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Skinny jeans if you have unskinny genes

Posted Sep 19th 2006 at 5:59AM by Sarah J. Gim (Subscribe to Sarah J. Gim's posts)

Filed under: Fashion, Best of the Season

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skinny jeansAll right, you vowed that you'd never go back down into the basement and revive your fashion flops from the era of '80s glam rock, but you can't avoid it now. Skinny jeans are everywhere. Sure, they look great on waifish models, rail-thin celebrities, and skeletal rock stars, but what about us normal, curvaceous people who hear the word "skinny" and fear for our basic nutrition? Can we pull off skinny jeans without looking as if we've stuffed our legs into sausage casings? Better yet, can we actually fit into skinny jeans?!?!

Of course. They're not called "skinny jeans" because they're reserved for skinny people. They're called "skinny jeans" because they're narrow, and in fact, when it's done right, skinny jeans can even have a slimming effect on any silhouette.

skinny jeans in blackFirst, make sure you get the right jeans. The old adage "black is slimming" should be your mantra when looking for skinny jeans. You don't necessarily have to go with black denim, but stay with dark blue washes. Additionally, "skinny" doesn't necessarily mean you are wearing denim leggings. "Skinny" just means that the bottom of the leg isn't flared. Certainly, you can wear jeans that are skin tight, but even slight tapering at the ankle or a very narrow straight leg is considered "skinny." It may seem counter-intuitive, but a lot of lycra and spandex is not a good idea for skinny jeans. Stiffer denim will help to "hold you in," if you know what I mean.

skinny jeans


Now that we've got the right jeans, how to pull together a complete look? The key is a top that has volume to balance the bottom, as well as length to cover your bottom as well. Lucky for us, many shape trends for this fall lend themselves to pairing with skinny jeans: voluminous sleeves, layering, vests, chunky knits, tunic tops and belts.

Big sleeves are big for fall -- think 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' minus the skulls and swords, and you'll have it - dolman sleeves (the kind with armholes that reach to the waist, like a batwing), kimono-style, and sleeves with big puffs at the wrist, like an inverted leg-of-mutton sleeve.

layers for fallLayering during the colder seasons is a no-brainer, but this fall, layers go long, longer and short. It's especially easy to do with vests as the new hotness. Start with a long white shirt, button up a little menwear-inspired vest, then throw on a big slouchy cardigan sweater and belt it. Trenchcoats are also great as the final outer layer.

And if you're still unsure about skinny jeans, scrap jeans altogether and go for regular pants. Wide-leg, menswear inspired trousers are totally fabulous for fall, too.

Tags: cigarette jeans, drainpipe jeans, jeans, skinny jeans, stovepipe jeans

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