5 Ways to Wear Coated Denim: From Work to Weekend

Blogging, and life, do not come with an unlimited budget for buying clothing, travel, accessories, skincare, etc., nor does every single brand I wear send me free clothing.  I wish. I posted an Instastory about my current, and very real, addiction to PopChips, and voila, a giant box of PopChips landed on my doorstep.  If that happened every time I wore a brand, I may not be writing this post.  (Revolve, Faithfull the Brand, Rebecca Taylor, Parker,  where are you guys? )  While I have been fortunate enough to work with some amazing brands that send me complimentary clothing and accessories, I do have a budget like everyone else and I want to wear things in my closet more than once, even it has been posted to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat.

The more intricate a piece is, the less I feel I am able to wear it multiple times. I’ve talked to enough women that have all expressed the same thing. I definitely need and want to wear clothing more than one time.

Coated denim is not intricate, but it does make a subtle statement so I am sharing a few ways to style this to give the look an instant update and take you from work-to-weekend and day-to-night.

Mix and Match with 6 Key Pieces

I incorporated six pieces to give the jeans a different look and feel. The changes are subtle, intentionally. You don’t need to break the bank to get multiple looks from one item.  I am wearing a white v-neck.  Linked here. It’s one size, has a good texture,  and maintains it’s shape.   I added in a white blazer, a faux fur vest, a black button-down, and a chambray shirt (all linked below).

Investment Pieces

You’ll notice, I have on the same Hermes belt in almost all of these. Linked here.  This was a splurge, but I wear it all the time. It’s reversible from brown to black, and it’s a classic piece.  Mixing in a few high-end accessories with lower-priced pieces, or more casual items is the best way to tie a look together and give it added polish.

I tied in two bags: one that I use all the time. It’s a higher-end piece and I’ve linked it here. And the second is a fun accent piece, similar linked here. I don’t have a ton of bags because I am definitely a creature of habit.  I will typically swap out my everyday bag for a clutch like the one I have shown for dinner. As a busy mom, I just don’t have a lot of time to switch bags daily, and neither do busy twenty and thirty-somethings and so forth.  You might not be chasing down children, but you are definitely racing from place-to-place.

Coated Denim for Work

I paired this look with a blazer because it tones down the coated denim. With the sheen of the denim and a simple t-shirt, the blazer is a must so this look will feel more formal and work appropriate. This certainly will not work for every office environment, but if you work in a more casual office, this is an easy polished look. A black or grey blazer would also look great with this. I would steer clear of cardigans or bomber jackets since that would be too casual for the office but would be perfect for dinner.

It is Okay to Wear Black & Tan Together

I’ve mixed back and tan/brown together with the shoes and belt. A lot of people do not love the combo, but I’ve always loved it because it looks stylish but effortless.

Day-to-Night Casual

For this, I am wearing all of what I had on for the work look, minus the blazer.  This is an easy, simple, casual look, and is a go-to for me.  While I am technically wearing a t-shirt and jeans, because I have on coated denim and booties, along with the belt and fun clutch, it gives the outfit a more upscale look than if I had on traditional denim and t-shirt. The accessories are key.  Add in a different bracelet, fun chandelier earrings (linked a pair here),  cute clutch and the outfit can easily take you through the day.

Chambray All Day

This is an easy weekend look or casual dinner look. I love chambray and coated denim together.  It pairs down the coated denim, but the jeans still give it an extra edge because of the sheen, making it work for day or night. You’ll notice the belt is the same but reversed.  I added black booties and a cross-body bag.  Not a lot of changes between any of the three looks shown.  You don’t need to have a huge wardrobe but get a few staples and swap accessories and shoes.  If you love chambray as much as I do, take a look to see it paired with traditional denim.

All Black Coated Denim Look 

For spring and summer, you will almost always see me in red, white or blue. Come fall and winter, it’s black and grey. I could live in all black for those two seasons. There is something about all black that always looks fantastic. It’s slimming, it’s polished, it’s a no-brainer—you actually don’t have to think to make this work, and you likely have some variation of this already.  I have on a very inexpensive button-down that I love and have in multiple colors. It’s the best fit and the fabric does not wrinkle.  I swapped out the booties for a fun pair of heels to give this look a twist and a little pop. I would wear this to work or dinner and a date.  This is a go-to and does not require a lot of effort.  For a bag, the clutch I had on above works, or add in a clutch in a fun pop of color like red or a bold yellow, stripes or camo.

Winter Weekend

The only difference between this and the first two looks shown is the vest. Any faux fur vest will work.  Brown, grey, black, multi-colored, or a solid Bordeaux. This outfit is great for Apres Ski, but if you don’t ski or Apres, this is still super cute for a night out with the girls or a date night.  It’s simple, easy, and chic.

For more on this trend, check out Huffpost. They shared a bunch of other ways to wear it.