Everyone is familiar with the classic all American uniform – a pair of lived in jeans with a buttoned-down shirt. Think of any Levi Strauss & Co. print ad and the whole high-waisted jeans with a thin belt paired with a fitted dress shirt and it’s probably the first thing that comes to mind. This iconic American outfit has been dubbed as the classicly cool uniform that everyone’s got to wear at least once. And with this whole mom-jeans and boyfriend jeans trend that’s been circling around, it’s been easier than ever to make the all American uniform comfortable.
I’m all for comfort and I almost always try to find jeans that have a bit of a stretch in them. Almost. Sometimes when it comes to raw denim, there isn’t much of a stretch. But that’s the trade off that you get for getting pure raw denim that isn’t a blended with other textiles.
When it comes to the classic uniform, I like to wear it a little bit dressed down. Undone if I could say so myself. Ripped knees? Check. Unbuttoned shirt? Check. Half-tucked in shirt? Check. The only way to put it all together without looking like a complete bum would be to pair it all with a pair of simple strappy heels. Why heels? Why not? The loose fit of the jeans combined with the relaxed cut of the shirt can kind of be overwhelming on my tiny frame.
So without looking like I just rolled out of bed or have cramming overnight last minute for an exam, I decided to go with a pair of heels to help elongate my legs underneath such a baggy silhouette. But heels can sometimes steal the show, and I wanted all of the focus to be on the modern day twist on the uniform – nude ones were the right choice.
Albiet the perfect outfit, the simplicity of it all begged for some accessorizing. No summertime outfit is complete without the right pair of shades, so grabbing a pair before I left the house was a must. Keeping in line with the whole “classic” aesthetic, I went for the obvious aviator silhouette with thin frames that wouldn’t steal the scene as well. I’ll save my thick cat-eye frames for another day.
I’ve also been waiting for the perfect outfit to wear my geometric loop necklace as well and just knew that the unbuttoned neckline of my pressed shirt would compliment it nicely. Allowing the lower triangle to drape somewhat deep into the neckline was perfect for also creating the illusion of height – vertical lines are everything when you want to appear taller!
After test-driving this outfit for the first time, it’s safe to say that I’m comfortable with wearing a “uniform” anyday if the uniform involves these pieces! Mom jeans and buttoned-down shirts here I come, because I’m completely okay with wearing these “old-fashioned” pieces as long as it looks this good and feels this great!
Dress shirt – GAP | Jeans – Garage Clothing (similar here) | Belt – AEO (similar here) | Heels – ZARA | Sunglasses – N/A | Necklace – The Exhibit
