Feeling intrigued by the white jeans, I took to my personal Instagram to crowd-source some more opinions on them. While I was beginning to warm up to them, what did everyone else think? Turns out, the jury is still very much split on them—and specifically, how to wear them.
Many, to no surprise, are steadfast believers that white jeans should be worn ironed to perfection, with not a stain in sight. “They absolutely must be ironed, clean, and crisp,” chimes in fashion publicist Gail McInnes. “If you get one stain, you must immediately go home, no matter what.” Others, however, find joy in seeing the trousers get more dirtied and worn as time goes on—and that they should be treated less preciously. “I’m weary of people in white-white-white jeans. They’re fun to wear, new and bright, but they get better with each wear,” says fashion consultant and street style star Mordechai Rubinstein, known to many as @mistermort. “Mustard stains are my souvenirs.”
I tend to lean towards the latter approach. I certainly would know: Shortly after slipping into my first pair of white jeans—Buck Mason’s newly-launched Buckleback jeans—I spilled a drop of an extra-dirty martini on them, the right hip instantly stained. But there is something cool and nonchalant about wearing a less-than-perfect white jean. And, as I’ve found out while test-driving them, they are surprisingly easy to wear, too: I’ve been enjoying wearing them with a classic black tee and great pair of loafers, much like Kendall—the look feels streamlined, yet not too fussy. “They’re better than blue jeans,” adds editor Sarah Spellings.
Another point of contention, meanwhile? If said white jeans can be worn before Labor Day—an archaic fashion rule that, surprisingly, many still adhere to. (The Gilded Age-era rule implies that white pieces are only for vacationing.) Most agree that jeans are a year-round staple—and in fact, maybe even chicer in the fall and winter months, paired with a fab wool coat or chunky knit. “They can be worn year-round—but they need to be the whitest of white,” says Vogue Shopping commerce director Talia Abbas. “Stark white looks so good next to wintery shades—black, navy, gray, chocolate brown. It brings levity to the oppressive grayness of winter.”
