Levi’s® asked me to build three outfits around their new Curve ID line. So today I’m going to dress up jeans for a gals night out, an evening with friends, or a date night with your sweetie. 

These types of evening dates are often more casual than dressy, which makes dressing up a great pair of jeans an easy outfit option. The components of the outfit formula are as follows:

Favourite Jeans + Musical Top + Light Dressy Shoes + Clutch

A “musical top” is one that “sings a sweet tune”, which means a top combination that’s a little more special than what you usually pair with jeans. Perhaps it’s dressier, a little sheer and alluring, more colourful, or more bold in it’s styling. 

Start with Your Favourite Jeans

Choose any silhouette, from wide leg to tapered legs. Choose any wash or colour, from dark and sleek to faded options, white, black, grey or a colour. I’ve chosen the Modern Slight Curve Straight Jeans from Levi.com in a regular stone wash because straight leg jeans are versatile, as is blue denim. The lighter wash also won’t rub off onto your hands, clothes and shoes. I haven’t seen the fit of these jeans in person, but the reviews are promising.

Add the Music on Top

There are many ways to dress up jeans, but for starters here are five cardigan-free suggestions to get you on your way. 

Chic Blouse: Choose a dressy soft blouse, either boxy or tailored, patterned or solid, neutral or in a colour. Pop a camisole underneath if the blouse is sheer. I’ve chosen one with lace for extra textural interest. I like these types of blouses untucked, but feel free to tuck or half tuck, and add a belt. 

Fun Tunic: Here’s an opportunity to add a bohemian edge to your outfit with an empire cut tunic in a drapey fabrication. There were quite a few high necked and straight cut patterned tunics worn over slim fit trousers in Dries Van Noten’s recent 2012 Fall collection, so be ahead of the fashion curve and sport a vibrant tunic over jeans.

Cheerful Blazer: Give cardigans a rest and opt for a blazer. Wearing one in a bright is on trend, as is layering it over another bright, thereby achieving a colour blocked effect. 

Edgy Shirt, Tie and Jacket: This option is menswear inspired. Mid tones, pastels and shades of blush and taupe are as popular as brights, so instead of trying this combination in black, grey and white, try it in less expected softer colours. I’ve matched a taupe blazer with a very light pink blouse and paisley tie. Tie the tie school boy style, or drape it loosely tied against your skin on the inside of an open shirt collar.

Not So Preppy Blouse and Vest: It’s a season of intense pattern mixing and there is no stopping the trend. Stripes and polka dots in a similar colour palette are a happy marriage, so match them up for a different take on the preppy shirt and vest combination. Use a dressy blouse instead of a button down shirt.

Dressy Light Shoes

Light footwear in tan, cream, beige and metallic works extremely well with Spring’s brights, mid tones and pastel colour palette, and adds freshness to an outfit. Choose pumps, dressy ballet flats, mary janes, wedges, peep-toes, sandals or booties. The booties pictured below are casual, but their light colour gives them a dressier integrity.

Finish off with a Clutch 

Evening clutches in a colour blocked black and white, or neutrally toned snake skin work with just about any denim-rich outfit. Metallic clutches are another versatile option. Clutch handbags are not as impractical as they seem if you choose a style that allows for a free hand or two.  

Do It Yourself

As with all the outfit formulas, I sew the seeds of an idea. Make it your own by substituting these items with ones that are more to your taste, and in line with your colour preferences and style persona. Add arm candy with an army of bracelets. Throw in a scarf. Add a cocktail ring or two. Wear dangly earrings, a pin or necklace. Or sport a jewelry-free style, allowing your bag, wristwatch and eyewear to do the talking. Dress up your favourite pair of jeans in a way that reflects YOUR style and your evening out will be off to a superb start. 

Pattern mixed outfits are more “maximal” and busy than outfits that mix solids or subtle textures. There’s a lot more going on, which makes it a hard look to sport if you have a minimal sense of style. 

I have noticed that when I am helping my clients to create pattern mixed outfits, we often deliberately leave off accessories and jewelry pieces. While they would have normally worn a necklace, earrings, belt, pin or scarf with the outfit in solid and textured combinations, the patterned incarnation of the outfit doesn’t need the extra bells and whistles.  

Although this is by no means a rule, sporting fewer accessories and jewelry pieces, or even none at all, might help you break through the pattern mixing barrier if you have reservations. 

Aside from my wedding ring, I sport a jewelry-free look most of the time. I include accessories when they are part of the pattern mixing action, like an animal print belt, polka dot hose, patterned handbag or plaid scarf. But when I’m pattern mixing two tops, or a top and bottom, I’ll carry a handbag, but all jewelry and accessories stay off.

Colour blocking is on trend, and if my hunch is correct we’ll be seeing even more colour blocking next year. We’re talking colour blocking on all the items in your wardrobe — clothing, accessories and footwear. 

Colour blocked footwear comes in colours, neutrals, or a mixture of both. The more colourful examples are cheerful and eye catching, but not that easy to match up in outfits. If you need help, my guidelines on how to wear bright shoes are a good starting point. The same guidelines apply to mid-tone and pastel toned shoes. Pick up a colour in a top, bottom or dress that matches one or more of the colours in the shoes. Match up bright shoes with the same colour handbag or belt. Match them up with a neutral outfit. Or, match bright shoes with a scarf or necklace that picks up the same colours. 

Neutral colour blocked footwear is easier because it can be treated in very much the same way as a solid neutral. A completely neutral outfit is one easy option. But you can also go wild matching them up in outfits that combine neutrals AND colours.   

I have a few pairs of colour blocked ballet flats and pumps in neutrals, and frequently wear them in the warmer months.  I like how they provide a little more pop than a solid neutral shoe. I will also welcome bright colourblocked shoes into my wardrobe because they look festive on your feet. I vote yay for colour blocked shoes. 

What’s your verdict? Would you wear colour blocked footwear? If so, will you wear colours or neutrals? Or would you prefer to stick to solid colours because the whole concept’s too complicated? 

We’re currently in the middle of our third online Book Club meeting, discussing 100 Ideas that Changed Fashion. The Queen, the fourth and final title on our first reading list, is coming up in just a fortnight. Time to select new titles so we can keep on chatting.

YLF Book Club is all about the books and movies you want to talk about, so your input is key here. We’ve already received several interesting suggestions from forum members, these are now on our long list of possible titles. Of course, we’d love to hear what you think as well. Is there a fashion documentary that intrigues you? A style-related movie you feel everyone should know about? Have you come across a compelling book that you’d really like to nominate for discussion? Tell us about it in the comments section before midnight on Wednesday 7 March and we might be talking about it on YLF very soon.

What happens next?

• 9 March: We publish the Book Club long list with your suggestions on the blog and in the forum.
• 9 – 14 March: Voting time. Everyone on YLF can pick their 3 favourites, the titles that get the most votes are our winners.
• 16 March: We announce the 3 winners and will have the updated calendar ready for you.

New in YLF Books

Hillary Kerr and Katherine Power, the creators of online style magazine WhoWhatWear.com, believe that “life is stressful, your outfit shouldn’t be”. In their second book, What to Wear, Where – The How-To Handbook for Any Style Situation, they come to the rescue with practical style guidelines for 50 social occasions. From art gallery, via courtroom, to day and evening weddings, this hands-on style guide wants to help you create ensembles that are appropriate for the event and that feel true to your style.