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Please don’t look away now if you have not the slightest interest in white jeans. Give me the time it takes to read a couple of sentences – and then make up your mind.

So. Do you want to look rich and famous (or affluent and glamorous if that sounds better) and in the loop – all for roughly £30?

And if the answer is ‘Yes, of course, but what’s the catch?’, there is none: you just have to erase all your preconceptions, because a pair of white or cream jeans is your ticket to First Class fashion in the summer of 2025.

Now that I’ve got your attention, let me elaborate.

Two things have changed since you last considered white jeans. Firstly, stealth wealth style (aka quiet luxury) has dripped down from the Gwyneth Paltrow classes to us mere mortals, and now white, cream and light caramel clothes are something anyone can wear.

We’re all buying into the understated smartness of beige trench coats and tan suede jackets and loafers, and white jeans (or trousers) are the key building block of a stealth wealth-leaning wardrobe.

Before, we rather assumed that white was only for the rich. But all that has been solved by easy-wash, drip-dry, no-need-to-iron denim and building up confidence that wearing pales is possible. White jeans are the stealth wealth shortcut every woman can carry off.

Secondly, up to now the fashion-conscious ways to wear white jeans have been pretty limited. The options have been either Liz Hurley in the south of France (tight and bootcut over wedges); American aristocracy – Jackie Kennedy via Gwyneth Paltrow (cropped cigarette-style with flat sandals and a plain T-shirt); or La Parisienne (looser fit, boyish, with a Breton striped top and a blazer).

 

Now white jeans go anywhere that blue jeans go. They count as every day wear – not just for holidays and hot weather – and they can look chic for the office and smart for evening. Blingy and flash they are no longer.

If you like indigo denim but you want something 25 per cent more glamorous, expensive-looking and fashion-forward (Phoebe Philo did white and black jeans in her last collection; note, no blue), then a classic five-pocket jean in plaster white is what you should be wearing now. Dull white is the colour that blends most easily, not glow-on-the-dancefloor 1980s white.

Lastly, the old truism that white jeans are unflattering is no longer true.

They’re not awful because the ones we’re wearing are not tight, don’t have stretch and are much lighter, though never see-through. A good pair of white jeans is as easy to wear as blue ones, and, for reasons I can’t quite work out, I’ve always found them more flattering than black.

Philo’s cost £850, but you’ll find similar five-pocket styles at H&M (£27.99, 2.hm.com) or Mango (from £35.99, shop.mango.com) or Marks and Spencer, whose straight legs (£25, marksandspencer.com) are selling well. 

That said, I’d pay a bit more and go for M&S’s classic wide leg (£45) with a permanent front crease – because it’s smarter and therefore more versatile.

For now, avoid anything flared from the knee, cropped or frayed and keep them plain. No embroidered pockets.

The look is (as well as relaxed and slouchy) a fraction over-long, so the hems break on the front of your loafers or black thong sandals. And always wear with a plain leather belt – which instantly makes any pair of jeans look more expensive.

In the day you’re wearing your white jeans with a striped shirt; a buttoned-up plain cardigan in biscuit brown or primrose yellow; a cream crew-neck sweater with a light trench or a boxy brown suede jacket. What makes white trousers look new is wearing them with a softer palette and steering clear of navy (too familiar) and bright colours (too summer-at-the-beach).

For evening, try a top in a contrasting texture: a cream silk tie-neck blouse would look good or a pouf-sleeved knit top. And as for footwear, a toe-post leather sandal or a midi kitten heel will do the job perfectly well.

High wedges and white jeans is old white jeans style. Sophisticated modern-day Gatsby is what we’re after.

You may prefer white trousers, in which case high-waisted, crisp and wide in the leg is the way to go, and I like Zara’s ecru cotton style (£35.99, zara.com) with carpenter front patch pockets. You can wear these in the evening with Zara’s long-sleeved fine knit metallic jumper (£29.99). And best of all, you can still put these in the washing machine.

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