Last year, Vogue’s Alice Newbold declared that “boring street style is the best street style,” and nothing proves this more than the ultimate celebrity-doing-errands uniform – straight-leg jeans and loafers. It’s a double act you’ll see in every airport terminal and coffee shop from London to Los Angeles – “an outfit to live in, not pose in,” as Newbold put it.
It’s what celebrities wear when they want to look normal – an antidote to all that peacocking that has to be done in the name of promotion. Although in many ways it’s simple and unremarkable, it has that effortless, thrown-together California look that drives the denim market.
With an outfit like this, it pays to be precise about fit and focus on the finer details. A ’90s straight-leg silhouette has been dominating in recent years – Agolde’s ’90s Pinch Waist Jeans receive adoration in fashion circles for a reason, while Levi’s 501s are deeply woven into pop culture. Starting as a practical working overall in 1873, they have been tweaked over the last 152 years, with straight-leg silhouettes defining the current Levi’s look.
As for the loafers, you can keep it classic with a leather Gucci Jordaan or Duke + Dexter structured Penny loafer, or add a twist with a backless slipper-like style, the boat shoe iterations that are trending thanks to Miu Miu or a sophisticated woven leather style that no one does better than Bottega Veneta. For more everyday styling inspiration, see how the likes of Dakota Johnson, Alexa Chung and Julianne Moore are styling their jeans and loafers below.
Levi’s + Penny loafers:
High-waisted, straight-leg jeans + backless loafers:
Classic blue straight-leg jeans + off-beat loafers:
White straight-leg jeans + brown suede loafers:
Turn-up jeans + logo-adorned loafers:
White jeans + raffia loafers:
Cropped jeans + quilted loafers:
