Is it okay for men to wear white jeans? I think white looks good under a blazer, and throwing white jeans in the washing machine after a few wears is simple and cheap compared to a trip to the dry cleaner. But I only see women wear them in advertisements and catalogs. – Al, Winter Park, Fla.
You clearly did not view the back catalog of French new wave films. On the screen, Jean-Paul Belmondo and Alain Delon are practical poster boys for men in white jeans, especially on the Riviera.
That may be why, despite the fact that White Denim was introduced by Lee in the 1960s as part of his Lee Westner collection (The material used was officially called “White Cotton Satin”) and appeared in the many celebrated collections from the 1990s of Helmut Lang and the wardrobe of the British graphic designer Peter Saville, it has become a multi -year style statement among French and Italian men.
I know at least three French people who have made their personal signature of Witte Jeans: the photographer Gilles Bensimon, the Purple Magazine founder Olivier Zahm and the showroom impresario Christophe Desmaison, who told me that he is wearing white jeans almost “365 days a year. “
When I asked him why, he said: “They look just as good with a shirt, blazer and clothing shoes like a polo and boat shoes. They are the most versatile basis in my wardrobe – a bit casual, yet elegant and certainly distinctive than Khakis. “By the way, he gets his jeans Polo Ralph Lauren But also recommends Todd Snyder” Sid Mashburn And Levi’s 501S.
However, this entails a problem with regard to white jeans. As much as every other item in a man’s wardrobe, they flirt with stereotype. National and different.
Jacob Gallagher, our reporter for men, called white jeans’ the pants equivalent of a shiny edition summit. Something that can come off if too intentional, too artificial, too forced Caszh. “
“The exception to this are the French,” he said. “In Paris you see boys wearing them without care or thought. This is a self -fulfilling cycle. Because white jeans are a more everyday style for men in France, they do not come as a tool. But for American men they make you look too easy as if you are doing something, which is perhaps the ultimate men’s clothing. “
The exception to this rule is of course the annual white party given by the fanatics founder Michael Rubin, where everyone has to wear white and white jeans that spreads; And the Yacht Club, where white pants, including jeans, are part of the shtick. (Indeed, white jeans are the only jeans that are allowed in the clubhouses of many hunting clubs.) But white pants brings a large number of associations and prejudices about elitarianism, privilege and, in the case of sailing, Boston Brahmin Values, that everyone who is considering white jeans may want to consider.
(All this applies less to women who seem to benefit from the Halo effect of white gloves and wedding dresses.)
Anyway, anyway the risks. With regard to the benefits, Tonne Goodman, Vogue’s sustainability editor and a woman who is known for her white jeans chic, said: “Given the reality of atypical weather, and the cultural advocacy for gender equality, men can certainly wear white jeans, not Only in the summer (before Labor Day) but all year round. The crispiness increases almost every look, provided that they are combined with classic pieces, such as a blazer. “
Whatever you decide, remember that there is only one universal rule when it comes to white jeans: cleanliness is next to, if not godluch, almost everything else.
Your style questions, answered
Every week on Open Thread, Vanessa answers the fashion-related question from a reader, who you can send her at any time via E -Mail or Twitter. Questions are edited and condensed.
