How to wear coloured jeans

My one hot tip for updating your wardrobe this year is to buy a pair of coloured jeans.

They are to your new-season wardrobe like a new lip colour is to your makeup bag. With one easy purchase you have instantly added a little zing to your look. And that will make you feel all zingy too. Zingy is good.

I’m going to do the red denim look … just like Miranda Kerr … only very different. Photo: denimblog.com

The extra zingy news is that there are coloured jeans out there for EVERY jean budget.

From $19 at Emerson for Big W through to chain stores like Dotti and Country Road and designer labels such as Not Your Daughters’s Jeans, Mavi and J Brand. There is a colour to illuminate your winter wardrobe.

In a good way.

If you’re game.

And really, you should be.

Now, if you’re shivering in your fashion boots right now and remembering back to those pastel lemon jeans you saved up for and bought from Just Jeans in 1982, then never fear, I’m doing enough shivering for both of us. What goes around, comes around and I, for one, am determined to do better with this trend this time round.

Before we begin on this path to coloured jean glory, you are going to have to refresh yourself with my rules of jeggings post. Not because coloured jeans are necessarily jeggings, more because coloured jeans are mostly styled in a skinny leg style.

Work your way through these steps on how to wear coloured jeans and you won’t want to wear anything else!

How you approach wearing a skinny leg style will depend on one of several things:

1. You’re down with skinny, it’s the only style of jean you ever wear … good on you. You’re already very cool about wearing just about anything with your skinnys.

2. You have skinny leg styles in your wardrobe but you wear them so that the bits around the belly cannot be seen … ummm, yes, that would be me.

3. You’re never going to be caught dead wearing a skinny leg style … repeat after me: I think, I can; I think, I can.

The think-I-cans need to come on over and join me at number 2. Think of your coloured jeans more like coloured tights – but with a tough attitude – and style them accordingly. And always add a jacket or cardi to layer and create shape. If you really don’t want to go there, Big W’s Avella range (size 18-26) has a bootleg style in a number of seasonal colours.

What colour you choose will come down to your personality:

1. Like to put yourself out there? Go for bright red, cobalt blue, hot pink or emerald green.

2. Like your look on the more feminine side? Pretty pastels are your friend.

3. Want to just dip your big toe (or leg) into this trend? Go for a an aubergine or mallard green.

Or, why not have a pair in all three colour intensities? Yes, why not?

Colours to wear with your coloured jeans:

1. The more adventurous can certainly try their hand at a bit of autumn colour blocking. Think mustard yellow and hot pink; turquoise and vibrant red. But even in this look, I would bring the outfit back to earth with a neutral accessory or two.

2. For most of us, white or tan neutrals (and I include animal print here) are our coloured jeans friend. Let the coloured jeans BE the statement.

3. Black also has impact when worn with coloured jeans in winter – this is a tougher look that the white or tan neutrals but is pretty damn striking. Add in grey marle to tone it down.

If the coloured jean look is a new one for you then stick to no.2 and 3. It will be easier for you to pull off without wondering if you are auditioning for Playschool or a Howard stunt double in The Big Bang Theory.

Shoes to wear with coloured jeans?

1. Ballet flats

2. Loafers (this season’s hottest flat shoe look)

3. Ankle boots

4. Platform heels – closed in our sandal style – for dressing up

Definitely work back with loafers or ballet flats for super casual – my pick would be a nude or black pair depending on your jean hue of choice. Why not add leopard print for a little surprise?

If you’re looking for more coloured jeans style inspiration, head on over to my coloured jeans board on Pinterest. I’ll be adding more styles to this board as I find them.

Outfit posts featuring coloured jeans

• The birthday lunch outfit
• Fashion Week Day 4
• Fashion Week Day 3
• The 60th birthday outfit
• The speaking outfit

UPDATE: Head on over to check out this post about how to wear coloured jeans for spring-summer. And this post includes a gallery showing coloured jeans worn by everyday Styling You readers.