My Favorite Denim Pieces

For the last few week I have been looking back at some older posts, due to scheduling conflicts and my own lack of motivation and energy to bring you a lot of new content. I do apologize for that, but this does offer you a look at different pieces that are worth investing in due to their reusability. Since we as fashion bloggers, thrifters and purchasers of fashion are wanting to be more conscious of how our choices affect the environment we are learning that sustainable fashion is important for the future of our world.

Sustainability at its finest starts even before the actual manufacture of clothing. While more companies are jumping on the sustainability wagon, we must admit there are literally tons of used clothing going into landfills, that could be part of this sustainability loop. Thrift stores are part of this loop and are helping to give new life to second hand pieces. Bloggers, Instagrammers and others are working their accounts to show you new ways to wear the clothes that are already in your closet, or at least encourage you to shop second hand.

This week I decided to focus on the favorite denim pieces in my closet. Denim has always been my go to fabric for every day outfits. Whether you like jeans, denim skirts, or denim jackets, everyone can get onboard with having a few work horse denim pieces in their wardrobe.

Piece 1 - Cropped Denim Jacket

This is one of the first cropped pieces I found that I really liked and still use repetitively. There is something about the silhouette of a cropped denim jacket that to me, makes it a little more versatile. I feel like it dresses up better than a standard jean jacket, but some of that might also be the wash. A darker wash will always look more dressy as opposed to a lighter or more acid washed piece. You can wear a piece like this with a casual dress, a classy maxi dress, leopard print, a longer tunic and jeans, and a pair of utility pants.

Picture by me.

Piece 2 - Denim Skirt

Since jeans are my first choice for most of my causal outfits, I am not going to include them in this post, but I will say, that most of my favorite jeans I have picked up at thrift stores. The ability to try on different styles, silhouettes and brands, many of which I wouldn’t have ever thought to shop, have provided me with several pairs that are on repeat during most of the year. If you are more of a skirt or dress kind of girl, then a denim skirt is a great casual alternative to jeans.

Just so you know, the first skirt is from a few years ago and I got rid of it, because I outgrew it. The last two pieces were just unique, so I picked them up, but my most used piece would be the darker wash pencil skirt in the middle number of photos. If you are looking for a denim skirt, that is the wash and style I would recommend. I recently thrifted a longer light wash one, so we’ll see how that gets styled this summer. Stay tuned.

Photo by me.

Piece 3 - Denim Vest

Another piece that I really love is a denim vest. So far I only have one and that is my Christopher and Banks piece, but I would like to find a few others including a longer one that ties and a more traditional vest shaped piece. These are things I add to my thrifting list and keep and eye out for. If I never find one, no big deal, but if I do, I’ll grab it.

Unique Denim Pieces

Since my love for denim extends to all areas of my wardrobe, I also wanted to include a few unique pieces with their own special embellishments or characteristics.

Embroidery

Any sort of embellishment on denim is fun, but I do love embroidery.

Chambray

While not technically denim, we group this with denim due to its similar washes and uses. Whether it is a button down, a popover or a dress, chambray is a great denim substitute for the warm temperatures of spring and summer.

I hope you enjoyed this look back at a few of my favorite denim pieces. I am including a few shopping links for you to look over. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Photo credit where not specified, Rebecca Trumbull.

Spring Trends 2020 - Thrifted Thursday - Head to Toe Denim

Today’s outfit revolves around the Spring 2020 trend of head to toe denim. While this may not be a trend that many women would embrace, I actually like it. Denim and I have been friends for a long time, whether it was wearing cut off jean shorts in the summer, overalls in the winter, bell bottoms or skinny legs, jackets or vests, denim has always been a part of my life. When I was younger, most denim was made with cotton. The beauty of the piece came out as it became worn. Jeans were often stiff, but after weeks of wear and washings, the fabric became like a comfortable sweatshirt, easy to wear and to take care of. Now denim is so versatile from the fabrics it is mixed with to the color wash, you can find denim to wear for lounging around the campfire, going to work or even for a night on the town.

Since I started doing these columns, I decided to use the columns as a way to show off the current theme with an added twist. today’s outfit is completely thrifted, except for the shoes and jewelry.

I saw on Jo-Lynne Shane’s Spring Fashion Forecast that wide leg pants were on the list. She did say, even though these are mentioned, she hasn’t been seeing them around much and you really have to have the right body type to pull them off. As I look at this outfit, I agree. I am carrying around about twenty more pounds than I really should be and maybe these thrifted wide leg Banana Republic jeans would look better with a little less puff around my thighs and butt.

The embroidery on this thrifted J.Jill - Out of the Blue, jacket was definitely a selling point for me. For some reason I have always been a fan of embroidered embellishments on clothes, shoes and bags. I used to embroider quite a bit when I was younger and had a number of denim pieces, including a vest my mom and I had made together, that I put embroidery on. I can see wearing this jacket with white pants or a skirt, as well as with various washes of denim cropped pants in the summer.

With this outfit I am using three washes; a dark wash shirt, a medium wash pant and a light wash jacket. You could just as easily pull it off with denim pieces all from the same wash. Part of the beauty of denim is even in the same wash a piece can look quite different.

My dark wash chambray shirt has 3/4 length sleeves, and two flap front pockets. I think it is good to have at least one chambray shirt, or in my case, at least one in all three washes. Ha, ha

Once again, I kept the jewelry simple and casual. I think rose gold is the perfect metal for dressing up or down and it goes beautifully with denim in any wash.

My fringe bag was another thrift find and I think it may have been hand made. It is suede and has no label inside. It gives the outfit a great hippy vibe and you will see, that many of my outfits in this series seem to veer that way, maybe because many of the trends are quite conducive to that vibe.

My shoes have made an appearance on the blog recently and while they are definitely a winter boot, in our area, spring has not yet arrived. They are Sonoma brand and I got them from Kohl’s.

I decided to add a colorful head scarf to the outfit, just to add a tiny element of color. It has some gold threads in it too, so I thought it went well with the jewelry and the outfit as a whole.

What do you think of wearing denim head to toe? Do you have pieces in your closet that you could put together for a look like this. I’d love to hear you thought in the comments section below. I really value you input.

Be sure to check back next week for a look at polka dots, pinstripes and leather. Until then, have a great weekend.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Be sure to check out the shopping links for all things denim below. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.