Outland Journal

It may be spring with summer on approach in the southern hemisphere, but Bec Isijanovski argues jeans are your passport to indisputable style all year 'round...

Recently a staff member here at Outland Denim (who may or may not be me) found herself in Rome battling 41-degree heat. In what felt like a humid, dusty sauna of a city, this traveller wore a pair of jeans. Not a playsuit, not a summer dress, not a floaty bohemian skirt, and not shorts and sandals like every other human melting in the city. No, she donned a pair of black skinny jeans and a loose white tee.

There were no regrets, it has been reported. While sweat was dripping down the legs of her fellow travellers and Roman countrymen alike, she found herself to be just as hot but less sweaty than those around her. Moral of the story: if it’s hot, you’ll be hot in jeans or shorts. Don’t let your style suffer!

It’s worth saying that when you’re dealing with 40+ degree heat, some smart choices need to be made. If you are of the lady ilk, your best option to go with jeans is a loose fitting tee, balloon sleeve blouse or light-weight shirt for airflow paired with Romanesque sandals or strappy espadrilles for your feet. 

A shirt that you can tuck in or tie in the front is always aesthetically pleasing, particularly if your jeans are high-waisted, but a cropped tee paired with a mid-rise skinny jean is on trend, too. The 90s-inspired camisole-over-tee look has made a comeback, but the layers might literally stifle your style, so keep this look for evenings or the office.  

For men, it’s not the 90s or early 2000s anymore: keep that shirt loosely fitted (an oxymoron? let's go with "slim-fit") and just long enough to cover your belt loops or to tuck in at the front to showcase a belt. The neckline can make or break your look. Never a deep V. Never. As far as shoes go, try the sockless look with a brogue, loafer, Converse sneaker, desert boot or derby, but don't forget to cuff your jeans.  

If you’re really feeling the heat, skinnies ripped at the knee are an obvious choice as far as airflow goes. The takeaway idea should be this: jeans are okay 100% of the time, no matter the clime. Especially Outland Denim jeans.* 

*Sneaks in shameless promotion.