I’m a senior, but I don’t want to give up on cool jeans
You don’t have to give up on current styles, says The Kit’s executive editor. You just need to find a style that is trendy, not try-hard
ASK THE KIT
“I’m 65 and I don’t know what style of jeans I’m supposed to be wearing anymore. Are skinny jeans still cool? What about these new wider legs? I do yoga and I feel young, but I’m always worried about being mutton dressed as lamb.” — Helena, Toronto
Since you’re a yogi, this advice is probably as familiar as overpriced granola: find your centre. If you don’t believe you can stand on your head in a fresh denim silhouette, then you might as well not try.
You don’t mention what kind of jeans you’ve been wearing lately, but my guess is skinny since you are worried about whether they are still “cool.” While super slim jeans will always be timeless alongside an oversized knit or blazer, there is room this season to open your chakras to a new energy: the droves of wider leg options flooding runways and stores.
They aren’t the boot-cut styles from the back of your drawer — rather they are intentionally straight from hip to heel and look best in a solid wash. Think of this cut as a classic high-waisted trouser, reimagined in denim. It looks right with a heel or skimming the top of a fall boot — and especially fresh when paired with a simple sweater, tucked casually. It’s an easy, flattering look that is more Katharine Hepburn than Audrey Hepburn.
But that’s not really what you’re asking about, is it?
Listen, I don’t understand the tiny, shredded denim underpants that everyone under the age of 25 insists on wearing either. They call them shorts, but I know better: If you need a wax before wearing it, it can’t be called outerwear. But let’s release a belly breath here. There are certainly other ways to play around with denim without looking like you just stumbled awkwardly into your 17-year-old niece’s closet. Just remember that, just as you wouldn’t have attempted an eagle pose in your first yoga class, you need to practise your sartorial craft. Head into a change room (I suggest Uniqlo, Anthropologie and J.Crew, although you certainly couldn’t go wrong with your local Levi’s store) with an armload of every wide leg silhouette possible and try, try, try.
Then exhale and ask yourself which feels best on your body. Unlike a $32 Bikram class, this exercise is free.
Sublime and stylish Ashtanga practitioner Julianne Moore is a living-breathing reminder of the necessity to balance any trend against what feels right to you. I chatted with the 57-year-old actor a few years ago and she was resolute about what works for her — she’s even willing to throw down with her pal Tom Ford.
The superstar designer is famously picky and hates her supposedly frumpy Birkenstocks, complaining about them at length — but she wears them anyway despite his protests. “The trick, I suppose, is to find a way to look interesting and stylish as you go about your daily life,” she said. “It’s a tough thing to do.”
But so is standing on your head and you’re committed to working towards that. Moore is also the consummate source to consult when you’re freaked about looking old. “None of us gets out of here alive,” she said plainly. “It’s just a matter of when and how.” So let the fear go.
“It’s an easy, flattering look that is more Katharine Hepburn than Audrey Hepburn.”