Great, Simple Things to Wear with Jeans

Before I get to today’s subject, a quick reminder that I’m having a SALE at The Only Jane. All jeans, jackets, and sweatshirts are 50% off. Use code: SUMMERSALE to apply the discount at checkout.

Today’s post is a somewhat random list of things that are exceptionally good and deserving of our attention. A few of them I’ve mentioned in passing already. When I found myself wearing nearly all of them together with my Bob jeans last week, a little light went off. What if I took a moment to appreciate each of these simple, trend-less pieces individually? Here they are, in no particular order (but maybe my favorite one is first)…

I bought these Prada shoes in London last month and thought I’d save them for fall, but…impossible! I couldn’t wait. They make my feet look very flat and the scrunchie heel feels really nice. When the weather cools, I’ll wear them with a very thin, panty-hose-like sock, in navy or black, and black jeans or these pants. My plan is to treat/style them as I would a pair of my other die-hard white lace-ups: Stan Smiths.

There are other shoes like this on the market, if the Pradas aren’t your speed. These from Freda Salvador look super soft, these from J.Crew are currently on sale, and these from Tory Burch are like a boat-mocassin-Venetian-slipper hybrid.

It adjusts so beautifully for coverage and visibility. From Jenni Kayne, I like that the bucket part keeps its square shape, while the brim moves about. I wear it all the ways I’ve shown below (though top right is probably the most practical and where it ends up landing when I’m not thinking too hard). There are seven weeks still left of summer. We’ll get good use out of this one.

I rarely wear nail polish, but god it’s fun typing a newsletter if my mains are manicured. When Celisse sent me this little kit with all the essentials – including a Quickcoat in the palest, sheer-pink and an extra-extra glossy top coat so gooey, it’s like molten glass – I made the time to do it myself.

The kit comes with a little instruction book that’s very specific and easy to follow. (Believe me, I read it, and when it said to wash my hands with soap and water after buffing – who knew? – I listened, especially since I’m smitten with my hand soap.) I think it turned out pretty well! Like hiking, getting a manicure is one of those things that doing always leaves me wondering why I don’t do it more. Maybe now I will.

This week I saw two women whose style I admire wearing sets that made me curious. First was Alissa in white cotton gauze pants and a matching blouse from GAP. Then Joan, the coolest grandmother at my kids’ school, wore Sleeper’s Louis Chinoiserie pajamas to a dinner, inspiring all the middle-aged moms at the party to reconsider the potential of stylish sleepwear in our lives. (The Sleeper set also comes in seafoam green.)

I did not know that Oprah named Vee Collective the ‘Best Overall Travel Tote of 2026’ when I took mine on a two-week trip to Europe last month. But man, I see why! The style I have is spacious, lightweight, and easy on the shoulder. It has a bunch of organizational pockets inside. I know that canvas totes rule the summertime, but Vee Collective, made of 100% recycled and vegan materials, has my heart right now. (And yes, I’m tardy to the party on these, but better late than never.)

OK, it was a quick one this week. Back to sale-ing! BTW, if you’re interested in buying something from the sale and have a question about fit and sizing, leave it in the comments. It could help others. I’m here to assist. Thank you for reading and subscribing and trusting me with your jeans… and travel bags and more. As always, Denim Forever.

Jane

More good links…

The heat had me looking at dresses (gasp!), and this one got me dreaming of wearing with these underneath.

I talk about True Botanicals a lot. I trust their products and have used many of them for more than a decade. Sometimes, when I’m working from home, I skip the sunscreen and lather my face in the Chebula Active Serum so it can work on my wrinkles while I work on this letter. (I also feel that wearing it when I exercise in the morning makes my skin look extra-glowy all day, though that’s not something it promises.) Anyways, as part of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, TB is offering 2 bottles of this serum for the price of one, here.

It’s crazy how much attention this Paige top gets when I wear it. Like Sandy at the Rydell High School fair (the look and the wow-response). In black, as seen in this post.