Denim has been a style trend I’ve seen crop up in department stores much more frequently than in previous seasons. From the never out of style classic denim jacket to button down denim shirts. It’s a simple, clean, and all-American look anyone can wear, but is it possible to make yourself a fashion victim by wearing the look wrong? Is matching denim with denim really as bad as some fashion critics say it is?
I personally used to match denim with denim when I was growing up. Mind you, I was a young girl who didn’t know any better and my mom didn’t see anything wrong with matching the two together. I still see my mom wearing her denim jacket with her denim jeans if she decides to wear an outfit like that for the day.
As I got older and read somewhere that matching denim with denim isn’t the way to go, I thought back to when younger me used to do that with her own clothes. The picture in my head was anything but flattering. There was something about matching the same color denim or the same material together as really wrong and weird. It’s like matching a polka dot shirt with polka dot pants. No one wants to walk around looking like you’re a clown ready for the circus in that style scenario. Matching patterns with patterns is considered overkill in most cases.
Denim is clearly not a pattern but material that can come in all sorts of colors, from acid washed blue to black. You’d think with something as plain and simple as denim would be a no-brainer to match together and not leave you looking like you committed one of the seven evil sins of fashion.
I read a few fashion articles and blogs recently talking about how very possible it is to match denim together when you do it correctly. One of the tricks I’ve read is not to match the same colors together. A bit of contrast will help balance the look nicely without making it seem like you’re a hillbilly who didn’t know how to dress themselves this morning.
I haven’t personally worn denim with denim in my own daily style since my own fashion faux pas years ago as an innocent little junior high girl who made questionable fashion choices back then. To this day, I’m still skeptical to pair the two together. If I wear denim jeans, then my jacket has to be a different material or not denim at all. I’ll wear a skirt and blouse and be perfectly comfortable throwing on a denim jacket for those cooler spring days.
Being much more conscious about my fashion choices has made me wary to try anything that’s too bold or just didn’t work for me in the past. I’ll go on to say that denim matching just isn’t for me, even if there are now suitable ways to make the look work for just about anybody.
What’s your opinion about denim matching? Would you do it or avoid it?
simpleek 
A don’t mind a denim jacket with jeans, whether they’re close in color or not. But, as with the Britney/Justin picture, too much denim really is *too much* denim. The one thing I can’t quite accept are jean shirts. I’m fine with a jean jacket, t-shirt, and jeans; add in a jean shirt and you’ve entered into “too much” territory.
I avoided jean jackets for many years because I just didn’t like them. But then I received one as a gift, and now it’s a Springtime staple for me — I wear it with everything, from casual to work to a night out! However, I don’t really see the jacket as an integral part of an outfit as much as something to keep chill away.
Too much of anything is never a good thing. Usually a minimalist approach to what you wear is much better, I think. While I did focus more on wearing a denim jacket and matching it with denim jeans, shorts, etc. I was also thinking in terms of wearing a denim shirt with denim jeans. I actually don’t mind denim shirts. I don’t own one, but I think it’s a good look if you find the right color and style.
However, I’m still uncertain if I want to try denim matching. My own experience with it as a kid has kind of scarred me for life.
*Shudder* I, too, wore matching denim back in the little girl years, and I absolutely adored overalls, which I’m not sure falls into the same category. I still can’t make myself try out the matching denim look despite its return to popularity, though I admit that there are plenty of people who are able to pull it off in a cute way–usually by contrasting colors of denim.
I understand your reluctance all too well! I guess because I look back on it and realize how much I botched up the look severely. Now when I picture myself doing it again, I feel like I may make the mistake of looking fashionably challenged in it. You have to admire other people who manage to make certain popular trends work for them.