jeans

Are expensive jeans worth it?



Toogood denim

Jeans. So utilitarian. So egalitarian. Yet so bloody difficult to nail! Are expensive jeans worth it? Should you pay more then £100 for a pair? Surely denim is considered a workwear fabric, ergo it should be cheap as chips. Yes, but no.

There’s denim and then there’s denim. Japanese denim is beautiful – dense, dark, rigid but made in Japan so relatively expensive. Stretch denim to me is not really denim. (It’s usually cheap and prone to sagging, and don’t get me started on jeggings.) And modern mass produced denim is nothing compared to vintage denim. (more…)



Buy it now: trouser jeans



Me+Em wide leg jeans
I’m very pleased with my new Arket trouser jeans. I wanted something smarter than my runaround 501s and Nudies and these fit the bill. They’re in a rigid indigo denim, quite high waisted and straight through the calf so they can be worn over heeled boots. And they’re a mere £55. (more…)



Trend report: not just jeans



Photo by Hiroyuki Seo for Teeth Magazine

I’m a bit over jeans at the moment. I’ve got the ones I like, I can’t wear flares and I’m more interested in other types of denim. Like what Keji is doing with dark indigo kimono jackets, Chloe’s artist smocks and MIH Jeans’ romantic chambray. And then there are things that look like denim, but aren’t, such as Vivetta’s cotton shirt dress and Gucci’s piped silk shirt. Isn’t it the stuff of dreams?

I’m trying to break up my denim with colour, and red is always good for that. (more…)



Perfect pairing: Levi’s 501s and fancy flats



levis 501 Repetto

Stretchy skinny jeans are out and old school boy-cut Levi’s 501s are back in a big way, if my Pinterest feed is anything to go by. I wear my 501s with as few rips as possible and I get them custom hemmed at the Levi’s store to sit just on the ankle bone. Spring feels like the right time to switch my heavy-soled Church’s lace ups for my balletic Repettos with gamine ankle ties. On top I’m thinking puff sleeved Victorian blouses or something similar from MIH jeans, Chloe or Margaret Howell.

Repettos are best worn sans socks, but then there are the many options of fancy flats cropping up everywhere which look great with fine gauge Falke socks or fluffy cashmere equivalents. My favourites are pancake flat with a pointy toe and an ankle strap or T-bar.

Miu Miu, Tabitha Simmons and Bionda Castana are on my fantasy wish list, the more bejewelled the better.

WORDS AND IMAGE: Navaz Batliwalla/Disneyrollergirl