(Jeans, photo by Felix Russell-Saw on Unsplash
What a great invention that of jeans! It was the year 1871 when Levi Strauss started producing five-pocket jeans for miners and gold diggers. In Europe, however, they arrived later with the American troops. During the following years they became the symbol of freedom and youth, thanks to James Dean and Marlon Brando, who influenced many generations, and in the 60ies they were adopted as the uniform of the student and political revolutions.
But my image of jeans is a bit less socially and politically involved and a much more related to a beautiful picture, that of Nick Kamen in the ad of Levi’s jeans. It was 1984 and this handsome American guy was in a laundry. He started to unbutton his legendary 501 trousers to put them in the washing machine. Then he patiently waited for the end of the wash wearing only underwear and ….white socks! – for which he only can be forgiven! – while a group of ladies with beautiful flared skirts, peeked out of their glasses.
“Simo! Why don’t you come back to earth and tell us why we are still following you? Do not go off the topic !!! “Ok, ok my dear and patient readers. Pound your feet, but you must admit it! You too drooled in front of that ad! Because a nice pair of jeans makes that effect. With this I do not want to suggest that if you put your sweetheart into this magic trousers you will transform him into Nick Kamen! Simply that a nice pair of jeans must always be in your closet, to break the monotony of work uniform, to go to a rock concert with your best friends (Hi Lori! Hooray for Vipers and Queen!), to still dream and take care of yourself with passion, taste and elegance, every day.
There are a lot of different jeans’ types, right for any body shapes. I have chosen those that are more suitable for a woman over 40ies:
Bell-bottom jeans
It was certainly the most popular style of the ’70s, with the narrow leg and the flared bottom. This type of trousers widens in the lower part, so if you really like it but and are not very tall, choose a medium flared jeans that completely covers your shoes, go for a dark blue colour, add high-heeled shoes or wedges to elongate your figure.
Bootcut jeans
This style was popular among the cowboys who needed trousers tight enough in the upper part and wide enough in the calf to fit boots inside. The straight line of the trousers that go towards the hemline produces the optical effect of slimming the legs. Recommended for hourglass body shapes.
Straight jeans
It’s one of the most classic cuts and it has never gone out of style. It has a regular fit in the thighs, with a short space between the skin and the jeans. This kind of trousers has an extremely versatile style and suitable for all, especially for those who have large thighs.
Skinny jeans
This kind of jeans is very tight-fitting around both the thighs and calves. It’s perfect for lean column or rectangle body shapes. The good news is that any body shape can wear skinny jeans, which tend to shape the figure, but it’s also true that every body shape must take care of some important tricks to avoid the risk of emphasizing some flaws. If you have an apple body shape with a wide belly and lean legs, thus, you should go for high waisted jeans that contain the overflowing effect on the hips, and match the trousers with a soft shirt or a A-shaped minidress in a fluid fabric, which hang well without hugging.
High waisted jeans or mom jeans
Every now and then it comes back into fashion, the style that was so popular in the 90ies, high waisted, soft in the thighs area and slightly tapered, narrow around the ankles. It is perfect for those who have a short waist and also for those who have large calves. Avoid it if you have a large bottom.
The list of jeans is not ended, there are many more styles of jeans, but the ones I spoke about are suitable for a woman who wants to be elegant and stylish. At this point, you should have understood which is your best jeans style. However, body shapes aside, there are some important tips you should always consider:
- Buy dark and unicolour trousers, avoid faded or stonewashed garments. Avoid ripped and embellished styles with excessive decorations. The only exception could be that of the rock concert’s outfit, provided that tears, sequins, beads and similar items do not exceed 10% of the total area of the trousers!
- Wear trousers of your size and give up the idea that a half a size smaller can make you look slimmer. Nothing could be more false! Indeed, it only contributes to emphasize your worst nightmares!
- Remember that turning up the jeans is always a risk: the reverse side of the fabric is generally in a lighter colour which contrasts with that of the trousers and makes you appear shorter. Conversely, dark blue trousers that cover shoes and the shoes’ colour that matches that of the jeans can contribute to elongate the figure.
- High waisted or low waisted trousers? If the lower part of your body is quite short, high waisted jeans will balance your proportions. Conversely, if you have long legs and a shorter torso, low waisted trousers are better for you.
- Avoid details on the bottom if you have large hips; therefore, pockets and decorations are banned.
- Last but not least: now that you know what to wear remember to enrich your outfit with refined and precious garments: the white silk shirt, the blazer, the silk scarf, the jewel shoe.
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