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Tina, here.

It's Jeans Week on the Style Blog! Which means you're going to see right here all week real women who are real sizes showing us how to wear jeans, for every size and shape (and age). We love the jeans we're wearing and we're showing you why. You'll see yourself on these pages, from Barbara's Fabulous Over Fifty favorite jeans, Francie's best picks for Hard To Fit petite and curvy frames, and I'm showing you how I wear my favorite jeans today. Can you guess what they are?

My faded bootcut jeans  are my go-to jeans (aside from white jeans duh).

We don't sell jeans. Around here, we're real stylists who look at thousands (literally thousands) and try on hundreds (literally hundreds) of options, run them through our filters, and the ones that pass our tests are the ones you see us wearing on the blog and adding to the collections you can shop inside your Vault and your Complete Vault. We save you from the endless and often fruitless cycle of googling, buying, returning, and starting all over.

I am feeling very smug these days since the fashion tide has turned back to the bootcut. They call it a flare jean, but same diff. Since Day One around here (back when we didn't even have a website or a style blog or an online shopping service) we were in and out of closets all day long preaching the salvation of bootcut jeans. You know why they are the most universally flattering shape on any woman? Science. Yes, science.

Bootcut jeans are fitted through the hips and thighs, and slightly flare from the knees down. It's that flare around your calves that make them appear leaner and longer. Gap used to have a pair of bootcut jeans called the Long and Lean - it was our favorite pair for so long (they discontinued it - the nerve!), and we had to convince women to ignore the name and just try them on because they weren't created for long and lean shapes; they were designed to give you a long and lean shape. The wider leg opening also creates the illusion of a smaller waist and overall an hourglass shape.

And guess what? Bootcut jeans are a classic choice that happen to be on trend this season, so now's your chance to stock up on a few pairs. Can I just say how excited I am that we have more choices than just skinny jeans? Hands up! But since I know some of you will enter slowly into this new territory of the bootcut and flare, I'm also showing you a straight pair of jeans. There is a HUGE caveat with straight jeans. They look HORRIBLE unless you do one thing: show your ankles.

Straight jeans can wind up making your legs look like tree trunks. What we want is to create a beautiful shape, and wearing the right clothes can give us the shape we may not have. So if you're stuck with some straight jeans, cuff them like the image on the right. Seeing that ankle is like showing your wrist or neck - it's a flattering touchpoint.

But this is really the shape you want:

See how the slightly flared leg balances the thighs and hips? The flare of the leg corresponds to your thighs and hips, and height. So, the more petite you are, the less flare. The taller you are and the wider your hips and thighs are, the more flare you can pull off, which will create balance.

I love wearing my faded bootcut jeans out to dinner with what we call a "going out top." Faded jeans are more casual than darker rinse jeans. (Style Vault members and Complete Vault Insiders can shop my jeans collection which has plenty of outfits with both faded rinse and dark rinse jeans. There's even a collection for petites and curvy gals.)

The jeans are the yin to the fancy top's yang and you get that dressy/casual vibe that fits our culture now.

I'll definitely pull out my high heels with my bootcut jeans, and if I'll be walking (or dancing!), a platform is even better, for more support. Can you wear flats with bootcut and flare jeans, you ask?

It's all about the shape of the toe. If your flats have an almond or pointy toe (almond will be more comfy), then, yes, you can wear them with your bootcut jeans. I have different pairs of jeans hemmed for flats, cowboy boots, and heels.

But here's that other pair of jeans I am really into right now. Cuffed Jeans like above.

This is a great outfit for what I call a "City Day," like for that fall girls trip to New York or Nashville. When you'll be on your feet a lot and need a good walking shoe with a cute outfit that can go to lunch or dinner.

Dark rinse jeans are my choice because they look a little nicer. My jeans are cuffed just above my ankles, safely away from the evil capri zone.

Who knew that Roger Vivier would experience a renaissance? We certainly didn't when we visited the prettiest little shop in Paris and were entertained by Inès de la Fressange. That was several years ago during one of our Paris Shopping Trips, and I became a fan instantly of this boutique fashion house. Apparently Roger Vivier is all the rage now. I've bought a couple pairs on consignment, which is the way to go since they can be très chère. But a stacked flat is soooo great for a city walking shoe. You get a little more support than a completely flat shoe, and it just looks nicer.

I've always got a pashmina or lightweight jacket I can throw on if need be.

Thanks, my friends, for bearing with us through the first month of a new website. We sure do appreciate each and every sweet note you've sent letting us know how much you love it. We're so glad you do :)

Best,

Tina

P.S. If you'd like to stay in touch with my posts, you can follow me by going to my bio page and seeing everything I've written: https://yourstylevault.com/author/tina-adams/