I decided to take another look at some things that have been languishing in my holding zone for ages. A few things went straight into the donation basket after a try-on, and one or two went back into my closet for a quarantine wear test.

These old Gap jeans have always been tricky. I don’t wear trendy bottoms well — they tend to call too much attention to part of my body I prefer to downplay. I thought maybe the vertical colorblocking of this denim style might work for me, but I’ve never been quite sure if it is flattering enough (light denim also gives me pause).

Trying them on today, they fit well in a traditional fit and they are very comfortable. I’m wearing them around the house now and they’ve loosened up slightly from what you see in the photos, which is good — I prefer ease in denim fits these days, and when they loosen, they sit a little lower on my hips and don’t seem so short.

The length is tricky for me, too. Many pre-cropped styles are a little too short on me. These are a good example. With high shaft booties, they seem a bit short. The boots in the photos are not right for the jeans anyway, but I just grabbed the pair at hand to see what the length looked like — all of my boots are dark, so the contrast is high, and I think that’s the problem. I’m not sure the jeans work with sandals either. But I’m actually not hating them with the sneakers, oddly enough — maybe that’s the ticket for me. For actual wear, i would probably style them with a white or light colored shirt for a more overall light impression and to bookend the sneakers more.

What do you think, honestly? I’m thinking of reintroducing them to my closet, at least for quarantine wear, to see if they grow on me again.

PS. I’ve had a fleeting idea to cut them off into knee-length shorts, but that may not be such a great idea.