I loved my boyfriend jeans in Summer because they were a roomy and slouchy alternative to skinny jeans and clamdiggers. I frequently wore them belted with a tucked in shirt and rolled at the hems with low heels. I’m still wearing them now that temperatures have dropped for Fall, but in a different way. 

These jeans just cover my ankle bone when unrolled at full length. This is too short for people like me who prefer to wear their trousers and jeans extra long, and scrunched when the hems are tapered. And I typically like a LOT of scrunch. I could have bought these jeans in a “tall size” for extra length, but the rolled hems would have looked too heavy when I roll them for Summer.

So I found another solution. Wearing the unrolled hems over taller booties gives the illusion that the jeans are longer. The vamp shape of these booties lifts the tapered hem of the jeans thereby creating a tiny scrunch. But as soon as I wear shorter and different shaped booties, the unrolled jeans look too short. Although few may notice, this small detail makes a huge difference to me because I’m pedantic about the lengths of bottoms and highly sensitive to trousers and jeans that are too short to my eye. We all have our style quirks. 

I could also have worn the hems rolled like I did in Summer and added a pair of booties. It’s a great look that is all over the blogosphere, on the street, in magazines, and very much encouraged by retailers. But I am not sporting rolled hems with booties because I prefer to wear full length jeans and trousers for Fall and Winter. More coverage and extra warmth.

I tucked my citron Valette sweater into the jeans and added a polka dot belt to keep them up. The jeans hang low for extra length and because I like a slouchy fit.

This is not an elongating outfit formula. Several factors — the contrasting cream bootie, the low rise of the jeans, the shorter length of the jeans, the contrasting cream belt and citron top — act to shorten the leg line. But the proportions are “flattering enough” because, to my eye, the leg line is not overly shortened and my torso is not overly long. Also, the low heels help just a little bit.

My topper for the day was a tartan jacket that I got last year, and I was only just warm enough. I would have been more comfortable wearing my short citron peacoat over this ensemble, but  rushed out of the house without it. I added my new Zara clutch that I have worn so much this month because I am day and nighttime clutch-crazy at the moment. White specs, gold watch and wedding ring finish off the look. No extra jewelry required.

This outfit mixes three patterns — the jacket, belt and clutch — within a similar colour palette. I’m still very much into the pattern mixing thing, but do occasionally wonder when I will tire of it. For now, I enjoy mixing up to four patterns in one outfit so clearly I’m still energized by the trend. And seeing as we have just entered our cold, wet and very grey time here in Seattle, wearing patterns and brights along with my neutrals keeps up my spirits.