A pair of jeans can make or break your outfit no matter what your age, but as our bodies change, so should our sartorial choices. Age-appropriate clothing doesn’t mean looking frumpy or dowdy—but unfortunately, the wrong jeans can make you look and feel just wrong. YouTube influencer Heather Sinclair knows a thing or two about how to dress for success—especially when it comes to denim. “Since denim is so popular, especially this year, this fashion tutorial should help with wardrobe choices,” she says in her video. “Although my styling tutorials are popular with women over 50 and 60 this one could be of interest to a woman in her 40s too.” Here’s what she has to say.
RELATED: 10 Best Places to Buy Jeans for Women.
1. Cheap, Stretchy Jeans
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Sinclair, in her video, says cheap, stretchy jeans are a complete waste of money. “Let’s start with mistake number one. And that’s all about buying a really inexpensive, cheaper pair of stretchy jeans that are well, not well-made. Now, I know many of you are watching your money, but a cheap pair of not well-made stretchy jeans is like throwing your money away. Better to invest in a brand with a superior stretch.”
2. Jeans That Are the Wrong Length
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Make sure your jeans are the correct length for your shoes, Sinclair says in her video. “Next, let’s talk about wearing our jeans, different kinds of shoes and having the wrong length. In other words, we got the pants dragging on the ground. Nothing ruins an outfit more than pants dragging, especially when shorter styles are trending. Not only does it look bad, but you’re going to wear out the bottom of those pants. better to go with a higher length.”
3. Jeans That Are the Wrong Fit
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Make sure your jeans actually fit properly. “Let’s talk about the next mistake number three, and that is not getting the right fit. Now, you can always order your jeans online, and if you buy them from Amazon, the jeans that I just mentioned like Lee and NYDJ, you can send them back if they don’t fit,” Sinclair says in her video. “But let me save you a little bit of time here because what you should be doing is measuring yourself, your inseam, your waist, et cetera. And then what you’re going to do is you’re going to look at almost every item, not just jeans, that has a size chart and you’re going to make sure that you get as close to that manufacturer’s size chart as possible.”
4. Wide-Leg Jeans
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Wide-leg jeans are trendy, but they can easily look wrong. “What’s trending right now are wide leg pants, but wow, you really have to style them right to wear them properly,” Sinclair says in her video. “If you wear a baggy top over these, you’re going to look huge… I tuck in a fitted shirt and it looks much better. I’m also not wearing a belt because I don’t want to cut myself off at the waist.”
5. Skinny Jeans
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Not all skinny jeans are bad—but if they make you uncomfortable, don’t wear them and got for a skimming jean instead. “If your idea of skinny jeans were like jeggings that you had to lie on the bed to zip up, then yes, those ones are out anyway,” Sinclair says in her video. “These are out of style, but I don’t know about you, but I could barely sit down in those jeggings. Instead, we have a skimming jean.”