Women over 80 and petite wide leg jeans

Improved Styling of Petite Wide Leg Jeans with a T-Shirt

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Women over 80 in style

Improved Styling of Petite Wide Leg Jeans with a T-Shirt

Styling petite wide-leg jeans with a t-shirt aren’t hard at all with the right details. This idea came about when I had a request to showcase some of the new jean trends and keep them fresh for us older women (thanks Susan for the email).

Quote of the day: “We act as though the comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about.” Charles Kingsley

The three of us jumped at the chance to showcase different kinds of jeans silhouettes to give you variety not only with the jeans but also with our ages, body shapes, and style preferences.

I talked about IF skinny jeans should be purged and showed a pair of boyfriend jeans with my ankle boots.
Then I discussed the difference between mom jeans and straight-leg jeans while Lesley modeled a pair of colorful denim.

Now Charlotte is styling a pair of petite wide-leg jeans and showing how you can spruce up the look, even when wearing just a t-shirt.

Leopard accessories and shoes

Jeans: Bill Blass ~~ Top: St. Johns Bay~~ Shoes: Walking Cradles c/o~~ Belt: thrifted ~~ Necklace: ~~ Bracelet: Chicos ~~ Earrings: Audra Style c/o~~ Purse: Aldo

What are Wide Leg Jeans?

The Denim Shop defines the wide leg jeans as: “wider in the knee and the leg opening which makes them slightly more relaxed through the legs. They usually have at least a 22″ leg opening. Wide-leg jeans are a comfortable style that will look chic worn with flats or heels. It’s also a good choice for balancing out larger hips and thighs.”

I know my mom prefers this silhouette of jeans because they aren’t tight, are easy to get on and off, plus they don’t get stuck on her calves when she goes from sitting to standing!
But if you have been wearing skinny jeans for a while now, this silhouette may seem too big or not flattering. Remember, what we think about what looks good is a psychological trait of seeing it over and over. It’s called the Mere Exposure Effect.

Other wide-leg pants blog posts

Petite Wide Leg Jeans

Just because a woman is petite or tall doesn’t make ANY piece of clothing good or bad for them. It’s all about how the piece is cut and how it fits your body.

For example, if you look at any of our photos, do you know how tall we are? Of course not. Yet all three of us on the blog are all considered Petites. Charlotte is 5’3, Lesley is 5’0″ and I am 5’2″. Our height should have no bearing on whether or not we can wear something.

I know I just read a rule about wearing petite wide-leg jeans. It said (and I don’t agree): “While you can still wear wide-leg jeans for Petites, it’s important that you focus on a straight-leg silhouette. This means opting out of big flares at the bottom of your wide-leg pants and instead of sticking to a silhouette that’s straight in shape.”

I consider it unfortunate that these kinds of rules are still being pushed on us. It’s a perfect example that we need to stop and analyze a rule before we take it to heart. Even if it is coming from a “personal stylist.” In fact, sometimes the stylists are the ones who push these rules. That’s what they have been taught in their training and they don’t always evolve or question it.

In fact, I think I’ve worn everything on earth that all the articles say Petites shouldn’t wear. Here’s one of the articles, and what I want to know is how this author came up with these ideas. Can you tell these articles really rile me up? What I would like to see is how this author really dresses and if she even has any style.

Besides, by now, hopefully, we all know that it’s time to break the fashion rules. Wear what we like and have fun with our style and clothing.

Ideas on wearing petite wide leg jeans

More About These Petite Wide Leg Jeans

Charlotte thrifted this pair of Bill Blass jeans many years ago. Having a darker color of denim makes jeans seem less casual and more like a dark navy pair of pants.

The rearview is something that we ourselves, don’t see on us, yet it’s important to assess. Like I always say, just as many people see you from behind as from the front. Make sure the view is just as good from all sides.

Insider tip: If it’s hard to see the rearview in your mirror, take a selfie with your butt facing the mirror. That will give you a good indication of what others are seeing.

Finding the perfect length for your jeans shouldn’t be rocket science. It’s silly to expect that you could buy a pair of jeans and have them fit absolutely perfectly since all of our body shapes are so different. Therefore, having an alterations person at hand OR learning to do the simple alterations is key.

