November 2005. Fashionably tight jeans are everywhere but are they the right jeans for you?

Fashionably tight jeans are not necessarily the right jeans for you. This month your questions around jeans are coming in thick and fast. Tight jeans or skinny jeans are everywhere, but are they just for thin legs? And what if you don’t’ want tight jeans, is there anything else out there? All in good time my stylish lovelies, let’s deal with the biggest question of them all...

Question:
How do I wear tight jeans well?

Tight jeans or Skinny jeans are this season’s ‘on trend’ look, partly because Kate Moss who looks stylish in everything, has chosen them for her daytime uniform and bless her; she’s had an awful lot of press recently. I’ve also had loads of questions from those of you who are wondering whether tight jeans look OK on curvy thighs too. So let’s get started.

Pay as little as possible for your tight jeans. My advice is always the same when it comes to extreme trends, because we tire of looks that are noticeably different, much more quickly than a gentle classic. Next season you may not be so comfortable in jeans that are the eighties equivalent of the black footless tights.

The skinny jean looks best with flat pumps or knee high boots. High heels start to look like you are ‘trying too hard.’ Slender women can pursue the streamlined boyish profile or give it a spin with a classic polo neck or the beatnik black and white jumper. And before you go thinking it’s a trend only for thin women, consider your own shape because if you have a bit of flesh on your thighs, I’d hazard a guess that as long as you are in proportion, you’ll look better in them than you think. To pull off the look, women with curvy thighs should add flowing or draped clothes on the top half of the body and knee high sexy boots over the jeans to create balance.

Caryn says ‘A knee-high boot over your jeans will elongate your legs. To know more about working with your body shape, down load an e-book individually written by me for your specific body type.’
Click here

Ichi Dark Skinny Jean sizes 26” – 32” Length 32” £40 Asos.

ASOS

Question:
I’m not a jeans fan, where can I find a sexy casual trouser?

There are plenty of fashion editors proclaiming the death of the bootleg this season (such a classic and flattering cut will be back in their magazines next season) but at How to Look Good we don’t’ talk in riddles. If a garment is flattering we won’t be pronouncing it ‘in’ or ‘out,’ it should always have a place in your wardrobe.

For a sexy fit you cannot beat the bootleg, which looks fantastic on curvaceous and slender frames alike. The key is to wear it in a fabric that gives off a laid back easy glamour. Then accessorise with mismatched colours and textures to give a low-key feel. There are still a huge variety of pointed flats and boots, which always look better with bootlegs and this style by Boden is one you’ll have in your wardrobe for many seasons, long after the skinny fit or tight jean has lost it’s appeal.

Caryn says, ‘this is a great shape for young and older figures alike as it is cut to flatter the body and elongate the legs. To know more about working with your body shape, down load an e-book individually written by me for your specific body type.’
Click here

Cotton stretch bootlegs in sizes 8-20 in regular and longer lengths available in black, chocolate, fatigue and navy £59.00 Boden.

Question:
I’m sick of tight jeans and skinny jeans. I want something more casual but don’t know where to look.

Jeans were originally invented as a vital part of a labourers clothing and now that the catwalk has glammed them up, it’s hard to imagine how the loose fit; casual style can work for you. But it will, by giving you the effortless chic that comes with wearing sloppy t-shirts and loose knits.

Perfect over the brown boots you already have in your wardrobe, and under the floral smock tops you’ve been wearing to death, wear these denims long and loose and revel in the fact that not all denim jeans need to ‘over sell you from the rear’ in order to make an impact.

Caryn says Loose and baggy clothes can make a larger body look smaller. However a slender frame should take care not to look swamped. To know more about working with your body shape, down load an e-book individually written by me for your specific body type.
Click here

Toast Carpenter dark denim jeans inside leg 31” or 33” sizes 8-18 £89. www.toastbypost.co.uk

Question:
Where can I find some good-looking maternity jeans?

There are some great denim brands that now offer maternity fits like Earl Jeans as well as some great high street labels like Next and Dorothy Perkins. (All these sites are listed in our virtual shopping mall). Jeans will be one of your best maternity buys and will not only see you through your pregnancy but out the other side while your body slowly adapts to its former shape. (Because you sensibly know that a ‘Yummy Mummy Tummy’ is best left to celebrities desperate to hit the red carpet a week after giving birth)!

Look our for jeans that prioritise a sleek line around the front of the body with fake or no front pockets (they are unusable after five months anyway).

Caryn says Help yourself to our free e-book written by me and sponsored by Next on how to look good during your pregnancy available from the home page

Net-a-Porter Blossom Charles Stretch Jeans with elasticised panels on the side, fake pockets at front and real pockets on the back. £155.

Net-a-Porter

Question:
Am I too old for jeans?

No woman is too old for jeans, let me tell you why. It’s all in the cut and finish or course, but denim is a wonderful fabric for smoothing thighs, bottoms and tummies. In fact the fabric can act as a wonderful girdle around your lower tummy. I’ll go further and say, wearing jeans at sixty plus is to be positively recommended because it will effortlessly instil your frame with a youthful verve.

How you style your jeans will be the key to carrying off jeans successfully. Always add a belt to the belt loops so that there is a finished look to your jeans. If you are slender a classic shirt will look sensational and if you are curvy a flowing wrap cardigan like this one pictured also by Next is the perfect accompaniment because it can be pinned loosely over your tummy to give excellent camouflage.

Stick to these six points when selecting your jeans.

1. Jeans that are dark all over rather than pale or heavily faded will be more flattering for you.

2. Jeans that have stitched finishes to give a more structured look will work best.

3. Consider jeans that have just a small amount of Lycra in the mix for comfort but not too much Lycra, which means they tend to look shapeless

4. Bootleg is the most classic cut and will always flatter your legs.

5. Leave the more extreme styles that come off the catwalk each season to the youngsters.

6. Add a classic boot with a small heel for maximum impact.

Caryn says To know more about working with your body shape, down load an e-book individually written by me for your specific body type.’
Click here

Next Heavy Stitch Jeans 99% 1% elastane petite sizes 6-16. Regular sizes 6-20 as well as long and extra long lengths. £24.99

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