Distressed jeans in winter - YouLookFab Forum

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Dressing

Distressed jeans in winter

Gigi

Veteran

I am refreshing my jeans and am considering getting a pair of distressed jeans, a style that I have not tried before. One thing holding me back is whether they will be wearable for much of our winter, which gets very cold (similar to the Canadian winters). I found a pair of distressed jeans at J. Crew that has just one hole at the knee, wondering if that will mitigate the cold factor enough.

For those of you who wear distressed jeans, do you wear them in extremely cold weather? Or are they more for when temps are above freezing?

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Dressing

17 replies

Latest reply was from shiny

Christina F.

Veteran

Folks here wear tights or leggings under them in the winter. Of course, it’s not Canada cold here.

Gigi

Veteran

Christina, that's a good idea. I could wear tights if I really wanted to wear the jeans in the cold weather.

Anonymous

Oh sure - I wear distressed jeans all winter long - and winters can be brutally cold here in my part of Canada. I mean, the jeans I have don't have gaping holes in them, nor do I wear them when I'm outside for any length of time ( I don't wear ANY jeans when outside for long periods ) , but for regular wear? They are fine

Gigi

Veteran

Thanks, lisap. I live in Minnesota, and we usually have a couple of cold snaps in the winter where it gets below 0 degrees F. I wouldn't be outside for long periods but am more worried about freezing to death while I wait for my car to warm up (I have no garage).

Jessikams

(website)

Veteran

I have lots of distressed jeans and I find that the ones with huge holes at the knee do feel chilly/drafty in winter! I tried wearing tights under, but it felt too constricting around the waist. But the ones with smaller holes feel fine. Even better if the holes will be covered by your coat.

Gigi

Veteran

Jessikams, I have a pair of old microfishnets that have a hole in the calf that I could wear underneath--I think that might not create as much bulk at the waist (?). And the hole will for sure be covered by my coat.

Cee

Veteran

Carry a roll of duct tape for when the temperature drops to " Mother Nature has to hurt you now " degrees

Jessikams

(website)

Veteran

I really encourage you to try a pair of distressed jeans. For me they are workhorses. They make even a jeans-and-tee outfit more interesting. Also the fraying adds some white to the legs which you can play up with white accessories.

krishnidoux

Veteran

LOL Cee, that's really funny!

Gigi, I am Canadian and I wear distressed jeans all winter long just like Lisap. As the rest of what I wear tends to be warm anyway in winter, I find it's not a problem. And I am one who tends to run cold.

Christina, it's a good solution! Gigi, fishnets! That would look SO cool!

Side: I remember as a university student being baffled by my immigrant friends who wore nylons underneath their Gap classic, back then mainstream mom-jeans. (Actually it's a good solution underneath any pair of pants for insulation). For me and my local girlfriends, this was like an antithesis of the whole concept of jeans itself. I remember commenting, "But doesn't it make you feel fatter?", to which my Haitian born friend pondered and replied, "See, that's the thing I noticed about girls over here. Everybody is so hung up on their weight and counting every calory, trying to eat as few as possible. In my country, we actually market food for their caloric content, the more the better!".

Bijou

Veteran

Gigi, I bought distressed jeans and seriously wondered if I would wear them because my style skews towards being more polished than RATE. Well they are complete workhorses. I live in a moderate climate (so cannot comment on freezing conditions), but in terms of adding a bit of edge to otherwise conservative outfits, they are brilliant.

Style Fan

Veteran

I run cold and our winters are extremely cold. If I am going to be outside in the winter for a long time (going for a walk) I would never wear jeans. I would wear fleece lined Lululemon pants. I might wear corduroy jeans if I could find a nice pair.
I do have distressed jeans and they are workhorses for me. But only if I am not spending much time outside in the winter. I can not stand the feeling of a layer under my jeans. I do wear wool knee socks under my jeans in the winter.

RobinF

Veteran

My distressed jeans are my favorites and I wear them all winter (Michigan here). For some reason they don't seem any colder than regular jeans and I have one quite large hole in the thigh. Like others have said, I wouldn't wear them if I were doing an outdoor activity in the middle of winter but for regular use they are fine.

Gigi

Veteran

I always learn so much on this forum! I'm very grateful for it. Thank you for all your responses!

It sounds like it is certainly worth a try, especially because I am looking to add a bit of extra edge, as some of you commented. I will not worry about the cold factor, as it sounds like I will be OK, even if I have to resort to fishnets (I agree that they might even add a "cool" factor, Krish!).

I'm looking forward to exploring distressed jeans as part of my look. I've done distressed shorts but have hesitated going "whole hog" on the jeans. I think part of it is that I used to think that distressed jeans were absolutely ridiculous.

LaPed

Veteran

Black or patterned tights peeking out from distressed jeans is a big look where I am. Perennial favorite winter look among the hipster crowd.

Anonymous

Yes, I wear mine with no hose or leggings or anything. I commute by car though.
Those pants look really nice. I like the high rise.

Bennett

Veteran

Those jeans are fabulous - high waist, exposed button fly! You MUST try them. It's not a gaping hole, I bet you'll barely notice!

shiny

Veteran

This is not my look but for past few years I've had one distressed pair, usually for Sunday wear. To me they are warm weather jeans as they are ventilated. I don't wear them once the weather hits 50 degrees and under. (That's Fahrenheit).

I have seen some wear them with brightly colored tights underneath. It's not my look but I think it looks fun.