I like to take my fashion cures from The Runways and from high end fashion magazines as I prefer to be dressed up-I like to wear suits (really a jacket and skirt or pant that works well together, I rarely wear an actual suit). As I say I am really not a jeans/T-shirt wearer which is what see in the streets most often and to me is unfortunate. Occasionally, though, I see a style in the streets that I must adopt and in the same way I take runway styles and make them work for me, I do that with the street styles too.
My husband and I were in Barcelona 2 years ago and saw all the cute girls wearing jeans inside flat boots. Then in Paris the last 2 times we've been there-same thing. And while I've seen the look in NY over the past few years it seems to have exploded this fall. And I have desperately wanted to join the fun. Here are the 2 issues I have with the look one much more easily solved than the other. The first, the easy issue, is the women I see wearing jeans in boots in NY tend to wear their very narrow straight jeans with short tops or jackets which to me is REALLY unattractive. The jeans round over women's hips in a very unflattering way causing unappealing bulges which are then accentuated by the short top hitting them just at the waist. I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would want to leave the house looking like that-I certainly wouldn't!! Enter the boy friend jacket.
I have several long jackets that cover up the unsightly bulging of hips and I wear a fitted but long top underneath, also helping to camouflage what I don't want seen. I believe it also gives a prettier line to the look-line where short top meets jean waistband the line of jean in boot is choppy looking and inelegant. And DO NOT get me started on the colors these women choose!?!?!?!? While typing this on Friday, I was walking behind a woman wearing a short red sweater under a waist-length black Member's Only jacket, shorter than the sweater, with blue and white tie-dye jeans (?!?!?!?!) tucked into tobacco colored pirate boots (ok, the boots were really cute and her bag matched her boots so I guess she gets 1 point). Can someone tell me how she looked in the mirror and thought, "wow, I look good today!!"??
Choosing a longer shirt and jacket really elongates the line even with the boots cutting off you leg in the middle so creates a more elegant look.
Problem no 2 and the much more difficult one to solve was finding boots that closed over my calf at all let alone with the extra weight of the denim tucked inside. Since I tell you good my cooking is all the time can I also tell you that I happen to have good legs?? But it's the larger rounded calf muscles that give them their shapeliness-this is terrific in skirts and heels but next to impossible when trying to buy boots. I have to buy cheap boots as the expensive ones have never closed on me-even with my brilliant husband stretching them on the boot stretcher for me. Sigh...and worse than buying inexpensive boots is the way they fit. If naturally or with the use of technology I can get them to fit my calf then the part over my ankle is too big and looks bunchy not sleek. I am always looking for sleek! About a year ago my brilliant friend at work told me about J Crew carrying extended calf boots and let me tell you this is a magnificent option!!! I bought a pair and they zipped right up without any stretching needed-with the jeans inside!!!!!! So happy!!!! So far the shoe part of the boot isn't so comfortable-they feel a bit stiff, which is why I prefer to buy expensive shoes, the leather is so buttery. But I am ignoring that part since I have my jeans inside them-have I mention just how happy I am????
Early on Friday morning I had the incredible privilege of attending an Yves Saint Laurent sample sale. I tried on several beautiful pieces and chose one glam sheath in a heavy old fashion turquoise silk with a gathers down the front. In order to try on all the dresses I had to take off my jeans and boots but when I put them back on again I was able to zip up the boots easily! No fighting with the leather or the jeans. Have I mentioned how thrilled I am with the boot situation and the dress?
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