#1 most versatile item in my wardrobe!
I don’t know about anyone else but I constantly see something that would be ’perfect’ in my wardrobe, go with everything I own and then not wear it half as much as I expected…
The irony is the greatest item I bought I didn’t realise I was going to wear quite as much as I have done. And in fact at the time I bought two of them. And I wear one of them far far more than the other. These are two pairs of black jeans that I bought when I was in New York over a year and a half ago.
One of them is from 7to all Mankind, and the other is AG which is actually the nicest jeans material I have ever felt, but I wear the 7for all continuously. These are the first pair of black jeans I have ever owned and I honestly say to myself ‘where have you been all my life?’ as I put them on with a blouse for work, with a chunky jumper for weekend brunch, with a sexy top when going out for a drink for date night… the list is endless. So versatile. Like just so versatile… much more so than blue jeans I think!
I had decided I was going to invest in some black jeans on the flight to New York. It was my first time there and I wanted to buy some clothes that would last and that would remind me of New York every time I wore them! So I went to Bloomingdales and realised that there were about 100 brands of jeans and most I had never even heard of - I did tell you I am not an expert on anything! And so when a sales assistant asked me if I needed help - I gave in and said yes, I am looking for some black jeans! What happened next was honestly kinda surreal! He marched me to a changing room- I had to stand on an elevated wheel - he guessed my size and off he went, leaving me standing on this wheel. If you have seen episodes of sitcoms where they try on wedding dresses and stand on a platform in front of a mirror- it was like that! He came back with about 10 pairs of black jeans.. I tried on the first pair and came out where he stood me on the wheel, and pulled and pinched the waistband. ‘Too big.’ He took all the jeans back and came back with more… also ‘too big’ - this is the problem with having a big chest - I always look bigger than I actually am. Eventually though he got it right! And I tried on so many pairs of jeans and eventually choose the 2: the more casual 7for all mankind, and the dressier AG. Both skinny jean style, but with some stretch.
They were expensive for jeans, although there was some special offer on at the time and I paid in total what 1 pair would have cost and they have lasted. The black has not faded; they still look and feel as good, as soft and as stretchy as when I first bought them. Personally I think it is worth investing in something that you will war over and over again. I often try to calculate the ‘cost per wear’ (and with shoes often ignore it to follow my heart), but if you will wear something at least once a week for 2 years and it costs €208 then really that is €2/wear. Compare that with spending €2000 on a wedding dress that you only wear once… I know which I would rather spend my money on!
Sho xx