How to wear white jeans (it's easier than you think)
How to wear white jeans is an age-old fashion conundrum considering, historically, how the colour has not had a good reputation.
For years, it was worn only by Elizabeth Hurley, who made white jeans the sole property of wealthy west London mums. This seems unfair, especially considering Jane Birkin wore them first in the 60s, and, like everything she ever stepped out in, looked effortless, breezy and about as different from Hurley as Courtney Love after a four-day bender.
The point is they can and they have looked good. There's no point in trying to convince anyone that they're easy to wear - they attract dirt and grass stains more than is just considering they're mostly worn in summer, and white jeans do require a certain confidence, unless you're a Victoria Secret Angel. But white denim can be worn in many ways and on every type of shape and this summer the fashion world has gone to town on it.
We have white dungaree dresses, which look great paired with either T-shirts or a chunky knit jumper; full-trouser dungarees, good with a grey marl T-shirt thrown on underneath; denim mini dresses, which show off a holiday tan like no other; denim shorts, which are fantastically impractical and can truthfully only be worn on a beach; then white jeans themselves. I favour a cropped ripped style - they can be worn with a favourite band T-shirt and converse for a tougher vibe, or with a pair or suede boots and peasant top for a more boho, Isabel Marant look. They also look great with leather jackets and buttoned up shirts. Give white A-line skirts and dungaree dresses a sailor appeal and team with a Breton top and espadrilles.
Alexa Chung wears slim-fit cropped white jeans with Tshirts and shirts, which looks fresh and pared-back, while Doutzen Kroes prefers a loose-fit high-waisted style and lazy tank top and trainers. Miranda Kerr, who would look pristine even if she fell face first into a Glastonbury toilet, opts for a more groomed approach - skinny jeans with heels.
You definitely don't need a pair of white jeans, your wardrobe will be just fine without them, but the odds are that, if you do invest, all your friends will wish they'd bought a pair too.
Ripped jeans, £150, Diesel
Distressed white jeans, £229, Frame at Stylebop
Slim fit jeans, £109, Oui
Straight-leg jeans, £10.50, Tu at Sainsbury's
White jeans, £160, Zadig & Voltaire
Frayed hem cropped jeans, £210, 7 For All Mankind
Turn-up jeans, £90, Replay
Cropped high-rise wide-leg jeans, £104, Stella McCartney at Topshop
Skinny jeans, £95, Burberry at Selfridges
High-rise flares, £28, Abercrombie and Fitch
High-rise cropped jeans, £215, MiH
