The white jean.  A brave choice in the morning if, 1. you are intending to travel on London transport and/or 2. you are intending to eat that day.   Actually, even if you are not intending to travel by London transport and are infact walking, the white jean is still a bold choice in the morning – scrap that, just leaving the house in white jeans is a brave choice.   And forget eating, eating is definitely a no no.

Then add to this that white can be an unflattering colour, especially on the bum, tum and thighs and we’ve got a bit of a non-starter.

However, pick the right white jeans (and an effective bottle of stain remover) and they are a great summer staple.  Promise.

Mum and I are wearing different jeans, mine are from Whistles and mum’s are from COS.  For holding everything in and for creating a flattering shape, I would always go with a high waisted jean.  I also find it much more comfortable than a mid or low-rise cut.  

It is also incredibly important that you choose a good quality denim, particularly in white.   If it is a good quality denim then everything will be concealed under a nice thick layer of cotton and you will feel supported and not self conscious.

COS jeans are fantastic, the denim is always good quality and the cuts are flattering.  However as they are a Scandinavian brand, their jeans tend to come up quite long.  They are perfect for mum who is 5.7”.  I, on the other hand, measure in at 5.5” so tend to find that their jeans are a little long.

We have rolled the bottom of mum’s jeans as I think that it is flattering, particularly in a straight leg, to show some ankle.  Bare ankles in summer is always a good look.

I'm wearing a pair from Whistles.  I’ve found these jeans incredibly comfortable and really flattering.  I have a very sad excuse for a bum but in these bad boys, it doesn’t actually look that bad.  The frayed hem gives them a contemporary look.

Mum is wearing a jumper from J Crew and a jacket from COS.  (you will discover that Mum and I are big fans of COS) The jumper is a really great cut; slim but not tight.  They come in all sorts of colours – this pink is fab.  It is very easy to tuck in and so would be great with trousers or a skirt.  It isn’t that cheap but I think that it is the sort of thing that is worth investing in, particularly in the more versatile colours like navy, grey, black and cream.  I find that my clients often want to spend money on ‘statement’ pieces like tops and jackets but I think that its much better to spend money on the items that you wear every day, for example wool and cashmere jumpers in neutral colours and beautifully tailored trousers.  Then go to the high street for interesting jackets and trend-led tops – Zara always have fantastic pieces to add to good quality staples.

This jacket would look just as great with a thick wool, roll neck jumper and a pair of slim leg jeans or navy cigarette trousers.

My shirt is by Vale from ASOS.  I absolutely love the wide stripes, perfect for summer.  The colours are always flattering on a tanned body (which is somewhat lacking in my case).  But equally this shirt poking out from under a jumper in winter would look cool too.  You’ll find that I don’t like to buy anything unless I can think of a few ways that I can wear it.  It’s all about the capsule wardrobe people!

SUE

Jumper J Crew .  Jacket COS . Jeans COS . Shoes Crew Clothing . Earrings J Crew . Clutch J Crew

HANNAH

Shirt Vale at ASOS . Jeans Whistles . Trainers Adidas . Brogues Dries Van Noten . Sunglasses Whistles . 

Photography and Artwork by Alexandra Mooney