How much distress is too much distress?
I distinctly remember the day.
I was driving into the office on a Friday, second-guessing my choice of distressed black jeans with a large rip in the knee. Too late now. I was almost downtown and I had a 9 am meeting. A couple hours later, my boss told me the president of our organization was worried about me. My boss responded to him, “Why?” The president said, “One of the knees in her jeans is all ripped up. Did she fall?”
Ha! Yes, it’s funny. And yes, it’s a true story. So when it comes to the office--even if your office is business casual every day--how much is too much denim distress?
Taking a cue from my now laughable mistake, here are a few recommendations.
Try a pair of jeans with a raw hem.
But even then, be careful not to go too far. Some current trends are really raggedy.
TOO MUCH
These 7 For All Mankind jeans are my favorite at the moment, but are a little bit too much for the office environment.
JUST RIGHT
These budget-friendly KUT jeans are a bit darker and have even darker stripe down the sides of the legs, elevating the look just a touch. These are a past season style, but I’ve linked to some similar ones.
Keep the distressing subtle.
Shy away from large hols and too much distressing all over the legs.
TOO MUCH
Multiple holes on both legs makes these appropriate for out-of-the-office only. Even with less distress, try to stay away from holes at the knees.
JUST RIGHT
This pair of Frame jeans are perfect. They are a dark grey with no holes and just subtle distressing by a front pocket and side of thigh, along with a raw hem.
Try a touch of distress in your denim jacket.
Dark denim is more dressy than light denim, so I lean that way for the office. If you’re going light with the denim jacket, I’d avoid the distressed all together.
TOO MUCH
This is a double-whammy. It’s not only overly distressed, it’s oversized as well. Keep this look for your nights and weekends.
JUST RIGHT
I love this Kut jacket from my closet. Like the jeans above, it has very minor distressing and a raw hem (no holes. Again, the darker color brings it up a notch.
