https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Sun, 19 Apr 2026 10:24:56 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe#post-1620010 Wed, 24 Feb 2016 10:51:43 +0000 Summer 1620010@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This makes perfect sense to me, since jeans play a large part in my wardrobe. &nbsp;Come to think of it, I'm usually wearing jeans when I shop, anyway, so any tops or jackets will take this test by default. &nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe#post-1619965 Wed, 24 Feb 2016 05:04:24 +0000 chirico (Chiara) 1619965@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>It's a great idea. While reading your post I was mentally scanning my tops and checking if they go with jeans. They do, indeed! Great reference! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe#post-1619787 Tue, 23 Feb 2016 22:26:34 +0000 unfrumped 1619787@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ginger, great use of the test.<br />Angie, thanks for update. The color is&nbsp;<u>so</u> intriguing for my blush crush. I may not be enough of a clutch person to justify it......Though roomier is better, in that regard. Those teensie jewel clutches look so demure on the runway, but I&nbsp; have to stash glasses, phone, keys, and <u>stuff,</u> even for evening, and certainly for daytime. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe#post-1619768 Tue, 23 Feb 2016 21:50:48 +0000 Anonymous 1619768@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I love that clutch, Angie!</p> <p>All of my tops and blouses can be worn with jeans. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe#post-1619696 Tue, 23 Feb 2016 18:58:53 +0000 Angie 1619696@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Great test. All my tops and jackets can be worn with jeans, actually. I have many pairs of jeans though so it's a slam dunk.&nbsp;</p> <p>BTW, the blush clutch came. Big and GORGEOUS.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe#post-1619581 Tue, 23 Feb 2016 14:49:03 +0000 Ginger 1619581@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Gigi, I kind of do the same! I don't wear jeans all that often myself; not daily, maybe half of the evenings I go out, and usually not for a full day on the weekends. And not at all when it's hot.&nbsp; So I'm really careful about buying items that *only* work with jeans.&nbsp; This year I found a just-long-enough black skater skirt. It does show leg (with black opaques only), so it has most of the fit and structure of jeans but for work. Some tops are JFE with that skirt as well as with jeans.&nbsp; If I can't make it work with that skirt, it might need to go back or be culled. I do have a closeout clean-out in my future. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe#post-1619542 Tue, 23 Feb 2016 12:17:08 +0000 unfrumped 1619542@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Gigi, that's if exactly! When getting a new item, I'm usually thinking " work" or sometimes a specific wardrobe hole. yet it could " look great with jeans" and nothing else. It would be tempting to keep it when I should not. </p> <p>Also for culling, a jeans- only item may not be versatile enough to keep-- I would then have to use the " which of these X number of jeans oufits are the best?" Test! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe#post-1619503 Tue, 23 Feb 2016 06:33:58 +0000 Gigi 1619503@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Interesting test! I use a variation of this myself. I use it mostly when I am trying to decide whether to keep or return an item. If I bought a top that works ONLY with a pair of skinny jeans, I have to ask myself whether it is worth keeping, since I can't wear it with anything else. As you noted, denim is like the bare-bones, anything-goes pairing. I usually end up taking the top back if it goes only with skinnies unless it's really amazing. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe#post-1619471 Tue, 23 Feb 2016 03:21:41 +0000 unfrumped 1619471@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thank you for the comments and for adding other " tests"! I need all the strategies I can find.<br /> What I think is, these various little exercises help me " see" how unlikely it is that something will ever work, and that I won't miss it or regret tossing it. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe#post-1619437 Tue, 23 Feb 2016 01:50:09 +0000 Anonymous 1619437@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>makes sense to me! