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You can tell the weather is warming up in my part of the world because I’m posting about clothes. I always get a craving to talk fashion when the season starts to change. I can’t help but daydream about packing away the bulky sweaters and pulling out something sailor-inspired. Right now, I’m craving a pair of white cropped jeans for an outfit like this: 1) St. James boatneck top (made here in Normandy!), 2) waxed cotton jacket in India Yellow, 3) Levi’s® white ankle-length jeans, 4) Seabag tote — they’re made from recycled sailboat sails, and 5) Hasbeen peeptoes.
Do you dare wear white when you have young kids in the house? I know it seems counter-intuitive, but I wear tons of white when the weather warms up. Yes, it’s usually dirty by the end of the day, but I know a little spot remover (or in tough cases, bleach) will make most white options look as good as new.
I’m currently debating between two white jean styles. A cropped, tapered look like these. Or a wider leg look like these — that might feel more sailor-y (what’s with my nautical craving?).
Speaking of tapered versus wide leg, I wore only boot cut jeans until about 4 or 5 years ago when I started wearing exclusively skinny leg cuts. I’m wondering if it’s time to try something new and spice up my jeans a bit. How about you? Are you dedicated to boot cut? wide leg? skinny jeans? Would you wear cropped jeans? ankle length? extra-long? Do you have a particular denim style that you prefer, or do you try everything?
{ 49 comments… read them below or add one }
I wear white all the time! I pretty much live in jeans and my white Gap Favorite Ts. Which drives my poor mother crazy–”I never wore white until you kids were grown!” But I love it. And, yes, there’s something about the nautical look that inspires me, too. The idea of being on a boat with the sun on your face and the water-kissed wind in your hair….
I love the outfit you have pictured here and would wear it in a heartbeat, although I’d probably wear clogs. I started wearing them when my first was a baby (easier to get in and out of when your arms are full of babies and groceries?) I’m saving up for some Danskos. One of Tim’s therapists after his accident wore a gorgeous red pair every day and she said her feet never got tired.
Danskos would be adorable with this outfit!
I have not dared to wear white jeans since wearing white jeans shorts in grade 8 – and bleeding on them because it was that time of the month and I was inexperienced with the whole thing. It scarred me for life, I think!
Minus the yellow jacket — this could be my uniform. (BUT, I love that yellow jacket and am so happy to find out where one can find the perfect canvas!) This is seriously one of my favorite Spring looks (I think I have at least 3 French striped similar shirts) and… I often wonder to myself if the “French at our French school” think at look at my like I am playing “dress up” when I wear this! (I confess… I have a weakness for berets, too!! Do you see any French adults wear berets? Seriously? …. Thank you for sharing! Cute! (need that bag)
PS: HASBEENS are SO comfortable! I have a pair of those and am crazy about them!! I am waiting for an insider tip off for their Spring Warehouse Sale soon. It is seriously, Christmas.
A Hasbeen warehouse sale sounds dreamy!
I know you probably have not seen the latest “30 Rock” – but you managed to put together a perfect look for leap-day! In the last episode Liz got poked and kicked for not wearing blue and yellow on leap-day. Hee hee.
Oh my goodness! I HAVE seen the Leap Day episode (I’m a huge 30 Rock fan!), and didn’t even think about it as I was posting this today. It must be Leap Day Luck!
I love white even more now that I have a little one – I just stick to natural fibers. Anything I can bleach the heck out of it!
I have 2 sea bags, and I love them. I am lucky enough to have several sailboats in my family, and when we retire a sail I send it off to the good people of seabags. they’re such great bags
I haven’t actually seen one in person. So glad to know that you love them!
Love your outfit choice!!!!
White anything is my favorite by far….but I must admit mine is usually stained with red wine:)
I love white. I periodically wonder why I buy it because all the stains I get. But that doesn’t stop me from buying it!
Love white pants! Just got two different pairs on sale…skinny leg, yes, bootcut :/ no.
I LOVE what you matched up with the exception of the heels…I can’t
wobble ’round in those. That bag is adorable.
I think I’m way behind the times because I didn’t think skinny jeans were even in style till a year or so ago. So I’m still stuck in my bootcuts! I still remember grade school when skinny jeans were popular the last time and I think the main difference now is that we have ballet flats so our feet don’t look so huge? Or boots I guess. I just can’t get over how big your feet look with skinny jeans. I do have one pair of wide-leg white pants that I love. But the combo of farm/4 kids keeps me from wearing them much!
I agree! I hadn’t heard of skinny jeans 5 years ago either.
Ditto the feet comment. I’m 5’8″ with size 9 or 9.5 feet–so, big, but not disproportionately so–but in skinny jeans and shoes I just can’t get over how boat-like my feet look. Boots are fine, and heels probably would be too if I wore heels, but flats–no.
