Yes, you can wear jeans to work – here’s how to find a smart pair

Lisa Armstrong

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Sometimes you can be fully aware that your perception of something is slightly off and still not be able to shift that perception. I know, for instance, that this hang-up I have about not wearing denim to the office is way out of date and almost certainly blinding me to a range of options. You can’t always control your thoughts.

The other day I put this out on Instagram to see what other old-fashioned notions were squatting in people’s minds. Responses ranged from always wearing a black dress at work (a self-imposed rule) to insisting on a co-ordinated outfit and handbag (also self-imposed). Many agreed about not wearing denim to work. Plenty said they found jeans uncomfortable. One woman said denim wasn’t encouraged in her local-government office. Another, in her 70s, said she made a point of always wearing denim on the basis that the right denim knocks off 10 years.

Reiss says one of its most popular combinations this season is jeans with tailoring – jeans sales are up by quite some margin.

With more flexible working, a ‘blended’ outfit makes sense. If you’re at home for part of the day, you probably wouldn’t wear a trouser suit, even if you’re going out later to the office or to meetings. A smart, comfortable (possibly with two per cent stretch) pair of jeans that you can zhuzh up with a blazer or cropped jacket on your way out feels like a clever if simple (or rather clever because it’s simple) option.

But what constitutes ‘smart’ in denim these days? Dark washes, for sure. No rips, however ‘artful’ or pricey. A wide or loose leg, because that’s what’s fashionable and therefore makes your jeans seem more like trousers – although the main caveat is buy what suits. A high waist is good, not just because glimpses of midriff or underwear in the office are not the best way to look like someone who’s in control of anything, but because it gives good shape.

High-waisted flares with a jacket and heels can be ultra-flattering and feminine. Adjust the individual components according to your own preferences. To accentuate your waist, a short shirt or blouse is useful because you don’t have the bulk or fuss of having to tuck it in (check out Me+Em’s cropped shirts). If you’re self-conscious about your thighs or bum, look for a longer blazer and jeans that skim rather than cling.

Jeans also look smarter if you show some ankle in summer, especially with a fresh pedicure and strappy sandals. A good leather belt adds gloss, as do kitten-heel slingbacks (Asos has some great ones in pink satin or black neoprene for £28). I love my Mother of Pearl Chloe cropped jeans (above) for the very reason that they have a big gold button that lifts them out of the ordinary, although as I’m under 5ft 4in they were far from cropped on me until I chopped the hems. Lots of compliments. Approach your jeans as you would a skirt. It’s a whole new world.

Try these…

High-rise straight, £35.99, Zara; Pleated wide-leg, £225, Me+Em

High-rise straight, £35.99, Zara; Pleated wide-leg, £225, Me+Em

Sailor, £110, Seventy + Mochi; Cropped, £195, Mother of Pearl

Seventy + Mochi Sailor, £110, Collagerie; Cropped, £195, Mother of Pearl

Flare high-waisted, £50, Gap; Tricolour, £315, ELV Denim

Tricolour, £315, ELV Denim; Flare high-waisted, £50, Gap

Inside stripe, £285, Wiggy Kit

Inside stripe, £285, Wiggy Kit

Lisa wears: Wool jacket, £640, By Malene Birger; Textured organic cotton shirt, £250, Mother of Pearl; Flared front seam jeans, £138, Reiss; Shoes, Lisa’s own; Leather bag, £410, ATP Atelier; Pearl and gold plated earrings, £162, Bonvo; Textured necklace, £155, Jigsaw; Bio-acetate sunglasses, £125, Ace & Tate

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