I was smitten by a question from a reader in the comments a couple months back asking how you would feel if your therapist was wearing jeans. I don’t think it would bother me?? Outside of a few strongholds like banking and big law, jeans are commonplace. But when you’re paying a high hourly fee – out of network if you’re in NYC! – and you have to fixate on something to keep yourself focused, I can see how said psychologist might feel like she is not putting her most professional self forward. And I can see how this question translates to other professions that are both hard earned and yet don’t require the workwear uniform norms of eras past.
The challenge then is not can she wear jeans but how to make denim feel part of a complete outfit – not just a hurried afterthought but fresh and professional-leaning at the same time. Immediately I thought, well just stick with dark denim. Clean, no whiskers, something that can read tidy, and trouser-like.
And what about black denim, you ask? It fades making it feel more casual, quickly. And something about the rich, dark navy feels dressier to me than denim in black which can struggle to break out of that “afterthought” territory. But I won’t fight you on it if you insist, just maybe choose a pair that isn’t skin tight.. I will argue below, though, if you’re going to don a non-wool black, just do a chino instead!
But back to the jeans, which are inherently casual. Invented as a workwear pant (see my Levi’s tribute from 2023 here), the recent eras of stretch and skinny have morphed denim into a great dinner companion, elongating the leg with a heel and decadent top or blazer. But when we get to the workaday denim, it can feel missy with a corporate-approved shell and shoe. So today, five ideas to make dark denim feel interesting without losing your authority. Plus denim alternates that get you to your comfort/cool/professional combo even faster.
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