It’s been dark for so long! It’s summer, let’s just lighten up.
Dark jeans have reigned for quite a few years now while chambray and the light blue pales have been somewhat ignored. These shades are excellent summer neutrals, plus, our old, truly faded jeans have finally achieved the pajama-soft-thin weight that’s only bestowed by time, perfect for steamy temps.
In honor of the burgeoning summer, let’s let our lights shine in cool, pale denim and feel free to reject the dark blue status quo while we’re at it. Style Fetish is going to Hail the Pale, here’s how:
Stay cool in more ways than oneWear light and stand out in the crowd of ubiquitous dark denim.
Pale and light pants are cooler to wear and don’t absorb the sun’s heat like dark colors do.
Look as chic as a contemporary Coco Chanel by wearing white on bottom and black on top.
Retro ’60s up those tired dark jeans and do an enlightening bleach bath for a multi-pale-blue-hued drippy-dye effect.
Go ahead and wear a denim jacket or shirt with the pale denim pants – just keep them very different tones to avoid the Texas-Tux. A dark blue denim jacket looks great with white or pale blue jeans.
Tight, spandex-filled skinny jeans are impossible to deal with in sand at the beach! Loose, vintage pales rule the seaside, paired with a swimsuit top and loose linen shirt or thin tunic.
A fabric belt is much cooler to wear in hot summer, rather than leather. It will help keep your liver cool and in good working order for proper summer-strength alcohol metabolizing!
Men in whiteDudes in pale or white jeans is a Yes, please. Roll those cuffs a bit, rock some Jesus sandals or Chuck Taylor’s and you look beatnik-groovy and just as free. Wear with a Guayabera, Hawaiian shirt, tie-dye or band tee and get thee to a festival.
Have an elegant obligation? White denim looks crisp and formal-enough for the Western Slope. Wear the white with a linen shirt and dress shoes or new Chucks without socks.
Light is alright on any body typeDe-emphasize a bigger chest or midsection with a dark V-neck top and pale bottoms.
Volumize a tiny booty and skinny legs in pale or white jeans.
Achieve body-shape balance with jeans style as well as tone. Pale bell bottoms or flares can balance a bodacious butt with the extra ankle width while recalling original festival style (Woodstock, anyone?).
Light shorts can lengthen a shorter leg. Wear with espadrilles, wedges or platform shoes to further elongate legs.
Pale denim with a tight leg and high waist is ultra-’80s and looks phenomenal if you can pull it off. An almost-perfect bod is required here. This is a look for a younger woman as-yet unborn in the ’80s, with a shape currently unaffected by gravity. Pair with a striped cropped tee and get Debbie Harry-1982-fabulous while you can!
Heather Narwid owns Sideshow Emporium,, a vintage and modern clothing store for men and women. Sideshow is located in Durango at 208 County Road 250 (at 32nd Street). Sideshow is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m. Ask her anything at [email protected].
