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I am embarrassed to say

Anonymous

I am embarrassed to say that I have never really worn jeans in blue denim color. I have owned and worn lots of jeans in black, grey, and white, but rarely denim blue.

I just purchased some ink blue denim jeans. I don't have them yet (they are in route) so I can't really play with colors in real life. I know people will tell me that I can wear them with any color under the sun, but I am not certain my personal aesthetics will let me do that. I don't feel denim is a neutral. I feel the colors I coordinate with it have to be purposeful (if that makes any sense).

I know I can wear these new jeans with white, but what other colors would work with them? In the past I always avoided demin blue because white/denim is so tame (and a bit boring). There have to be other color combinations that work for a strong winter coloring.

Dressing

30 replies

Latest reply was from puppycat

retailgirl

Veteran

Denim is a neutral...especially a dark denim. I love denim with black. But it goes with anything. If you are a winter, it would go well with your best colors...red, jewel tones, white. When you get them, try them on with your favorite tops. It might take time to adjust your eye, but I think you'll love them.

JAileen

Veteran

I used to think that my outfit had to work with the blue in blue jeans. But I don't anymore. Also, I tend to get darker, moodier blues.

Anonymous

JAileen. I tried to buy the darkest, moodiest blue available. In my mind, I imagine "ink." The colors on my monitor are not always correct though so we shall see later this week.

This new purchase coincides with an earlier thread about wearing clothing that our significant others find appealing. My BF really likes me in plain, unadorned jeans. The less fashion forward and trendy I am, the more he seems to like it. I thought that I would add a couple of pairs of Kut from the Kloth jeans this winter to go with all the grey I am currently buying. I also bought some simple grey crew neck sweaters to go with the jeans.

This new purchase also coincides with an earlier thread about wearing
"comfort or cosy" clothing. I want my at-home uniform to be really cosy. In the past, I never found jeans to be particularly comfortable, but the Kut from the Kloth jeans may change my mind. Their ponte pants fit me better then any other pants I own. I am hoping for something similar from their jeans.

I am still hoping to achieve "simple, easy, elegant." I think the elegant will be achieved by adding a third piece. Scarfs have never been easy for me, but necklaces and cardigans are.

Colette

Veteran

If you don't like the look, or feel comfortable in, some colors paired with blue denim, why don't you look at blue denim jeans as blue pants and pair your blue pants with tops in colors you would normally wear with blue. I hope that makes sense.

Perhaps once you have the blue jeans on and start experimenting with different tops, your eye will adjust. That does happen to me quite often when I step outside my comfort zone.

But I do think that blue denim goes with everything. However, there are many shades of blue denim and there are some colors that I prefer to wear with certain shades over others.

Maneera

(website)

Veteran

I can understand that you don't treat blue denim as a neutral. I agree with Colette's advice --- think of them as blue pants.

My personal favourite with blue denim is black. I'll happily wear black, grey, pink and red tops/sweaters with blue jeans. I think you wear those colours too. I also like a nice column of colour, so I do wear blue jeans with navy tops too. They also look great with white tops. I also wear black boots with them.

Hope that helps!

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Although i wear blue jeans all the time, I don't treat them entirely as a neutral. Denim can have different tones and shades, and I do pay attention to that and don't wear certain colors or tones of tops with certain jeans. Most dyed denim has multiple shades of blue in it, especially as denim fades. Usually it's pretty cool-toned but sometimes it veers a little warm/brownish. Ink blue that's almost black is pretty versatile and also works with a cool winter/spring palette which I know you wear, Sterling.

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

I think wearing jeans with any color is most polished with darker, uniform washes. The lighter middle range washes look faded and more casual. Today I am wearing an outfit with this new lightweight poncho cardigan which I got on my beach vacation. The jeans are a similar shade, but my booties and belt are cognac. Tying the rest of the pieces together harmoniously is important to me when wearing faded denim. That way, the denim is the odd man else but everything else is coordinated.

Thinking of which, the matching belt and booties / footwear is an integral way that I add polish to my casual style.

eta -- this outfit today is super comfortable, like loungewear. I think once you go to wearing jeans around the house, you will not look back! The jeans are unrolled jeans from Vera Wang. When I unroll them they have the perfect cropped length that ends just above my booties, so I don't need to roll. As others have said, the non-rolled bottom is a bit more fresh than the rolled bottom.

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carter

Veteran

I have the dark blue KUTs you ordered. I love them with a medium gray heathered top. I also think they look great with solid black and with solid white. I'm not sure if you do patterned tops, but I love these with a patterned top that has some relateable shade of blue in it. I also have an apple green linen sweater that I'm planning to wear with them.

I think you'll just have to play around with them for a bit. While I think the general public sees this color as a neutral, I do have several colors that, although they certainly match, they just don't play well on me.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Sometimes it's about levels of contrast, too, it occurs to me. Black with dark denim is classic but I don't wear it much anymore because I feel like it's too low contrast for my taste. I'd either choose a lighter wash Jean, or add another piece that gives contrast.

Bonnie

Veteran

I wear them with darker colors like black, olive, charcoal, a dark red, or a dark blue but I'm trying for a column of color so this might not be helpful.

lyn67

Veteran

Greys of all kinds (esp if the grey match the faddings) or BLACK!

shedev

Veteran

I'm off most denim right now. I still do wear an ink pair of jeggings from American Eagle. They mix well with my dark cool colors and grey and black.

JAileen

Veteran

Sterling, I have to laugh about SOs. I was debating about which of two fleece jackets I was trying to pick, and my husband kept saying I had a lot of grey and the blue was more colorful. He was telling me, enough with the grey already! Anyway, I ended up keeping both because I will get a lot of use out of them.