And if you don’t want to spend a lot of money on your jeans, you might check the thrift stores. And the most important thing? Don’t get caught up in how the jeans are named. Many wide-leg jeans are basically straight-leg jeans.

Insider tip: The 2 alterations I do frequently on my jeans:
1- Shorten the length with the original hem (shown in this blog post)
2-Take in the waist (as shown in this video…I always use the regular option, not the mock option).

Why belt your t-shirt

Spruce Up Your T-Shirt

Even though my mom wore just a t-shirt with her petite wide-leg jeans, she added many extras to take it from ho-hum to fabulous. Other options are to choose a silky top (as I showcased with my jeans) or find a top with a knotted detail (which you can see on Lesley with her jeans).

Adding a belt over your top can be a great way to make a t-shirt look like more than just a t-shirt.

I find that many women don’t like tucking in their tops as they get older. Even though we have discussed other options like the half tuck and side tuck, there are many other ways to give a t-shirt a little sass.

If it’s fitted like this yellow one is, then just add a belt over the top of the shirt. The belt doesn’t change the proportions of the outfit or pull in the shirt at all, it’s purely there for pretty. And don’t we all feel a little better with some extras?

The Accessories

Charlotte carried the leopard through from her belt to her jewelry AND shoes (more on that below). In all reality, my mom’s necklace is really a tiger eye pendant, which can be a wonderful way to “copy” the leopard print.

These earrings were gifted from Audra Style which has wonderful, artsy earrings. The best part is the company is based in the USA. And the earrings are lightweight. This shape is called the Amanda and was from their spring collection.

Don’t miss the fact that my mom is also wearing a leopard bracelet. This bracelet has a hinge which makes it very easy to get it on and off.
Bracelets can be the hardest accessory to get on and off if you live alone or have trouble with arthritis. So this option can be beneficial for almost everyone.

Purse Detail

This yellow purse is a fabulous addition to compliment the yellow t-shirt. Remember, we don’t need to match our purses to our shoes anymore. Another of those silly fashion rules that can be kicked to the curb.

This open type of purse has easy access for getting your wallet and things in and out of it. There is a zipper that closes in case you worry about things being stolen or falling out. I would consider this a medium-size purse. Again, Charlotte is petite in height, yet this purse in no way overwhelms her.

The funny thing is that I have this exact same purse in metallic rose gold. And the two of us did not buy them together. Even though the straps are medium length, they can be thrown over your shoulder to keep your hands free.

Insider tip: If you do wear your purse on your shoulder, make sure to alternate which shoulders from time to time. Especially if your purse is heavy, you can cause issues with shoulder and neck muscles.
Personally, this is one reason I tend to carry purses by their handles now.

As for the color yellow, don’t think it’s only appropriate for the spring and summer months. It works fabulously especially for the autumn since we see lots of yellow in the falling leaves.

How to wear petite wide leg jeans

What Shoes to Wear with Petite Wide Leg Jeans

I think the short answer is ANY shoes, haha. Don’t get caught up in the fact that the leg opening is wider. There’s no reason not to wear the same footwear as you have with your skinny jeans.

Charlotte chose to wear her leopard loafers with her jeans. The popular opinion is you should have two pairs of your favorite jeans with two different lengths so you can wear flats AND heels. It’s not a terrible idea, yet we see many cropped and ankle pants lately. Which means it’s okay to show off the shoe.
In all intents and purposes, this means, you can wear the same pair of jeans with both flats (where the shoes might be hidden a tad) and heels (where you see more of the footwear).

Did you know that loafers are making a comeback? This pair is called the Wren from Walking Cradles and is still available. They also come in other colors and prints, and as with all Walking Cradles shoes, their comfort can’t be beaten.

Let’s explore the options you could wear with petite wide-leg jeans:
1-Ballet Flats
2-Sneakers
3-Ankle boots. You can see how Charlotte wore black booties with these exact same jeans here.
4-Brogues
5-Heels

In fact, if you aren’t sure, just look at all of the models in the ads for the jeans and see the variety of shoes they are wearing.

Petite wide leg jeans

Photo credit: Rob Filogomo

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