A wardrobe without jeans? - YouLookFab Forum

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A wardrobe without jeans?

Sharon

Veteran

I'm starting to feel frustrated with jeans. They never fit properly (even with the waist taken in) and I usually feel frumpy when I wear them. I end up buying pairs I don't need in search of "the one" that will work for me, but I'm starting to wonder if maybe I'm just not a jeans person and the problem is my brain rather than my body! I do like the look on others, but I just can't make it work for me.

I'm considering a jeans ban this Spring. Is it possible to have a wardrobe without jeans? Has anyone done this?

Dressing

20 replies

Latest reply was from Steph

Dawn

(website)

It is one hundred percent possible but there are loads of obstacles to overcome to have a closet which fulfils all your needs. Are you planning on switching to dresses and skirts completely, or are you wearing other pants such as cigarette pants, dress pants, cords, etc?

*Cold Weather- Do you live somewhere which has extremely cold days in which a pair of jeans tucked into boots are the warmest and most practical option? If you can't find jeans which work for you, you may look at some warm wool trousers or wool tights for warmth.

*Casual Occasions- We all have occasions when dresses/ skirts just are not practical. I'm a dress person and own nearly 25 dresses and will go for weeks without wearing jeans or pants, but I always make sure I have some clean jeans for stuff like amusement parks or going for walks in forests. Again, you can get other types of pants to fulfil this need as well. However, there are some women on the forum who wear dresses for everyday casual dressing quite well, and personally I would like to point you in the direction of Khris (chewyspaghetti) for guidelines on this aspect of casual dressing.

*Versatility- I don't think I have as much of a blank slate piece of clothing as my jeans which can be dressed down or dressed up and styled in so many different ways. Despite my huge collection of dresses and skirts, most of them fit exclusively into one or two dress codes or are suitable for one season only. That being said, perhaps a well-made dress in your neutral of choice or skirt would help you to have a versatile wardrobe.

I would also like you to consider posting up photos of you wearing the jeans which are giving you trouble as we might be able to identify what exactly is going wrong with your jeans.

judy

Veteran

I agree that posting a photo would be great Sharon, because I'm sure there would be some helpful suggestions that people could offer.

Also there are alternatives to jeans depending on your body type, lifestyle etc.

But I would say if you are feeling less than great in your jeans it is probably type, brand and fit more than anything else. I commiserate that they are very hard to fit!

Megan

One of the girls who works in my lab always wears really pretty dresses, even in winter. I complimented her last week and she mentioned that she NEVER wears pants as she doesn't like the parts of her body that they highlight. I asked her about warmth and she said she layers wool tights and wool camis under her dresses in winter and also adds boots.

How do you feel about other pants? Even though I LOVE jeans I could live without them (if I HAD to) as long as I could include other types of pants.

crwilson

Veteran

Sharon-I think that it's very possible. i hate jeans, and despite owning quite a few pairs, I hardly ever wear them. I like the way they look but not the way they feel. Anyway, my goal this winter (because I do live in a cold climate) is to find pants alternatives that I like for casual wear. I tend to find pants, in general, uncomfortable, so this is going to be a bit of a challenge. I think that the other problem is that I think jeans look better with certain things - like casual jackets - than any other bottom.

April

Veteran

Sharon -- Dawn asked some really good questions. I work in a "no denim" environment so for me, it would be absolutely possible to have a wardrobe without jeans. I like wearing them during leisure hours, though, and I'm not curvy so it's not that hard to find jeans that fit, therefore I do have a number of pairs.

But *could* I do without them if I had trouble finding a good fit? Absolutely.

Katiepea

(website)

Veteran

I think residing in QLD should make living without jeans quite easy Sharon. Like you say, part of looking fab is also feeling fab. If jeans just aren't your cup of tea, don't put yourself through it! My best friend lives in Canberra and never, ever wears jeans. She manages quite well, so it can absolutely be done!

I hope this doesn't mean a ban on denim though! Only saying this because I think that you could look great in a denim skirt! (I like you in skirts!)

Maya

Veteran

I used to think this would be horrible but now I can see it wouldn't be hard at all to go without jeans, especially with all the new pants silhouettes that are in style. I'd go for it. I hardly ever wear jeans in the summer and have been doing just fine.

Theresa

(website)

Veteran

Sharon I think its entirely plausible that you could get by without jeans in our Springs/Summer/Autumn. I know I personally couldn't get through winter without them though.

