Two Column Firsts: My Initial Ask an Expert Series with Jane on Jeans on Buying Denim + a Paid Subscriber Perk--The Shoe to Anchor My Carven Color Obsession....
My subtle nudge to say you get what you pay for (insert smiley emoji here)
It feels good to be back after a media break during my trip to California. I will share details of it later, though a bit about packing and the clothes I actually wore below. And a side note considering the state of the world: Please be kind to one another. Hug people. Tell people you love them. Listen to one another. Share your humanity with others.
Ok. With that said, I am excited because I have two firsts in this column. I try to be very upfront in this space, and if you’ve been following me, I began this newsletter because I was tired of the affiliate payment business model; I want to share what I’m actually interested in here, not what some company pays me to promote. But, I did kind of start this on a whim, with no business plan or agenda. I knew that at some point, I wanted to include the voices of other women whom I admire. Hence, TFI’s first Ask an Expert series with Jane Herman of her Substack, Jane on Jeans and her line The Only Jane. Jane was a Vogue editor, which is how we originally connected, and she has long been a jean expert. She was nice enough to include me in her column on Tuesday (see it here), but I knew I wanted to hear from her on this newsletter, so….her Five Jean Lover’s Rules are below. I actually learned a lot from it; apparently I’ve been washing my jeans the wrong way for decades. For the second column first (got that?), I knew that if you are a paid subscriber, you would like a little something extra on occasion. You deserve it. Hopefully this first perk will appeal to you. (If you aren’t a paid subscriber, you will hit a paywall before the perk. I do think that over the course of a year, your $5 a month subscription fee will pay off. Just saying.)
So without further ado…
The Jean-Lover’s Rules for Living in Denim by Jane Herman
I’ve spent years designing, selling, and writing about jeans. Here’s what I’ve learned about denim in my days…
1. Do Not Dry
When washing your jeans, always air dry. Even your super stretchy, pre-shrunk jeans will be better off for it (heat from the dryer can compromise the elastane in stretch jeans). If you don’t like how stiff your jeans feel after they’ve air dried, toss them in the dryer (cold air) with ½ a dryer sheet (I like Bounce) for 10 minutes. Some dryers have a quick Steam Cycle that does the trick, too.
2. Grade Rules
The difference in measurements between jean sizes is called grading. Most points on jeans – rise, inseam, leg circumference – grade ¼” for every size. Back pockets are the exception – they grade up or down every 2-3 sizes. Online jean sellers should list both the size and the rise since this measurement varies per size. (Reformation, which stepped up in denim recently is good at listing size + rise.) The point is: When thinking about going up or down a size, keep in mind you’re making ¼” adjustments all around. It’s so minor. But also major.
3. Belt Basics
When wearing jeans with a belt, the waistband and the belt width should be proportional and almost identical. In some cases, when the belt loops are longer, the belt can be wider than the waistband. But never much thinner. My dad, who worked in fashion for nearly 50 years, would say: “There’s no point in wearing a pair of jeans with a skinny belt.” I will occasionally make an exception for white jeans, when they’re polished and feel more like trousers. But generally, I think dad is right.
4. Check the Return Policy.
Eric Shrader, who owns the vintage emporium Junkyard Jeans in Boise, Idaho, once told me to only buy vintage jeans from sites and sellers that accept returns. Great advice. Vintage jeans – Levi’s, especially – are inconsistently sized. Washes photograph weirdly, sometimes. It’s too hard to know if a pair will fit without trying them on. (Imagine if an online seller had a No Returns policy for brand new full-price jeans? It would never fly.) Plus, the internet is full of fakes – and sellers who don’t even know a fake when they’re selling it, frankly. I once bought a pair on Etsy that looked great in pics, and very suspicious in real life (Eric agreed). Maybe it’s no surprise the seller wouldn’t take them back. If it can happen to me…
5. They’re Your Jeans
It may sound cliché, but the best jeans are the ones that make you feel good. It doesn’t matter what everyone else is wearing. If you love stretch jeans, wear stretch jeans. You like what’s trending? Buy it. You’re still into skinnies, that’s OK! The best jeans are comfortable – emotionally, too. Lucky us, there are so many styles and fits to choose from right now.
Ok, that was fun, right? More to come. Then….
My Travel Takeaways
I packed too many clothes, even though I wore most of them, because I spent several mornings hiking in exercise clothes.
I wore my Frances de Lourdes Zoe shirt the most—on the flight, in the evening over my Mia dress, with my leather pants (more below) etc.
Mixing shades of off-white and beige for casual “weekend” wear is a nice break from my typical color combos, and this Uniqlo waffle knit is so comfy (wrote about it before pre-Sub), but somehow feels elevated enough to wear a lot (I like it so much, I bought 2). Wearing it below with Nili Lotan jeans and Anine Bing Quinn blazer (I took the shoulder pads out).
The unexpected item I wore at night 3 times, an old pair of Nili Lotan leather pants that I paired an old navy silk tee and either my FDL Zoe shirt or my Another Tomorrow black blazer. Navy and black are a good idea, always. The pants are cropped so they aren’t great with boots, but are good with a slide or mule or my black faux croc Birks. I haven’t worn leather pants in a while, but they definitely take your casual-evening-out-look up a notch. These Golden Goose are very similar in style, but I also like these Toteme, and these vegan Wolford pair. I didn’t take a lot of photos of my outfits on the trip.
The Shoe to Anchor My Carven Colors
I still have the S/S 24 Carven show on my mind and the soft color combinations and the mix of hard and soft materials, and there is no time like the present to start incorporating them into my wardrobe. I feel like my trench coats, a grey blazer, my grey Khaite sweater that I’m wearing a lot, and my The Row off-white bourse bag are a good start, but shoes really change it all up, and I’m not a fan of the square toe styles that were on the runway.
I have found the perfect option. Ok, actually two options. These Jackie flat slingbacks from AERA in nude patent, and the Silvana slingbacks with a kitten heel in green.
The shoes are made by my friend, Tina Bhojwani, who launched her company of vegan luxury shoes after being President North America of Dolce & Gabbana. The shoes have quilted soles, which honestly threw me off at first, but now I get it….visually I’m into the softness of the quilting (and my feet appreciate it too).
They are giving me Carven and Prada vibes….like these image Suzanne Koller recently shot for T Magazine on a feature of Miuccia below. Thing is….I dislike logos. Immensely. I much prefer the AERA shoes. My biggest problem? Which pair? The nude are more classic, the green a little off which is super appealing, too. Sizing note: I take a whole size up in the Jackie, and half a size up in the Silvana.
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