How to Rock Boyfriend Jeans (& Save the Planet)

Can you wear boyfriend jeans after 30? Maybe if I had a boyfriend to borrow them from—my husband’s jeans are a little tight.

What are boyfriend jeans, you ask? Denim that’s loose and broken down so you can wrap them around your ankles with a devil-may-care, I-can-rock-anything-with-high-heels kind of attitude.

I tried the husband jeans. They were a little snug across the derriere. Maybe devil-may-care comes with slightly longer legs and significantly less ass. Or maybe I just need a fatter husband.

But I like the trend of boyfriend jeans. It’s recycled eco friendly fashion in action—if you do it properly.

This reducing and reusing stuff is important when it comes to clothes, if you consider that the average American throws away 70 pounds of textile waste each year. Yes, really.

Try a thrift shop where someone’s grandpa may have deposited a treasure trove of damaged denim. Back in the day, we used to scour vintage clothing stores to score the perfect pair of broken-in Levi’s 501s. Now, we pay top-dollar for manufacturers to dump chemicals into washes that eat away at the denim until it rips and tears–just like life used to do.

However, with a little know-how and ingenuity (not to mention significantly less cash), you can still find a genuine, planet-saving pair of broken-in boyfriend jeans. Here’s how:

1. Get a measuring tape and take down the number that corresponds to your hips, not your waist. That’s the size you’re going to look for. Forget about the length—as long as you’re rolling, it doesn’t matter.
2. Now hit the thrift shops. You want jeans that are soft from years of wear, preferably a pair that comes with the indent of a tin of chaw in the pocket. Try the Salvation Army or your local no-name resale where someone’s grandpa may have deposited a treasure trove of damaged denim that won’t cost you an arm or a leg.
3. Take some time to filter through the racks and try on anything that looks like it might fit—no matter what it says on the label. (They lie.) Use your measuring tape if you can’t eyeball your size.
4. Got a pair? Great! Cut off any extra length that might inhibit your wrap. Consider razoring a few strategically placed rips and tears. And always–always!–wash before you wear.
5. Then rock the jeans loose—with the waistband at your hips—or belt them like Madonna in “Desperately Seeking Susan” (I’m totally dating myself) with the classic fold-and-wrap peg at the ankle.

Add a pair of stilettos and some attitude and you’re ready to go. Boyfriend optional.

Photo: Sartorial Gravy