Well-Rounded Jeans
Old Navy's new Fall denim balances high style with real substance.
Today’s newsletter is a special edition supported by Old Navy, a company with denim at its core. Thank you Old Navy and Gap Inc. for trusting me with your jeans.
Longtime readers know I have a soft spot for Old Navy jeans. The fabric, fit, construction, and price point all add up to a value proposition that often surpasses that of high-end denim. Last fall, the brand’s High-Waisted Vintage Slim was not only a best-seller here at JoJ, it also became one of my personal favorites for everything from errand-running to dinners out. If you’re looking for a lean-machine jean, the Vintage Slim in washed black is still one of the greatest.
Today, I’m so happy to be trying some of Old Navy’s new fall denim, anchored by four big-impact fits: The Arc, the Extra High-Waisted Cuffed Wide Leg, the High-Waisted Barrel Ankle, and a Low-Rise Baggy Wide-Leg, which my friends with teenagers are all buying for back-to-school (while I’m wearing it with archival Dries Van Noten. There are so many ways!). What strikes me most about Old Navy’s jeans this season – aside from how beautifully they fit – is how quickly they level-up to luxury accessories. With just a touch of simple styling, these fuller, more curvaceous silhouettes exceed all under-$100 expectations. Versatile, low-maintenance, fashion-forward, and high-functioning – they hit all the marks. Watch and you’ll see…
The Arc: High-Waisted Rounded Wide-Leg Barrel
The newest fit this fall, the Arc High-Waisted Rounded Wide-Leg Barrel, has a concave curve to the leg. It’s a type of barrel but a little more exaggerated and wider throughout with a whimsical, jodhpur-like bend at the upper outseam that visually narrows the waist. At first I was worried that, being 5’4”, the volume would swallow me whole, but the drapiness of the denim helps reveal the body behind it, folding and following the shape of my legs as I walk. Tall readers, please try this jean and report back as I imagine you will look soaring in it.
When thinking about the right shoe to wear with this rounded barrel, I chose to focus not on the leg shape but on the leg opening, which is as wide as a standard straight-leg, so compatible with most flats. (Don’t let the wideness of this jean lure you into thinking it needs a heel!) My go-to: A soft, leather loafer or white boat shoe with an attitude that leans easy.
The Low-Rise Baggy Wide Leg
Knowing that this is the style the teenagers are into right now, I was determined to find a way to wear this jean like a grown-up. How? By defying its chill, sweatpant-like energy with a top I’d typically put with sleek black pants. I chose a jacquard vest with a ruffled hem from Dries (as originally shown here) because it’s a tad old-fashioned and completely unexpected. I’m intentionally keeping the shoe casual because we’re adulting this jean for day, not dressing it up for night.
NOTE: I shortened these baggies so the back of the hem hits the floor. Without a strong break in the front, the leg loses its cool slouch. It’s my opinion that on low-rise jeans like this one the hem really has to “drop” to the ground, like a heavy curtain at the end of the first act; a solid cue that the moment is complete. Ask the kids, I’m sure they’ll agree.
The High-Waisted Barrel Ankle
Is it just me, or have barrels become so familiar, they don’t even feel like a “thing” anymore? They’re just, like, comfortable jeans now. I say this because, as someone who doesn’t really wear barrels, these feel very me. I love them. I love them in black (they also come in lighter washes, like this), and I love them with just a t-shirt and my favorite Prada accessories. Nothing major. No big deal. Put ‘em on and get on with it. As jeans are meant to be!
It’s rare, but sometimes I’ll try on a pair of jeans in my studio for research/reporting purposes and, feeling so good in them, end up wearing them for the rest of the day. It happened when I put on the Vintage Slims I mentioned earlier, and it happened with these Barrels, too. They felt instantly familiar, like they were always mine. And without needing a thing – belt, alteration, steaming, nada – they allowed me to focus on what had to get done (which was a lot because when is it not?). Expect to see me wearing these even more as they’re also a stellar fit for the boots I just bought.
Curvy High-Waisted OG Loose
This style reminds me of a 1950s 501 because of the cuff, but also because of its clean, rinsed-indigo wash. Straight through the leg, it’s compatible with so many shoes, although a cuffed hem always begs me for a boot (cowboy, motorcycle, Chelsea, all). Cinched with a wide, black belt – if you don’t yet own a belt with a big, circular buckle, you will want to get one for fall – this look is as classic as they come. Overstyling can step aside. Here’s to ending on a high note.
OK, that’s it for today. I hate picking favorites, so I won’t! (But maybe the OG Loose because it’s so elegant and jeans-y?) If you’re interested in learning more about Old Navy denim, here’s my interview with the brand’s Head of Design and Product Development, Sarah Holme. She’s a total pro, I promise you’ll learn something. Thank you for reading and thank you, Old Navy, for trusting me with your jeans. As always, Denim Forever.
Jane
An earlier version of this newsletter accidentally linked the last look to the Extra High-Waisted Cuffed Wide Leg. The last jean is the Curvy OG High-Waisted Loose, and all links now reflect this.
Just here to say that you look chic as hell, as always, and I love seeing the way you style Old Navy!!!!
You make Old Navy look high end! What size did you take in the last pair?