To-the-Point Jeans

Quick tips and a last-minute trick (slash treat).

Happy Halloween. Being a parent of small children, I’ve spent a lot of time prepping and pre-gaming for tonight (v trying on jeans), so it’s a different kind of letter today. Maybe you like the format? I’d love to know. Here’s how it goes…

• Last week, I wrote about the Vintage 101 class taught by denim legend and Junkyard Jeans owner Eric Shrader. Today is the last day to shop 20% off Junkyard’s site using the Jane on Jeans code: JH20. These (waist size 27”) are a most gorgeous color; these Super Wash Transitional 501s (waist size 30”) are peak 80s vintage; and this Trucker jacket with a flower patch on the collar has just the right level of (someone else’s) embellishment, I think. If you don’t see your size – or feel confused about sizing because it’s confusing – call Eric, who counts the painted pairs among his favorites. Men’s sizes are plenty, guys.

The Superwash Transitional 501s at Junkyard Jeans. Waist size 30”. I love the knee-to-hip fade on these. And the back pocket wallet-wear. Use code JH20 at checkout to get 20% off all orders.

• Two women I know reached out to me this week asking for advice: One wanted to find a high-rise version of the bootcuts Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy wore with heeled boots (she sent a pic; it’s chic). The other wanted my thoughts on the jeans from Frank & Eileen. “I kind of love them (#mom), but I’m not sure,” she DM’d. I’m currently working on answering both of these inquiries. “You should have an advice section,” the Bessette bootcut friend texted. Should I? JOJ’s homepage has an Ask Jane tab at the top. For subscribers, here’s a button. Don’t be shy, I’d love to hear from you.

• The jeans I often reach for when I’m being Full-on Mom are now back in stock. (Full-on Mom is a mode I go into on the weekends that’s fueled by exhaustion and requires maximum mobility and washability, while refusing to give up on quality or an informed point-of-view.) I mentioned these jeans once before. Here they are again – The Loose Crop from The Hey Gang – with the Chloé loafers that are breaking in beautifully, btw. (My white sweatshirt is no longer available, but this one might be even better.)

The Hey Gang’s Loose Crop. Chloé Marcie embellished loafer.

• If I were a size 28, I would buy these Celine jeans from The RealReal right now. And while we’re going down that fantasy rabbit hole, I would also get: This Prada jacket (size 6); these R13s (size 27) with tags; and this pristine multi-layered jacket/shirt from Sacai (size S; $312.50, down from $1,520).

• Lastly, here’s a denim-driven costume idea that could probably come together quickly with what’s already in our closets: High, wide-leg jeans (selvedge and cuffed), a button down shirt, a black cardigan sweater, garden gloves, a gaucho hat, and…. a faux cow’s head plus additional body bones (okay, maybe that’s not immediately on-hand; a plastic skeleton ribcage would work, too, I think). It’s cool. It’s macabre. It’s Georgia O’Keeffe.

Georgia O’Keeffe carrying materials for her paintings in a pair of selvedge jeans, New Mexico, 1938. Photographs by Ansel Adams. Source: ICP.

Truth be told, Georgia is always on my mood board because she reminds me of how ageless, imaginative, and hard-working jeans can be. How they help us make things, carry things, and take care of others and ourselves. Drop the carcass, I’d wear this look forever.

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Okay, back to the holiday at hand. Thank you for reading and being so supportive – your subscriptions, likes, comments, and shares are everything.

Jane