Night Jeans
Otherwise known as the pairs I wear all day and then out to dinner.
Someone asked me recently about dress-up jeans. I said, “Denim that doesn’t scream ‘JEANS!’ and could pass as trousers in a dimly lit room.” Think black. A dark rinse. I sent a link to the Tory Burch pair I have with instructions to wear them with a belt. Problem solved.
Except that when I started to really think about what dress-up jeans are for me – like, really – it wasn’t so simple. Yes, dark denim cut like a pair of trousers will pass as fancy more readily than anything too distressed. But I live in Los Angeles. The best sushi is in a strip mall (which is a way of saying what everyone says, which is that it’s super casual here). In this letter – and in life – I conflate getting dressed up with going out in general, and so for me dress-up jeans are the same pairs I reach for all the time, just with something other than a white t-shirt on top. Most of my jeans are dress-up jeans, that is, when I choose to dress them up.
Side note: For the purpose of this post, outerwear need not be over-thought. If required (again, I’m in L.A.), it will be checked or hung on the back of a chair once you arrive, so wear whatever keeps you warm while in transit: Trench, peacoat, field jacket, whatever, my personal go-to is this.
A fashion person I know used to say that dressing for dinner was all about the waist up. Think about it. No one sitting across the table from you can see your jeans. Or your shoes, for that matter. Which isn’t to say we can’t think about jeans and shoes, but if I’m getting dressed to go out to dinner – and that’s mostly what I do if I leave the house after 6pm – I’ll often wear the same jeans I wore all day with something eye-catching near my face. Pleats Please tops are a favorite because they shimmer without being shiny and they change shape when you move. Lace camisoles are low-hanging fruit, but that doesn’t make them any less delicious.
The jeans in this letter are pairs I wear – and have been wearing – for some time. Most of them have made appearances in this newsletter already: The Tory Burch style is as good cuffed with a flat as it is long with a block heel. (Just don’t skip the belt.) GAP’s 90s Straight is an MVP in my wardrobe, featured here, and then here just last week. Celine’s Kitty, though no longer available in the wash I have, now comes with these snazzy gold chains at the hips. (I found what look like Kitty’s on The RealReal in sizes 24, 27, 29; and these have the same wash as mine, size 26.) I hope by now I’ve made the case that all three styles are worthy purchases.
The two jeans I haven’t worn here before are Jesse Kamm’s Sailor (above) and Suzie Kondi’s Jordi (below), which she just released as part of a small denim capsule. I’ve included the Kondis in today’s bouquet to illustrate how something basically made to wear with sweatshirts can become real date-night material. Do not underestimate the power of a beautiful black top (or sweater). It’s like lipstick. Poof, you’re dressed. (I don’t wear lipstick, but you get the gist. Westman Atelier’s Baby Cheeks blush stick has that makeover-level effect on me.) Meanwhile, Jesse Kamm’s pants need very little elevating – they are slack-y and soft and tailored (key word) – and look how Wow they are with black and gold. If the archetype for a dress-up jean could exist, I believe the JK Sailors would be it. Exclamation mark, exclamation mark, exclamation mark.
Why the Suzie Kondi jeans cost $450 is a mystery to me – I’m not seeing that sticker price in the sewing, or feeling it in the fabric – though I am impressed with the fit and like the shape of the back pockets, so reminiscent of peaches. What I do see is the quality of the Michino bag I’m wearing with the Kondi jeans, discovered via
’s The Flair Index. How often does a non-heritage Parisian leather goods company come around and sweep me off my feet? It’s a rhetorical question, but the answer is never. I challenge you to look at all these colors and choose.
Last thought – because I just invested in a few new belts and I am going to make them go the distance – a belt is a game-changer. I wore this (above and below) to a party at a friend’s last night and the belt alone saved me from looking like I’d just rolled in post-yoga. Sigh. Getting dressed should always be so easy.
Thank you for reading. I love feedback, welcome it in the comments, and usually respond to questions quickly. (If I’m slow, it’s only because I’m with my kids at a bajillion Halloween parties this weekend.) Wishing you a happy Saturday. Denim forever and ever.
Jane
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I’m wearing the heck out of these four jeans, too.
Jamie Haller fans, you will appreciate this.
You could wear your "night jeans" outfits to any city in the world for dinner. You'd be overdressed in Ojai though! I've been obsessing over that same bag that Jennifer introduced. Can I ask how you decided on the biscuit? I'm sort of leaning towards the gold - I have a thing for white top-stitching.
I love both the writing and the styling so much! The way you layer that camisole! Exclamation mark x 3!