The Alt party where we had to wear white certainly inspired me to wear white again! Before that, I had retired white for a long time – mostly due to too much crawling around on the floor with my daughter….
I’ve never owned white pants, but I love more than anything my white cotton shirts. I think I would love wearing white jeans. They are casual enough I wouldn’t worry if I got some dirt on them.
As far as the leg opening, I’m a skinny or trouser jean type of girl. I switched to skinnies a few years ago when I realized that I never had to worry about my pants becoming floods after several washes, because they look great at any length. Trousers are generally longer and come with a wider hem, so I can always alter them if length becomes a problem. Maybe one day I’ll incorporate bootcut jeans back into my wardrobe, but for now I’m content with my two choices.
I feel the same way. I love a few simple white cotton tops to rotate in the summer.
I just can’t deal with skinny jeans…I am super curvy and so that super fitted look is a little, um, conspicuous. A little too Kardashian for my personality. Plus…I get a lot of comments on my posterior. No thank you, strange scruffy man….lol. I like my sleek boot cuts with some cute Skechers and a tank top and fitted jacket for spring. Shades of blue with a bright yellow or orange purse…yummy. The sea bag is fun…it looks like I could stash a kid in it!
I have three white shirts to wear in the summertime. No white pants or jeans. I haven’t worn white jeans in a long time! I have this great linen white shirt with wooden buttons from Banana Republic that I have worn out and found again on ebay. It is just so great and classic.
My uniform has been skinnies. I had one lonely pair of j.crew boot cut jeans that I loved-but they shrunk too short in the wash over the last 2 years, so I just took in the legs to make them skinnies, too!
What I’m looking for now are high waisted jeans. Skinny, boot cut, bellbottom, or whatever–as long as they don’t fall down in the back when I lean over or sit down!
I had a pair of white pants with kiddo #1, I saved them for special days (like dates or church) and they survived pretty well. I’m wearing a mix of straight leg and skinny jeans I love how they fit with winter tall boots.
Agreed. Until skinnies came around, I think I only wore my tall boots with tights and skirts.
Love this outfit! Haven’t dared white in a long time but this is definitely tempting! And that Breton shirt is a keeper!
I will wear anything and everything in white (note: I don’t have children yet but have two “children” that have black fur). I rock boot cut and trouser jeans with anything but tall boots (skinnies are necessary for boots) – I feel like I’m just too curvy for skinny jeans to be flattering.
I hear you. It’s all about knowing what you like on your body. I feel like all the women in the world need to keep repeating the mantra from the jeans ad: It’s not about size, it’s about shape. : )
Thanks for sharing this site with us. I just checked out their website and am adoring their Oslo pants. I also love that you can plug in your body type and it will show you what jeans would be the best fit for you. As for white, I have always been under the impression that white was for skinny mini’s, but maybe I am wrong. I wonder what Tim Gunn would have to say on the matter. Maybe you can rock white pants if you have the right cut. I have always loved the idea of white because it just seems so fresh that is why I love white t-shirts. I can’t even begin to tell you how many of those I have in my closet and boy do I love to mix and match them with a good cardigan in the winter and spring. I think I am going to have to take a drive up to my nearest levi store to see what is available. Man of man, I am just adoring that coat. I wonder if my husband would forgive me for buying another coat. I just boat one the other day. The price tag is still on it, so I just might have to take it back. We will be spending out summer in Europe and having a jacket is always a must because you can never predict what the weather is going to be like in Germany and Swtizerland. It can either be really fantastic or be very cold and rainy.
My sister wore a white jeans yesterday and it looked so good on her, and now I see one on your site. Totally getting a white jeans for the spring.
so chic!
Oh, I miss my white sailor jeans. So cute with a fitted shirt in spring or summer. It doesn’t matter what color is trendy. When I got them 10 years ago, it was yellow. Then blue. Then red. Then green. Then teal. It doesn’t matter. Any bright color looks fresh with white jeans.
Sadly, a few years ago my baby dropped a bottle of red nail polish on the cement floor at the store. (I know, what kind of mother pushed the cart close enough for her to grab a bottle of nail polish???) Several bottles of nail polish remover later, it became evident that the splatter pattern was permanent.
I would buy another pair in a heartbeat. Budget be-darned.
By the way, if you can pull it off, go with the cropped skinnies. Absolutely. (This from a boot cut stalwart.)