My brothers girlfriend NEVER EVER wears pants - she always has dresses and skirts on and has millions of pairs of leggings and tights - even through winter.

Something I've recently discovered (and bought) are fleece lined tights from http://www.flox.com.au - they are just like regular tights, but they are fleece lined and very very warm and cosy. If I had these at the start of winter I may have actually worn dresses more!

bj1111

Veteran

i suppose i could, but i really wouldn't want to. i'm finding more and more ways to disguise the jeans at work.

Traci

Veteran

Woah! Those fleece lined tights are amazing. Has anyone seen anything like it in the states? I'd be afraid of sweaty crotch...not a problem?

Sharon

Veteran

Thanks for your ideas, everyone.
Dawn, thanks for giving me lots to think about. Have you always been a dress girl, or has it evolved?
I will try and post a picture - have to find the camera cable. I will admit that the jeans I wear are just from JeansWest, so not super-expensive. I am reluctant to spend a large amount of money on something that I won't wear, so thought I would work out the "to wear or not to wear" dilemma.

I have several "good" suit type pants that I wore to work last year, but they aren't getting much of a run with my current job. I also have some casual cotton pants that I wore on the cruise. So I'm not against pants in general, although I think I would like to incorporate more skirts into my wardrobe.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

You can totally do a season sans jeans. In fact, that's really quite easy.

If the weather is very cold and you lead a casual lifestyle - a wardrobe without jeans is a little trickier, but certainly doable. It really depends on whether you'll wear other types of wardrobe items.

I wear jeans less frequently than I used to - and I like how my style has evolved in that way. But I still love to wear jeans too.

Mac

Veteran

I spent 5 years in NYC without owning a single pair of jeans and it worked well. In winter, it was lots of dresses with woolly tights and wool pants. Casual wear was relaxed trousers. I say try giving it a spin and see how it works out.

Lisa

Veteran

I think you can easily go sans jeans in hot weather. In colder weather this may be a tad more challenging. But definitely do-able.

cecilia

Absolutely possible to do without jeans. When I lived in Europe I never wore jeans, but lots of pants and skirts in different fabrics and fabrications depending on the season. These days, though, I couldn't imagine my life without jeans... they have become my crutch

The question is whether you just hate jeans shopping in particular, or clothes shopping in general. Do you have an equally hard time finding other types of clothing? If so, going without jeans might not ease your frustration, but restraining yourself from buying/wearing jeans will give you less options... on the other hand, it might be nice to take a breaker from jeans and concentrate on finding other fabulous pieces for fabulous you!

Theresa

(website)

Veteran

Traci I didn't experience any sweaty crotch issues when I wore my flox tights! But, I should add that I'm one who feels the cold and isn't overly sweaty to start with, so perhaps it would be different if you were.

Lynne

Veteran

check out Isaac Mizrahi's book "How to Have Style". He's a big advocate of 'getting out of a jeans rut". I personally love denim, always have, and cannot imagine life without several pairs of jeans...but I'll be interested in hearing how you get on! Success!

rute

Veteran

In fact this summer I did not wore jeans at all, just dresses!
I had the same problem.. I don't like to see myself in jeans and spend a lot of time looking for the "one" and ended up buying a lot of pairs I don't need or use often..
So, I decided to invest on the items I like best: dresses and decided to forget jeans (I don't like to see myself in pants, so no need to force myself to wear what everybody wears..).

Go for it!

Lynne

Veteran

good strategy, Rute!

Steph

Veteran

I went for years without wearing jeans, and I managed to survive three years of Chicago winters without them, so I think it's definitely possible, even in cold climates. I didn't wear pants at all in that time frame, so it was all skirts for me. I don't wear leggings, so I managed with skirts, tights, and knee-high boots in the winters, and I was fine. I didn't like the way pants or jeans looked on my body, so I just didn't wear them.

I do wear jeans now, because I have found ones that look good. Sharon, I don't know what your body type is, but I saw that you mentioned having to take in the waist. I'll make a pitch for you to true Joe's Jeans in the Honey style. They are great for women with smaller waists who also have butts. I don't know if that's your specific issue, but it's worth a try. I definitely think that if you're willing to try premium jeans, you might be pleasantly surprised. Just don't buy anything that doesn't make you feel really great.