Ladies it seems that we all feel similar. Context is important and we agree in general that weddings and funerals are usually not jeans appropriate occasions.

Texstyle reminded me that my husband wore jeans at our wedding (the horror lol) but he also wore a button down shirt and jacket and nice lace up shoes. He wears jeans every day and is not comfortable in anything else. He looked really smart.

I like to think that we are all intelligent enough to be able to assess what's appropriate for any given situation.

And like Suz, as much as I love dressing up, how appropriate is it for me when working from home to wear say a suit as I move between sitting at my desk, loading the dishwasher, emailing, putting on the washing, making phone calls etc?!

Gaylene, I appreciate your point, and given my normal default is dressy and jeans are new to me, I find that I am actually more creative and thoughtful when styling my jeans but I don't disagree with you.

And as many have commented, many jeans outfits are so much smarter than other choices of pants!

Great discussion here, I've really enjoyed reading all the comments. I loved shiny's story about her jeans. Some people will always look more stylish & appropriate in jeans than others will in so called appropriate clothing.

Echo, there are still many a bar or nightclub that have dress codes

Great discussion, and I just wanted to correct an impression I may have unintentionally left...I don't actually feel out of place when I don't wear jeans. I DO sometimes get comments from people ("You're dressed up!" or "Going somewhere?" or sometimes "You look nice!") but quite honestly, they make those comments when I AM wearing jeans, too....because I'm also usually wearing a jacket, a scarf, or some other accessory.

And I don't at all mind people's comments; I have a very thick skin for that kind of thing and have no problem challenging the environmental norm. The only time I worry about challenging the norm is if I think it might wound someone or offend them. If someone would be horribly intimidated by my dressing formally, then I will try to soften the formality; contrariwise, if someone would be offended by my appearing too casual, then I will pull out all the stops!

My default is probably smart casual which sometimes involves jeans and sometimes does not, but jeans are simply the most practical work-at-home wear I have thus far found.

cciele: I imagine this is partially locational. I live in WI, and there is almost nowhere in this state that doesn't allow jeans. There may be one or two places in Milwaukee (or there may not - I am not that familiar with the city), but I can think of nowhere else in the state. There used to be, but they have since changed policies. But I am glad to hear that the policy remains in some other places!

Suz, I didn't think that's what you were saying:)

I think you make a really good point in terms of considering others and showing respect. If I were speaking to a group of seniors, I would NEVER wear jeans, no matter how smart I might dress them up. But I would happily wear jeans and a jacket to work on an office day. For me, I see how I dress as not only a reflection of who I am but also a reflection of what I think of the people I am with. Does that make sense?

In Melbourne I ran a community meals program for the disadvantaged. I was on site most days interacting with our diners and I never dressed "down". I certainly didn't dress OTT either but I figured if I dress nicely to meet friends for a meal why wouldn't I do the same when sharing a meal with members of my community (my neighbors). Our diners responded very positively to me and I like to think that this was one of many things that contributed to making our guests feel valued, cared for and appreciated, and yes sometimes I wore jeans:)

Deborah, you are such a lady and so gracious I am sure you could wear anything from a paper bag to a ball gown and you would still be able to put the people around you at ease!

And I agree, dressing well can also be a sign of respect even if the people you're with can't afford the same luxury. It just depends on the context.

I do think it may be true that in some communities jeans have become so ubiquitous that they have crowded out all other ways of dressing -- and that is an awful shame, and one it may be up to the ladies of the YLF guard to challenge!

I also think it's ridiculous when a "no-jeans" policy results in people wearing much less appropriate and flattering attire.

And I also think that once I get back from my trip in China (where I don't plan to wear jeans very often!) I will institute a "no jeans" day or two a week at my little home office. Just to ensure that my lovely skirts get enough wear.

This is such an interesting thread. I wanted to respond to Gaylene's comment about older women and jeans. I think she probably means baggy jeans and a knit tee or sweat shirt and that is a very common sight. Older women like me may prefer jeans over other trousers because they are actually more flattering on flat bottoms and the right pair can shape and smooth the jiggly midriff bits. I also feel at my most creative with jeans. It's too easy to pair ...say a pair of grey trousers with a floral top with grey and get the matchy Garanimal look. I'd also rather see an older woman in jeans than in sweat pants. I saw a lady may age in a sweat suit today at an annual educators' meeting where most were in skirts or trousers with some jeans and dressy tops.
We do have to be careful picking jeans and what to wear with them. Older women need to adopt a version of the MOTG formulas.

The one context where people do not wear jeans here is to synagogue. Most of the time, most women will wear skirts or dresses, but even during the high holiday season (which is a long marathon of important holidays that only ends Tuesday), when some people go to synagogue who normally don't, you won't see many jeans. Flowy pants, harem pants, yes, lots, but not jeans. These holidays involve a lot of hosting and guesting, and this is when I wear my dresses and skirts, but that is also for fun since I like showing our close friends and family my kooky outfits.

