A Question For Women Who Wear Skinny Jeans Tucked Into Boots

First, let me tell you that for the most part, I think you all look quite chic. I've resisted the whole skinny jeans trend simply because it's a trend and if I am going to make an effort to look good, I'd rather inhabit the vein of "fashion forward" rather than "of the moment." But seeing so many of you strutting your stuff around town in said ensemble, I'm starting to soften to the whole idea. You look good, and I want to look good. One thing about not working is that you tend to get used to the idea of a flannel shirt and yoga pants as an everyday ensemble. You tend to forget that you're capable of looking good, that you're actually an attractive, perhaps even pretty, individual. That happened to me this weekend in fact.

I had been feeling morally in the dumps for several days. I had been a tad angry with a lot of people and things in my life (all better now, thanks) and I was sick of it. While I have been super-conscious of not spending money due to the whole "lack of a job thing" I decided it would be worth it to splurge on something. So I strapped on a pair of walking shoes and mosied through Adams Morgan, down through the U Street corridor for some retail therapy. My ultimate goal was to end up at Redeem, on 14th Street not far from the Black Cat (or Black Cat, Black Cat). And so I did.

I've always admired the style of the threads at Redeem, although to be honest, I haven't been able to really see myself in any of it. For those of you unfamiliar, they tend to trade in goods that would be most logically worn to a rock show. Lots of edge, challenging silhouettes, and dark colors. While I've wanted to find something there to like in the past, there stuff has always struck me as a little too edgy for my life. But this time I was determined to make it work.

After trying on several tops, I found myself admiring my reflection in the mirror. I was test driving a long tank top with old timey graphics lifted from PT Barnum ads with the saying There is So Much To Be Learned From Studying Beasts, which if you think about it, sort of explains the story of my life. The top hugged my torso and hips, showing off what is gradually morphing into a somewhat hot body thanks to my unemployment diet and recently revived exercise regiment. I felt good. I decided to buy it. The fact that it was on sale further clinched the deal.

That night I was supposed to go out with a girlfriend for a little night on the town. I had even gotten a manicure for the occasion. I was looking forward to my night. Of catching up with my friend, and simply the joy of being out, which I don't do so much anymore. To be honest, I was also looking forward to the prospect of mingling with strangers. Of that nice ego boost you get when a gentleman offers to buy your drink even if you have no intention of paying him back in any significant manner. Maybe even some harmless flirting.

Unfortunately, said friend canceled at the last minute and I was stranded without plans. To be fair, D had invited me for dinner earlier in the night so I knew I had a backup plan. But his invite had been sort of last minute and I had been kind of annoyed that it wasn't extended earlier. It's good to note here that I am a planner. I like to know what my weekend is going to look like days ahead of time and D isn't like that. He's more of a last-minute sort of person. To each his own, I guess. Plus, in my mind, it simply feels good when the person you're hanging out with takes the initiative to demonstrate their desire to spend time with you. It makes one feel wanted. And when one is having a hard time with life, such demonstrations of affection mean even more than they would normally. To put it another way, I wanted some attention.

I called D and informed him of the change in plans. He suggested that I "doll myself up as I would to go out" and come over to his place for dinner. While at first the proposed ritual sounded like a waste of time and energy, it slowly grew on me so I decided to take him up on it. I showered and put on makeup--more than I've been wearing recently but no more than I do when my life is more normal. Then I got dressed. I selected my new top, with jeans, my red boots, a wife beater and a cardigan sweater. I felt much better. Doing a once-over in the mirror I was suddenly reminded of my ability to look not only presentable, but even somewhat hot. I know this sounds hopelessly vain to all of you, but the past few months have done little for my self esteem and I simply haven't been doing much upkeep. I left the house, hopped on the metro and took my happening self down to D's for some Japanese takeout from Daruma.

Upon greeting me at the door, D looked over my ensemble and makeup job and declared that I "have it goin' on" which was exactly the look I was going for. Of course, I knew that I had it going on, but it was nice for somebody else to take notice as well.

All of this is to say that sometimes it's worth it to dig into your savings to splurge on a little gift for yourself when you're feeling blue. And now that I have bought one item of clothing that pushes the boundaries of what I would normally wear, I'm eager to do it again. Which is wear dark, narrow jeans come into play and which brings me back around to my original question: what do you wear your dark narrow jeans with once it's too warm to tuck them into your fancy tall boots? Or is there a similarly iconic piece of clothing you wear on the bottom half of your body as a substitute? I'm not being facetious here, I'm really very curious.

In the comments section, tell me what you do and how you do it.

Comments

[mysterygirl!]

If you buy the dark jeans that are slim but without a completely tapered ankle, I think they are still quite versatile-- you can still wear them with cute flats or bare, strappy heels (heels with more fabric I ditched, because they gave that '80s, "look at my giant neon pumps jutting out beneath my zipper-ankle Jordache jeans" look).

At least that's how I wore them last summer and fall, and I think that it was a successful look for me. Come to the dark side! Once you start tucking the jeans into a chic boot, you won't go back... :)

[suicide_blond]

in warmer temps..switch to a little flat shoe..kinda like a kate moss....or as always... chuck taylors for a more NYC casual look..
xoxo

[Erin]

Two words: ballet flats.

[Marissa]

YES! I love this whole story. And YES! Get your tapered pants on! I've honestly never met a shoe that didn't look better with tight-ass pants. *sigh*

[belmontmedia]

patent leather peeptoe pumps...

[Willa]

I loved reading this. Amazing how one article of clothing can change your outlook on life. See, fashion has depth!

I like to wear my skinnies with flat, strappy sandals.

[jason]

What strikes me about this trend is how quickly it has popped up. Maybe I just notice trends late but it seems like it was just last Fall that I saw someone with her jeans tucked into her Wellies and now it is ubiquitous.

Point being, the fad may be gone as fast as it had arrived.

[EJ]

Yeah, I just don't wear my skinny jeans when it's warm out. Partly because I need the boots to balance them out so they'll look good on my figure, partly because the last thing I need in a DC summer is to feel like I'm wearing denim tights. But the fad is definitely here to stay, so it's worth getting a pair from H&M or similar even if you only wear them 6 months out of the year.

[freewheel]

Sounds perfect for riding a fixed gear.

[Emma]

ballet flats ballet flats ballet flats :) (i wear them with boot cut too, but no where as cute as with skinny jeans). Don't listen to the other commenters and get your cute butt over to payless, they always have some cheap ones.

[Warren O'Leary]

That look of slender, stove-pipe pants/jeans is sensual and sexy for both genders. Hollywood cowboy heroes such as : Zorro, Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Cisco Kid had these masculine style pants and tall riding or cowboy boots with their srirruped pants secured within their boots, that's sleek, sexy, macho styling ! The last forty years since female cross-dressing/transvestism is now the " norm "(?) for them; this tucking in of slender legged pants into boots is never found in male fashions designs ever since; what sexism and anti-male bigotry.