Last winter when we went to Turkey and I wore dark wash bootcuts almost every day. I wore different shades of grey and blue (including charcoal and navy) with them, but sometimes added scarves for a little color (and warmth!) most days. The days I didn't wear a scarf, my silver hair was the only brightness in my outfit.

Keix

Veteran

I think of dark wash denim as navy or ink blue--still a neutral, but it doesn't go with EVERYthing, just most things. I love blues so I have to make sure I don't end up in unintentional monochrome blue! If you can wear ink blue, then wear your new jeans with everything that you'd pair dark blue with. It works especially well in outfits where black might feel a bit too harsh.

Deborah

Veteran

Sterling no need to feel embarrassed! I feel the same. I simply do not wear my blue jeans. I'm almost at the point of embracing the fact and allowing myself to not feel I should like and wear them. I agree they areas neutral but for some reason they just never feel that way to me lol. Good luck and hope they workout for you x

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

No need to feel embarrassed at all. If blue jeans aren't your thing - stick to the other colours.

Personally, I love blue jeans because I'm not into grey and very seldom wear black bottoms. I like white jeans best of all, but blue - especially a faded blue - adds a soft and pretty element to my style. Plus they make my green eyes look blue. There isn't a colour you can't pair with blue jeans.

Gigi

Veteran

I felt like this about chocolate brown for a while. People told me it was a neutral, but I'll be darned if I could make it work. I had to treat it as a color at first; now I am OK with it as a neutral. So definitely treat your dark wash denim as a color for a while until you are comfortable with pairing it with a wider array of colors.

I'm not sure what I would suggest for pairings. I would normally suggest orange, but is that too warm for your coloring? I got a very dark wash denim this year from J Crew and am enjoying wearing it with a blazer that is kind of a subdued mint color. I wonder if that would work, or maybe some kind of dusty rose color? (I'm bad at color pairing, so keep that in mind!)

lyn67

Veteran

And I came back to say, I totally understand your freaks. I do have 1 single pair of blue denim (I do have whites and waxed black). It is also blue/faded and comes out from my closet 1-2 times/year nowadays.
Now, how weird/embarrassing is that one to recon???:-)

Murph11

Veteran

Consider a cobalt blue blouse as Angie shows in combination 2 in the 10/26 blog post. Smashing with a darker jean!

Susie

Veteran

I do tend to think that 'everything' goes with jeans but there are definitely some color combinations that I prefer over others. I love teal but I've found it doesn't always play well with denim so I don't have much of it. My most frequent pairing with jeans is probably black. Since I have a lot of black tops (and shoes), that works for me.

Anonymous

I know what you mean (I think) about feeling that not everything goes with a pair of jeans. I don't throw any old top on over a pair of jeans and assume it's an outfit. The whole thing has to be more considered than that. They need to work together in some way - and CocoLion's words above are how I feel about it too. Note to self to GO BUY A COUPLE OF BELTS!

Aida

Veteran

Another vote to treat it as navy. Eventually it'll either feel like a true neutral or just stay "navy" to you. Both options are fine

While I DO wear all manner of faded blues, I only occasionally wear traditional dark blue washes, and only in "interesting" cuts (my previous pair were elephant wide legs!). I did pick up the Express kick-flares in a very normal looking dark wash, and I will be treating them as navy and NOT as "denim neutral" like I do my usual faded blue washes.

Sal

Veteran

I had about three years of never wearing jeans, after overload as a student and traveller, but then when life changed and I became at home a lot more during the day I have fully embraced them again.

I have blue pairs and one black pair - in the past I have had other colours but no longer.

There are no colours I will not wear with one of my pairs but there are some combinations I prefer.

Jeans to me are the perfect at home daywear - they are tough, wash easily, and don't really show the dirt too much.

Anonymous

Sterling, I know you asked about tops, but I just wanted to shout out that burgundy footwear goes SO WELL with blue jeans. It's a true love match.

I keep *trying* to move away from jeans, but I just think they look too good, and the dirt hiding and durability that Sally mentions are the key reasons why they are my favourite pant. If I spill a little coffee on them, nobody is going to notice.

The mid-blue kind, especially, are far more flattering than black, IMO. I think because they add colour to my mostly grey, black, navy and white wardrobe. I can wear all black and navy and the mid-blue pants keep the outfit from looking too heavy, for me.

I've added black jeans to my wardrobe, and they're ok, but not the same as blue jeans.

Anonymous

Thanks Smittie. I ordered three pair: black, ink, and grey. I think I might end up feeling similar to you about the black pair.

ladyjules

I, too, am an advocate for any kind of colour paired with blue jeans, especially if they're dark blue, but I do prefer to wear them with mustard, camel, browns in general and red/ burgundy. Also I think they look great with black and white, navy and white or navy and red stripes. And other patterns I love with blue jeans are white polka dots on navy and gingham.

Joy

Veteran

black or navy, plaid.

Adelfa

Veteran

I'm another one who loves wearing gray with jeans, from pale silvery gray to charcoal. I also wear black. And blush. I think that's about it

VioletMyra

You did say ink, so, here are the colors I pair with mine - hot pink, rose pink, fuchsia, royal purple, lime green, burgundy (not maroon or claret) any bright medium blues.

I have two navy blazers, a knit and a woven, that I wear when necessary.

Footwear depends on my mood . . . sometimes it's my nude, other times its navy to give a longer line and then - just because I can - I'll wear a hot pink clog shoe because it makes me smile.

HTH and best wishes. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time styling your ink jeans.

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