Ha! I wore super straight jeans today as a change from my daily uniform of skinnies – mostly because I need to do laundry! Better yet – I got a last minute booking leaving my husband to do the laundry :) I have two pairs of white skinny jeans and I got a pink pair for spring I broke out the first day it hit 50 (that’s fahrenheit) and a neon yellow cropped that I haven’t commited to yet – but yellow is big for spring this year… I do wear both flats and heels with mine, but I have to have an ankle strap! I fall of my shoes too easily and running across the street with a child in your arms in high heels is trecherous enough (and yes most the moms at my children’s school think I’m crazy in my heels – one mom jokes that I’m her idol because I wear them) but at 5′ 3″ I’ll take every inch I can get!
I went shopping for jeans the other day. Ugg, not my favorite thing to do. I went to my favorite store for jeans. The ladies that work at Nordstrom always know where the fashion trends are headed and usually have a good eye for what works on people. While there I talked to the lovely young lady that was helping me and she said that they just can’t keep straight leg in stock, they are getting popular again. I have a similar body type and I’m a short, 5’2. I tried everything on and rather than going back to skinny I went with a straight leg. It was refreshing change. For a dressier look I prefer wide very long trouser cut denim. I think the tailors at Nordstrom always do a fantastic job on hemming my jeans so they look like the original version too.
Best wishes!
I recently went back to boot cut after wearing slim/skinny for quite a while. But I love the look of skinny with ballerinas flats especially in the warmer months and plan to invest in some more. I also like the Gap ‘sexy boyfriend’ design which are a little cropped and nice a slim at the ankle. I love a wide pant too but not for jeans. Decisions decisions!!!
I really am more of a boot-cut gal. However, your question about white . . . Who needs the deterrent of kids when I am spill-prone on my own? ;)
Basically this same outfit arrived for me in the mail yesterday. I like wide leg, and went white sailor inspired trousers from JCrew, their bright yellow pea coat (gorgeous) and a blue & white botanical patterned tunic. I completely loved every single piece on its own & together.
I wouldn’t wear white right now. My two year old is fond of smearing her food covered hands all over me. I was on a skinny jeans kick for a while, but have started to incorporate trouser jeans again.
I love the look of skinny leg jeans,but I just too fat for them to look good. I stick with boot and trouser cut pants to even things out.
Oh, and in ever wear white because my boys are always covered in dirt so I am always covered in dirt.
Because my legs and booty are…um…very sturdy (some might say ample) while my waist is smallish, most straight cut jeans wear like a skinny on my body. So I’d say that, technically, I go for a straight cut, but the look is skinny. I also adore wearing trouser jeans with cute sneakers or with heels to dress up. As for white, I’d go for it if the fit were right; I’m really good at stain removal.
Groovin’ on your post design mom!
Swedish Hasbeens are the best! SO comfortable. I bought these on a trip to Sweden last summer and got another pair in a different color as soon as I came home.
http://www.swedishhasbeens.com/peep-toe-slingback-p-49.html
Ha ha ha – no! With two small kids and two big puppies (and especially in muddy winter/spring seasons), you will not see me in white pants. I can get away with a white shirt or sweater, but even that’s best off if I wear a coat over it for protection until I get to work. Dirty pawprints, sticky hands, runny noses… I’ve got little creatures waiting in line to demolish white pants.
Absolutely adore the outfit, though, especially the jacket and top!
I finally started wearing skinny jeans just so that I could wear more boots–I don’t like how they look on me with flats and I don’t wear heels as a general rule–but I feel more at home in bootcut. Honestly, I haven’t found a pair of skinny jeans yet that stay put instead of riding down as I wear them, making me feel like I have to hitch them up all the time. It might be the spandex content or something–I don’t have that problem with my bootcuts.
le sigh… Will it really be warm enough in Brussels for such a thing?? Cropped white skinnies with my Tory Burch “flatties” (as my 8 year old calls them) seem like a far too distant dream. But perhaps, it will warm up and I can ditch the boots and wool socks at some point!? Ahh.. or maybe if Brussels weather won’t allow, then on a future trip to Italy this spring. Surely it will be the perfect tabula rasa against the vivid Cinque Terre! Thanks for inspiring!
Hello Gabrielle,
I totally agree that the French Marinière classic will definitively be a big trend this spring summer, even in children’s clothing!
All the best!
That’s like my dry spring uniform :) I won’t wear white jeans in NYC when it’s damp – so difficult to get that “special” New York dirt out of anything. I think I’m going to have to add that exact mariniere shirt to my collection of striped tops, and I’d wear some peep-toe Tom’s wedges (can’t do backless on the shoes for whatever reason). Hoping my current white pair fits when Spring actually gets here, but perhaps it’s time for a new cut…
Gabby, you absolutely have to pinkie promise you’ll try a pair of high waist, wide leg jeans in a very dark wash with platform heels.
Pinkie promise.