Jeans look great on many women, no matter what your age is. But in order to look stylish in them over 40 you should choose your jeans with a little more thought. Here are some general guidelines to follow for wearing jeans after 40.
- Opt for a dark solid color. This looks dressy and has the added advantage of making you look slimmer.
- Heavily stone washed or bleached jeans often don’t look so good on older women.
- It’s also best to avoid ripped jeans.
- You can also opt for another even color, like grey or black. Just make sure the color is solid.
- Make sure that the jeans don’t cut into your stomach area. Muffin tops over jeans are not flattering!
- Do not show your stomach. Either tuck in your tops or wear tops big enough so they cover your stomach area.
- You shouldn’t have this problem if your covered up your stomach / back area properly, but just to make sure: don’t show your g-string!
- Flared jeans or wide legged jeans look great on many older women. It’s nice to wear high heels under them and ensure that the jeans have good length and almost touch the ground. This will really give you length to your legs.
- Skinny jeans or legging jeans will look great with tunics and longer tops.
- Jeans will already make you look younger so go easy on the rest of your outfit and your accessories. Best to keep it reasonably simple and classy.
- Cropped jeans can look good too if you have a decent length. These usually look best when tapered and are best worn with heels.
- As mentioned before, it’s best to dress up your look a bit while wearing jeans, so dressing in denim from head to toe is not recommended.
- Avoid really low rise cuts. Best to choose models with medium rise fitting. No mummy jeans please, as those look unflattering and will age you.
- I like comfort so I usually opt for jeans with some stretch. They usually also fit better.
- Avoid baggy jeans.
- Ensure that the jeans fit you well, and don’t go for jeans that are too tight.
- Don’t overdo the embellishments on jeans (or avoid them altogether).
As always these rules are not always meant to be followed and as any stylish woman will know, you should on occasion bend and break the guidelines! I recently featured Jeannie on my links with style in her ripped jeans, looking very stylish indeed.
Here are a few examples of some good jeans that you can buy online right now
- This stretch high rise flare is a dark wash, with a higher front and back rise, and a gorgeous flare that starts after your knee. With signature buttons and rivets, and R logo embroidery on right back pocket.
- The Legacy rich rinse legacy legging is super stretchy in a deep dark indigo. Legacy jeans legging has faux front pockets, so no pocket bag bulges. It is accentuated by a silver and black Rich and Skinny button and rivets.
- Midi straight leg jean is a mid-rise straight leg jean in the darkest indigo stretch denim. Great basic 5 pocket jean, zip fly, great stretch for extra comfort.
- These Phoebe jeans by Not Your Daughter’s Jeans stay stylish while slimming. The dark wash is easy to wear and the flared leg is simply flattering. Easy to combine with cozy sweaters to silky blouses.
How do you like to wear jeans? Did you set different rules for yourself after 40?
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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
I do have more guidlines with my jeans than I used to. I care about fit now more than I had to then.
Thanks for these tips; they are great!
Glad you liked them Paula!
I was totally disinterested in jeans during the Big Jeans Trend of the 2000′s, but now I’ve become re-excited by them. I’m especially into skinny jeans and colored jeans, which is weird because when skinny jeans first came out I thought they were the least flattering things I’d ever seen. (It’s not a cut for everyone and I can only hope they look as good on me as I think they do.) As a general rule I agree with your suggestions however!
I look forward to seeing you outfits with skinny jeans. As a slight pear, it’s not my favorite model, but I do love skinny jeans with a long top or tunic as I showed in my Zadig & Voltaire post. Would certainly have that in my closet if I lived in a colder country…
I love jeans! If I had to pick just one item to wear for the rest of my life it would be jeans. I have them in every shape from leggings (perfect with over the knee boots) to flares (perfect with platforms) and in many colors – even a pair of yellow ones to wear to my son’s college football games. I have them at every price point but like them all equally. I do follow most of your guidelines – no light washes (though I do wear white jeans for 3 months of the year), no muffin top or bare tummy. I don’t do crops but will roll up the legs on straight jeans to show off a pretty shoe. I am not one of those people who wear jeans everywhere – I do not wear them to parties and our country club has a complete ban on them, but I am confortable and happy in my jeans.
I’m not a huge jeans wearer although I always take them with me when I visit colder countries. It’s mainly due to the weather. Jeans are just too hot here…
Like Suzanne I love jeans, too! I have skinnies, straight, bootcut and flares, but so far I stick with blues and blacks. I’ve been thinking of a pair of red jeans though:) I’ve never been a fan of ripped and embellished jeans or very low rises (super uncomfortable), so I’ve kind of always stayed away from them, altough I remember some acid washed ones that I loved when I was in my teens;)
Red jeans are very much on trend right now. I just bought myself some wonderful wide red pants (not jeans) and I’m already thinking up some lovely outfits with them. Stay tuned…
A late comment from me who has 9 pairs of jeans wearing them very often. For me the jeans of “7 for all mankind” are really good as they provide me with a bum. They used to be flared and, unfortunately, low rise, so problems with love handles. I used to wear wider, longer tops until I discovered shape wear. No love handles and…. the jeans feel much more comfortable round my stomach. And also jeans of the brand ” Not Your Daughters Jeans” (NYDJ) are great.
I have to confess that I do wear cropped jeans. Very tempting when you have good legs and you want to show them off. I will take a good long look at myself one more time to see whether it is wise.
Cropped pants and jeans are still very much in style and you will be able to pull those off. But it is a challenging style and on many women I prefer the ‘illusion’ and silhouette of a longer leg which can only be achieved by longer styles..
Great tips. Thanks. I’m short and not skinny. I tend to find jeans that fit and look good and then buy 5 pairs. . . all the same. Maybe I should branch out? I’d really like to try jeans which are more tapered at the ankle (and wear boots) but I always feel like those emphasize and enlarge my hips. Thoughts?
Although it’s a good idea to buy multiples of jeans that are perfect, 5 seems like a lot to me. I would try other pant styles or other colours as well. You are right that more tapered jeans put more emphasis on the hips. If that is not an area you like to highlight, you may want to stay away from them. On the other hand you may just need to get used to the silhouette. You could always try a (cheap) pants and see how they make you feel? Another way to wear skinnies and tapered jeans effectively is to wear them with tunics, which is a favorite look of mine. In general though, straight or bootcut jeans tend to be more flattering on most people.
Show of your generous bust….and wear boots with heels
The best invention South of Europe is that Levi Strauss introduced the “curve” jeans when the realized that the population down here have more buxom and more rounded hips than anywhere else in the world. The joy about the “curve” jeans is that they come in variable shapes of curve, accommodating the pear shapes and making allowances for the wider hips! I personally prefer the bootlegs as they elongate the legs, allowing high(er) heels, and giving instant height (not that I need it at 1.78m) but it does have a slimming effect.
FF
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