket (above; similar here).
✔️ 5 pairs of Alpargatas. (Soludos, which makes great rope-soled made-in-Spain slip-ons, is giving JoJ readers 20% off with code Jane20; start with this style.)
✔️ These sunglasses.
✔️ A straw bag. A Spanish staple. Here’s one from J.Crew that gets the memo. Also, this one from Staud is nice and spacious. The most authentic version is probably this one on Etsy.
✔️ Meanwhile, I am currently coveting this Nili Lotan Voyager bag while dreaming of my return to Mustique…
That’s all for today. Thank you for reading. Please hit the heart button, it helps. I know I’ve strayed off course, but don’t worry, Denim Forever.
Jane
FOOTNOTE. For those who may be new here, this is a regular feature within JoJ that spotlights a shoe and its relationship to a jean. It’s literally a Footnote about what’s on my feet. I’m thinking about making it a bigger idea for paid subscribers: One post a week about a great shoe – or general style, trend, or brand – and how to wear it. Shoppy and sweet. What do you think?
P.S. Here is a post that features one of my Footnotes.
Yay back in LA! This post has lots of goodies as I have the mid summer shoppies. The COS white drawstring pants have been a summer workhorse for me. FYI, they run a little small in the waist.
I would love to see you expand this newsletter to include other things as I trust your taste implicitly. I got that same Loewe bag in brown and I think it "does something" to casual clothes.
Welcome home! X