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe#post-1619429 Tue, 23 Feb 2016 01:39:02 +0000 Brooklyn 1619429@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I like this test too and will give it a try! Like viva, jeans are so important to my wardrobe it's a case of - if I can't wear this with jeans, will I actually ever get enough wear out of it? Now you need to come up with a purge test for skirts and pants </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe#post-1619423 Tue, 23 Feb 2016 01:33:50 +0000 Caro in Oz 1619423@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This is a great test imo. Following on from Denise's comment about toppers, can it work back the other way with other bottoms? When wearing my non-denim pants/skirts am I also wearing something that makes the outfit as modern as my jeans can make an outfit? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe#post-1619421 Tue, 23 Feb 2016 01:33:15 +0000 Anonymous 1619421@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This is a wonderful idea. I wear jeans most days because they fit better than trousers. I can also put the no guilt rule into practice. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe#post-1619416 Tue, 23 Feb 2016 01:29:27 +0000 Anonymous 1619416@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Great test! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe#post-1619408 Tue, 23 Feb 2016 01:16:53 +0000 deb 1619408@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thank you for the test, what a great idea. Jeans are my staple so I will definitely use it. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe#post-1619397 Tue, 23 Feb 2016 00:57:08 +0000 anne 1619397@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Interesting. It is sort of a first step isn't it&nbsp; - if it doesn't work with jeans if mightn't work with anything? Right?</p> <p>Actually quite a lot of my tops don't work with jeans (even if purchased with casual use in mind) and ONLY work tucked into a skirt.&nbsp; I clearly need the jeans test too! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe#post-1619376 Tue, 23 Feb 2016 00:15:45 +0000 LaPed 1619376@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh, I am right there with you on the versatility of some timeless dark denim that fits well. I've had to completely rebuild my jeans capsule over the past 12 months, and I kind of learned the jeans test from the opposite direction: I had a whole lot of tops and jackets that were just not wearable until I found some good slim-straight jeans in a dark rinse again. They were basically orphans for a whole year.</p> <p>Makes me think of the way men in many rural parts of the US have always "dressed up": keeping on had a pair of "good jeans" for special occasions. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe#post-1619354 Mon, 22 Feb 2016 23:35:41 +0000 Beth Ann 1619354@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I've decided that a higher proportion of my pants need to be denim, for much the same reasons that you mention in your post. &nbsp;I'm living a more casual lifestyle than ever, and I find better fitting denim that is more fashionable than most trousers. &nbsp;I still like a good ponte pant, a soft wide-leg, and maybe a "gear" pant, but grown-up denim is very versatile. &nbsp;I love my dressy blouses paired with a good dark rinse! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe#post-1619345 Mon, 22 Feb 2016 23:20:09 +0000 Janet 1619345@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Excellent test! I'm keeping this in mind, along with my "would I buy this if I saw it in the store today?" test. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe#post-1619342 Mon, 22 Feb 2016 23:14:27 +0000 Joyce B 1619342@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This is a great post, I am bookmarking it for future reference. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe#post-1619328 Mon, 22 Feb 2016 22:33:43 +0000 Suz 1619328@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Wow. I love all of these suggestions! The jeans test is totally relevant to me because I basically wear jeans all the time. If something doesn't pass the jeans test I probably won't wear it! (Well, dresses notwithstanding).&nbsp;</p> <p>I really like the idea to take guilt out of the equation as well. That allows you to get rid of a lot of stuff that is just sitting there not getting worn. I think I'll do that with my spring closet edit.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe#post-1619273 Mon, 22 Feb 2016 20:52:22 +0000 CocoLion 1619273@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I agree it's a great idea! &nbsp;I'm going to have to try this. &nbsp;And I love your expression "dither wall."</p> <p>A few other helpful techniques for doing a closet sort/purge: &nbsp;the suggestion to remove guilt from the equation. &nbsp;Around a month ago a (newer?) forum member suggested asking yourself, if I had no guilt around this item -- feelings like, I paid a lot for it, or I barely wore, it is in excellent condition, or was a gift -- would I still keep it? &nbsp;I recently filled three bags of pricier pieces using this technique and felt so liberated!