FASHION FRIDAY: WHITE JEANS NOW!

04 May FASHION FRIDAY: WHITE JEANS NOW!

Emily Post and our mothers (and grandmothers) taught us that wearing white is inappropriate before the last weekend in May or Memorial Day, and definitely a no-no after Labor Day. They also told us about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. You get my drift: Don’t believe everything authority figures tell you. Although in some small way I am an authority figure (fashion only please) and I say you can wear white jeans starting today.

Designers start shipping white jeans in January. Do you think they expect us to wait five whole months before we wear them. No way!  Let climate dictate your wardrobe, not an old rule of etiquette from generations past. If you live in South Beach, Scottsdale, or San Diego, white jeans are totally it for winter. But with the warming trends all over the country this spring, the weather doppler has put white jeans on the fashion radar much earlier for all of us everywhere.

Shifts in weather patterns clearly dictate fashion trends, but so does the media. Big time. Fashion editors at French Vogue were recently spotted wearing white jeans on a rainy day with a pair of scrunched black boots. Actress Katie Holmes was seen wearing hers with tan suede booties. I say: Well done ladies! A lightweight boot is a fitting way to transition white jeans into spring. Blazers and cashmere scarves also smooth out the change. A lightweight boot, a blazer and a cashmere sweater and white jeans. A perfect look for March and April. But for now?

Now that May is here and the thermometer is reaching higher temps, start thinking bright colors. Try a pair of bright ballet flats or colored loafers with your white jeans, because not every locale supports an open-toed shoe right now. I love Pamela Green’s orange suede driving Mocs. (See Two Skirts’ Facebook page for photos of Telluriders wearing them.)

For those of you who have been so thoroughly brainwashed by the powers you really can’t stomach white jeans before Memorial Day, try the ivory ankle skinny from Citizens of Humanity. That look has been a best seller at Two Skirts since February. The cream tone is a softer introduction to spring compared to stark white. And the more muted hue works well with all the spring colors, including neons. Right now I love wearing my ivory denims tucked into a camel boot.

So have I made my point loud and clear? White denims are so today.

Although Memorial Day is still weeks away, there are signs of spring everywhere: leaves are budding; tulips are opening; birds are chirping (and waking me every morning for the past week), so why shouldn’t our wardrobe scream spring too?

Sometimes in fashion it’s better to listen to your weatherman than to your mother. (On second thought, white that out. My mother reads this column.)