What a great conversation! Until I moved to Seattle in 1997, I think I owned one pair of jeans. The dress code in DC was always nice, whether at work or around town. In Seattle, the dress code is extremely laid back and the norm is jeans, shorts and even (horrors) sandals with socks! And don't forget the fleece.

After 11 years at home with my kids, I am hoping to get myself out of jeans and into dresses, skirts, nice pants but I am not really sure what is driving this desire. I wonder if I want to go back to my working days when I was dressed nicely all the time and how I felt about myself or I am just looking for a change from jeans every day.

I agree with everyone that jeans are inappropriate in certain situations, such as weddings, funerals, opera, symphony, plays but someone will always show up at these occasions in jeans. I feel that I am a role model for my kids and how I dress shows how I feel about myself. Dressing well, which includes jeans, is an element of self respect and what image you want to present of yourself to the world.

Jeans have become ubiquitous with their many incarnations, skinny, trouser, bootcut, colored, patterned and are a staple in most women's wardrobe. Jeans are a component of a stylish outfit along with blazers, scarves, tops, etc.

I am late here, just wanted to point out that a premium jeans are sometimes more expensive than a cheapo formal dress...and this will show and make all the difference! So better not generalising! I have seen plenty of elite crowd so so welldressed in their premium jeans, for all kind of events, including weddings and funerals. It all depends on the person's general style and their's look achieved after styling their outfit alltogether.

Never too late Lyn:). Good point and you are right you can often tell a good pair of jeans. I don't know why but I can always pick a quality pair of jeans on a guy but not always on a woman...

The "no jeans" policy reminds me of one of my old jobs. I've forgotten the specifics of the rules now, but I know they banned jeans, bare legs, and open-toed shoes of any kind. And this was just an office where we were on the phone all day and never spoke to a customer in person, so it's not like there were safety reasons for these choices. The upshot was that I could not wear a nice lightweight sheath with appropriate cardigan and sandals in hot weather, but my rather slovenly colleague could wear a badly outdated and too-small chambray prarie skirt, a threadbare sweatshirt with teddy bears printed on it, ankle socks, and athletic shoes. I could never really understand that.

I finally broke down and started wearing nice jeans (some are dark blue, but I also have other colors such as dark brown and medium gray) with boots to work. BUT I work in a casual ag. office that is not on campus. If I were on campus, I would not feel at ease wearing jeans to the office--not even dressy ones--because no one else does. I do make sure to upgrade my outfit by making sure to wear 3 layers--pants, top, and jacket or vest--with quality shoes and jewelry.

I've been to a wedding, a funeral, AND the symphony within the past 12 months and saw bluejeans at all three. Doesn't bother me, I'm happy the people came out for each event.

If I could possibly help it, I would never wear jeans to a wedding, funeral or symphony. That said, I do appreciate the fact that people show up, and do not have a problem with what others do or do not wear. When my father died, I had to wear pants to his funeral when I would much rather have worn a dress. This is because when I flew in from another state to visit him, he died the night before I planned to visit him. Since I had not packed with the idea that he was going to die, I did not have a dress to wear. Fortunately, I had a pair of black dress pants and a black pullover sweater. At least I didn't have to wear jeans. As awkward as I felt wearing pants to a funeral when most of the other women were wearing dresses, it was good to know that others at the church were not judging me.

This is a fascinating conversation.I loved to read all the answers.
I am in the crowd that works from home and takes kids to school and probably a repeated offender when it comes to wearing jeans 7 days a week even if in different colors and fits. It seems like there are weeks when everyday I wear some denim item and it is frustrating.
But still I am more , like many of you, in the dressier end of the scale compared to the people who move around me in every day life.

Jeans get a bad reputation(maybe because of their humble beginnings) but what you wear with them also has a great influence in perceiving outfits as too casual or not.

Wow, lots of great discussion here. A lot of what I would have contributed has already been said.

I have not been a regular churchgoer since, oh, childhood, but I've gone enough (to a variety of types of worship) to actually be a little disappointed at how casual many of those environmenst have become. Ad I don't just mean jeans, I mean sloppy jeans, shorts, etc. It just seems a little at odds for the respect it seems a place of worship would require, if one is so compelled to attend.

I would never wear jeans to a wedding, funeral, etc., unless there were some really unusual circumstance (under request by the couple, etc). I wear jeans almost every day, so I welcome the chance to dress us a bit when the occasion warrants.

That said, few things make me feel as fab and empowered as jeans and a great pair of boots. There *is* something about a good pair of jeans that I find more flattering on my body than trousers or skirts (to Joy's point above), and even though I wear jeans a lot, I style them in ways that mean I'm often one of the most dressed-up people at any given event.

So that writer will pry my jeans off my cold dead body, and in the meantime, if she doesn't like my look, she can feel free to look away.