</p> <p>My other technique is a corollary to the jeans test. &nbsp;It's the topper (jacket, cardigan, pullover, coat etc.) test. &nbsp;For me it's mainly useful for gauging tops like tees, blouses, and shirts. &nbsp;But it's also useful for bottoms, denim and non denim. &nbsp;Although I don't need toppers for Summer, there are three other seasons taking up 7-8 months of the year when I do need them. &nbsp;So, if a bottom or top does not have a topper that works with it, it either means it has to go or that there is a wardrobe hole that needs filling. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe#post-1619266 Mon, 22 Feb 2016 20:35:11 +0000 Banoffi 1619266@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This seems like a great test.&nbsp; When I'm frantically trying to put together an outfit for work in the morning and can't figure out what bottoms to wear, I'll often grab jeans if I don't have to be dressed up that day. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe#post-1619265 Mon, 22 Feb 2016 20:34:24 +0000 unfrumped 1619265@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>viva, it's funny, because I don't get to wear jeans that often, since not part of daily work-wear. </p> <p>I remember in the past, showing a top or jacket to YLF'ers and getting the response, that will look great with jeans!--and feeling&nbsp;perplexed, &nbsp;because the whole point was I needed something to go with work pants or skirts. So what to wear with jeans was not at the top of my shopping list.</p> <p>Then I noticed that before I culled an item, I could see if I wanted to "demote" it to casual or loungewear or, heh, <u>with jeans</u>. <u></u>Meaning that in a good way--to remix an item in a fresh way, or perhaps it was just a teeny bit worn-looking for work, but still a good style and color. Or sometimes actually too trendy for work, but not for smart-casual.</p> <p>And it seemed like jeans were the great equalizer/elevate-er. If jeans can't fix it, nothing can! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe#post-1619250 Mon, 22 Feb 2016 20:09:23 +0000 viva 1619250@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I actually love this test, unfrumped. There is almost nothing I own that I cannot wear with jeans, including most of my (very few) dresses. Denim is that important a basic in my wardrobe. I've never actually thought about making that the bar an item needs to pass, though, and it's quite brilliant. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/using-the-jeans-test-to-edit-wardrobe#post-1619243 Mon, 22 Feb 2016 20:04:56 +0000 unfrumped 1619243@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I am&nbsp;continuing to &nbsp;make some progress in editing wardrobe to get rid of fluff and meh and duplicates.</p> <p>Did a post on, when&nbsp;hitting some kind of dither-wall on an item that I like but have not been wearing, I would do some try-on's&nbsp;to see &nbsp;whether there was even <u>one</u> great outfit that an item could be used for, as a minimum standard, though might not be enough.</p> <p>One thing that sometimes helps is what I call the "jeans test."&nbsp; </p> <p>First, you have to put on some jeans!&nbsp;For me it should be my most&nbsp;flattering pair, &nbsp;or for those with extensive&nbsp; denim collections, might need to try with some different styles.</p> <p>I have found that if a top or jacket does not work with a pair of good-fitting, darkwash jeans, it may be hopeless. The test can work with loafers and flats, too.</p> <p>My basis is that the jeans, while potentially classic, are often my most "modern", youthful (not "young") item and due to the magical properties of denim, overcome some pants-fit issues. And they tolerate a range of fits in the other items&nbsp;, such as, tailored, boyfriend, long, short-over-a longer-tank/T, oversized, but can disclose whether that fit is intentional (such as "BF" fit vs too big or baggy).&nbsp;&nbsp; </p> <p>The test breaks down for some items and fits which are intended for high-waist or high-volume bottoms and certain proportions, but can be a really good reference point. </p> <p>It is basically just a variation on seeing if an item can be re-mixed/re-invigorated if worn with something that carries its own weight in style, updated-ness, and&nbsp; happiness-factor. Plus the denim&nbsp;works as&nbsp;a neutral, so the item's color has to stand for itself.</p> <p>I think it works for me because I don't wear jeans every day and because there are fewer rules for denim (can go dressy, casual, untucked, sparkly--a whole range). </p>