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| Paris Vogue’s Emmanuelle Alt (front of the line) and one of her minions work white jeans in Paris’ chilly February air. |
Today is Labor Day. For some, this day marks a return to school studies. For others, like myself, it usually marks the time of year the whites (shoes, pants, skirts) are relegated to the rear of the closet until some time near the end of next May. It’s been a fashion unspoken rule adhered to as strictly as “never wear stockings with open-toed shoes”. So imagine my dazed and confused state when I spied the fashion doyenne, Emmanuelle Alt (the Paris VogueEmmanuelle Alt), wearing (gasp!) white jeans in February. Leave it to her ALTerior trail blazing nature to take an ancient fashion “must not” and smash it to bits.
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| Paired with one of this A/W’s animal prints and black boots, white jeans rock. As seen here (again) on Emmanuelle Alt. |
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| Geraldine Saglio, Emmanuelle Alt’s right hand girl, pairs whites with a tied-at-waist oxford shirt and black heeled booties.
Amazingly, as I searched the web for other white jean gate crashers, I grew more and more intrigued at the fresh crisp nature of a pale pant finding its home among heavier winter garb. Rather than out of place, they appear to be the perfect foil to a warm coat and dark ankle boots. At the same time, I was able to formulate a few effective strategies employed by Ms. Alt and her blanched comrades, including fashion power girls like Kate Moss and SJP. 1. Go for masculine pairings up top: a men’s oxford shirt, a duffle coat, a boxy boyfriend sweater.
2. Animal prints work surprisingly well with white jeans in cooler months.
3. Never do a painted on fit. Even in warmer climes, painted on white jeans will read “striperella”. It is especially essential that your winter white jeans give you room to breathe.
4. Ankle boots or single sole pumps with a pointed toe work well as your anchors. The more feminine and smouldering, the better.
5. Boot cut and crops don’t “cut it”. The best style to really emulate Emmanuelle’s devil-may-care chicesque attitude is a slight relaxed fit, just below the ankle, skinny cut. It’s a well known fact that her favorites are Top Shop’s “Baxter”. An excellent choice indeed, although I find DL 1961’s “Angels” suitable contenders.
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| Alt’s winter wardrobe includes sky high ultra feline black booties and quilted thigh grazing jackets to compliment her white jeans. |
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| Kate Moss uses animal print, a grey sweater and a fringed bag with black boots to offset her whities. Sarah Jessica Parker shows herself to be a fan of the white jean after Labor Day. Two of her three takes (below) work for me. #1:The rolled cuff with the pointy single sole pump and longer coat is very 16th arondissment. #2:The riding boot with the sweater, vest, and fingerless gloves delivers unashamed country chic. But #3: the last take, a longer oversized belted sweater, massive scarf and desert boots in neutral tones (with a neon bag?) just reads schloppy.
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