Gentlemen do not always wear suits, and denim is great for a sophisticated, smart, casual look.
Denim, jeans; how does a gentleman wear them? Can a gentleman wear them? Of course. Every man should have denim in their wardrobe. Denim is great for hiking and camping, sure. But, it is also great for visiting friends and family or dining out. Here are some great rules on dressing your denim up.
First, lets talk socks and shoes. While one may wear sneakers with jeans, to dress them up is a simple matter of wearing less casual shoes. With the right shirt and/or jacket, wing tipped shoes or the right loafers can dress jeans up nicely. While we are on the topic, one should be sure his belt still matches his shoes as he would with his suit.
As with the shoes, the same is true for the socks. Throw out the tube socks and pick something up with some color! With dress pants, one matches the color of the pants to the socks. However, it would be silly to wear nothing but blue socks with one’s blue jeans. Match the socks to the tie, if wearing one, or the shirt. If wearing a white shirt and no tie, throw on a blazer and match the pocket square to the socks. This will add some color and contrast to your attire. Just remember the rule of three – a gentleman shouldn’t use more than three colors in his attire.
Lets talk now of the jeans themselves. Dark blue, grey, and black are all standard. Light colors, such as stone wash, faded or white jeans should be avoided – or saved for very casual dress. One may acquire red, green, of other colors of denim; yet these should be saved for casual or evening attire.
Be sure the jeans fit correctly. Too tight looks odd, and too baggy looks ridiculous. Teen boys may wear such attire for “swag” but a man grows out of such and long instead for style. The crotch should not be too low, the legs should not be too high. With dark jeans, acquiring jeans an inch or so longer than needed can look very sharp with the pant legs rolled up.
Some have asked, “what about ripped jeans?” The question, is very valid and the answer depends on where one is wearing them. This is one of those time when you learn the rules to break them properly. Natural stress on denim always looks better than faked rips and tears. The smaller the stress, the more dapper they appear. That said, a small stress rip can look very good if one is dressing for a night on the town.
Lastly, lets talk about the top half of the gentleman’s attire. Any shirt can go with a good pair of jeans. The question becomes, how formal or casual is one trying to dress? Personally, I skip polo shirts with jeans, and either dress down with a nice tee shirt, or dress it up with a button up shirt. A tee shirt looks great with a blazer and a dress shirt is very versatile, as one can add a tie, vest and/or blazer to take your look to the next level.
The nice thing about denim is that about any jacket will look good with it. It may very well be the only time one can get away with a white blazer. Throw on a leather or military jacket and the dress shirt and tie still look great, but just a tad less formal.
The bottom line here is that denim jeans may well be the most versatile item in a man’s wardrobe. There is no reason for the modern gentleman to pass on owning a pair.
Final thoughts:
Though it is clear that denim can be that fine line between casual and sharply dressed, a gentleman is considerate of the company he will be with in his attire. Always keep this in mind before wearing denim. For example, one would not wear jeans and a shirt and tie to a graduation, church function, or job interview. Even if it were acceptable to do so, the gentleman always dresses up a step to stand out from the crowd. That step up isn’t to boast or belittle others, but rather as a reminder to himself of the high standards the gentleman adheres to.