Travel Jeans

A recent trip, and a 'Jean of the Week' from Jackson Hole, WY.

Last week, I went to New Mexico to tour Georgia O’Keeffe’s Abiquiú home and studio with friends. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for years. Not because I love O’Keeffe’s art so much, but because I am in awe of her life and how she lived, with fierce aesthetic rigor and self-sufficiency; so very close to the bone. O’Keeffe was widowed and already in her sixties when she moved to the house she built in Abiquiú, a remote location, even today. It had taken her ten years to convince the Catholic church to sell her the ruins where the house now stands; another four for O’Keeffe and her friend, the architect Maria Chabot, to complete the renovations. During the 35 years she lived there (1949 - 1984), O’Keeffe redecorated repeatedly, sometimes out of inspiration (swapping brightly colored textiles for a more neutral palette after a trip to Japan, for example), and other times due to necessity. She made the floors white in order to see her dark-furred Chow Chows better when she starting going blind.

The courtyard of Georgia O’Keeffe’s home in Abiquiú, with bonsai’d sagebrush and her BKF Butterfly Chair frame, now (left) and then (right; Photo: Don Worth, 1958).

If you’ve been following me, you know I’ve written plenty about O’Keeffe’s jeans. Seeing them folded in a drawer in her closet was the same as seeing her spices on a shelf in the pantry – nothing and everything. Totally commonplace and also deeply personal. I would say that the intimacy of O’Keeffe’s home is profound because so many of the individual things in it are familiar: Charles Eames chair. Chemex coffee maker. McCormick black pepper. Levi’s jeans. Useful tools, frequently used. Attainable luxuries that collectively help to humanize O’Keeffe, the Artist and Mythical Creature. In Abiquiú, it’s hard not to feel close to her, to feel she is close, and – as a woman trying to make anything meaningful in this world – to like how that feels. I didn’t want to leave.

O’Keeffe’s closet in her studio in Abiquiú.

After the tour, my friends and I caravanned 19 miles northwest to Ghost Ranch, the site of O’Keeffe’s first home in Abiquiú and the inspiration for so many of her paintings. We took awkward photos on the plain together. I then dragged us all to a rock shop in Taos to get gifts for my kids because I’d promised to bring them pink quartz and petrified dino poop from the desert. I missed my kids and shopping for them helped. (It is a terribly unnatural feeling, leaving one’s children, even if it is also a bit of a relief. The dull ache vibrates all over and I found it hard to sleep.) But – because I know what kind of Substack this is – I will now segue into what I packed which, while traveling without my kids, I could easily, breezily carry on…

✔️ 4 pairs of jeans (too many, but I am who I am): Vintage Levi’s (2 pairs), B Sides Plein Relaxed Straight in Clair, and the Georgia Jean in Salt.

✔️ 3 white t-shirts: COS Clean Cut, Sunspel Boy-Fit, and Re/Done’s Heritage Classic.

✔️ 1 Flore Flore black camisole.

✔️ One label-less grey sweatshirt.

✔️ 2 pairs of shoes: Jamie Haller sandals and old Miu Miu lug-soled Chelsea boots.

✔️ 1 belt. Mine is Anderson’s, sold out, but I also really like this one.

✔️ 2 Bode Shirts, both linen. This is the vibe.

✔️ 1 black bathing suit. My go-to for going on 3 years now.

✔️ Linen pants from Leset.

✔️ 2 hats: Patagonia (similar – and chicer? – here) and a baseball cap.

✔️ The Clare V fanny pack I’ve not gone far from home without since 2016.

✔️ My Trip Jacket. I wore it everyday and in transit.

✔️ A copy of Miranda July’s All Fours, which I am loving and have not finished, so please, no spoilers.

Hammocking at Ojo Caliente, where we stayed, in vintage jeans, a white tee, and The Only Jane Trip Jacket.

P.S. I recommend reading my friend and our trip’s host

Abby Aguirre

’s letter about Taos Mountain and Georgia O’Keefe’s painting of it. I’ve posted more photos on my Instagram, if you’re interested.

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Jean of the Week: Alex Yeske

Before becoming an interior designer, Alex Yeske worked at Madewell. “I really got an insane education in denim working there,” she told me, fresh off a 6-day trip to Jackson Hole and Yellowstone National Park, where she wore her new, favorite J.Crew jeans with heavy sweaters, a Billy Reid coat, and vintage accessories (estate sale belt; Celine macadam bag). “I feel like I approach my clothing like I design my rooms: functional, comfortable, easy. Although, I like more pattern and color in my interiors,” she explained. “Inviting and layered” is how Alex describes it. “I try to avoid anything too trendy.” If this letter is to send any message, it’s that sticking to what you like always wins.

Alex in J.Crew’s Classic Straight in the Bronson wash. She is 5’6”, typically a size 29, and recommends sizing down in this style.

How do jeans fit into your life and work?

I wear jeans 95% of the time (so much so, my old blog was called Dreams + Jeans!). They are so easy and pair with everything, effortlessly. I love their versatility. My job requires me to be ready for many different situations and jeans allow me that flexibility. I can feel polished in them for a meeting or event, and still be able to get on the floor to measure something at a client's house.

What's your denim philosophy?  

I'm not a trend-driven person, so I don't worry if my jeans are of the moment. I am pretty loyal to a high-waisted straight, cropped fit, and don't care if they're popular or not. I tend to gravitate toward non-stretch jeans with classic washes. I love a medium-blue wash and have more pairs of those than I can count.

What do you typically wear with jeans?

Mostly a white t-shirt (Uniqlo U), or a button down (Buck Mason).

What would you tell your older self, in twenty years, about the truth of wearing jeans today?

In 20 years, I might have tried other styles, but I bet I'll always come back to this classic look.

Alex Yeske is a Los Angeles-based interior designer. She lives in L.A.’s Westchester neighborhood with her husband and their dog Bear.

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I’m headed to London at the end of the week and The Guide to Great Denim Tailors is coming soon (I’m still taking recs, drop them in the comments). Thank you for reading, shopping, and sharing – it keeps me going. Your support, as always, is everything.

Jane

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More to read…

8 Great White T-Shirts for Jeans: Keeping it concise, yet comprehensive.

The Georgia Jeans: A breakdown of how they fit and where they came from.

The Wizard of Jeans: Benjamin Talley Smith may well have made the jeans in your closet. And your friend’s closet. And your friend’s friends. - Vanessa Friedman, The New York Times.