Hemlines Part 1: Flat Shoes

Where should your jeans hit?  Should they brush the floor?  Should they show your ankle bone?  Is it okay if there's some scrunching?  This will be the first post in a series of posts regarding hemlines.  I'm on the short side (5'2") so unless I actually come across great petite styles, I'm forced to constantly hem my jeans.

Let's see some examples of where your jeans should hit while wearing a flat shoe.

Jeggings

A little too much scrunching for my liking, especially at the knee, but I'm pretty sure these particular jeggings were worn a few times before taking this picture so they're pretty stretched out!

American Eagle Dark Indigo Jeggings

Jeggings

Perfect amount, just one or two small scrunches at the ankle.

.American Eagle Dark Indigo Jeggings

Wide Leg/Trouser

These are perfect.  When wearing a wide leg pair of jeans, you want them to just hit the floor.  You also want to make sure you can see your shoes peeking through just a bit.

7 for all Mankind Bell Bottom (not available anymore unfortunately)

Bootcut

Again, these should just brush the floor in the back.  One scrunch/fold is okay in the front.

Citizens of Humanity Dita Petite Bootcut

Straight Leg

With a straight leg, you want it to just cover your ankle.  Unlike the jegging where you can get away with crunching, straight legs will just look ill-fitting if there's scrunching at the ankle.

7 for all Mankind Straight Leg

If you have any questions, or would like me to give more examples for hemlines with flat shoes, please comment below and I will try my best to respond quickly.  Also, if there's a specific type of show you'd like me to show examples for Part 2, please let me know!

These will NEVER be okay.

A special thanks to a Miss Molly for passing this along to me...

Pajama Jeans

While some clothing combinations are acceptable and recommended, like the Snuggie, Pajama Jeans just NEVER will be.  I mean seriously, people? Check out my jegging post below and at least be stylish about comfortable pants!

Gifting Jeans...

So the holidays are rapidly approaching and the anxiety of gift giving has arrived!  To gift or not to gift denim?  My suggestion, only gift denim to close friends and family that aren't easily offended.  There's way too many people out there sensitive about their size (myself included at times).  So if you know the person's exact size then by all means...if not, skip the denim gift and maybe clothing gifts all together.

If you are going to give the glorious gift of denim, here are some suggestions:
1.  Purchase them from a store/website with a lenient return policy.
2.  Provide a gift receipt.
3.  DO NOT be offended if the recipient doesn't like your gift...remember, you're most likely just as picky about your denim.  Denim is very personal!
4.  When in doubt, size down.

Happy Holiday Shopping!

Jeggings...Day to Night

Same jeggings as my last post (same day too) for a night out!  I think the scrunching at my ankle is just the right amount for a high heel.

The World of Jeggings.

Jeggings (denim leggings) are HUGE right now.  I know most women out there pick up a pair of jeggings in the stores and say to themselves: "hell no!"  I know this because I was one of those women, so was my mom.

Putting my skepticism aside, I finally gave in and tried on a few pairs.  And by a few, I mean 10.  Let me tell you, if you haven't tried a pair yet take Nike's slogan and JUST DO IT!  I advise you to try on all different brands, washes, and sizes.  These days I've been rocking size 26/27 in denim.  At first I went straight for 27's because when you hold a pair of jeggings up, they look like they're made for toddlers!  You could imagine my delight when I realized I needed to size down.

I tried on jeggings in store by brands such as 7 for all mankind, Citizens, and J Brand.  I finally found a pair that fit my body type perfectly and proceeded to go home and find them online for a cheaper price.  My dream jeggings were from Citizens of Humanity, one of my top denim brands.  They're the Avedon Slick Skinny in Azure wash, shown for purchase here.  I also ordered the Absolute wash shown here.  This wash was not very forgiving on my legs at all.  Still very comfortable but they weren't for me.  What makes the Azure wash so comfortable and slimming is mostly the material they're made with.  Any stretchy jeans that have more synthetic materials than cotton such as rayon, spandex, cupro, or lycra, are going to be soft, stretchy, and comfortable.

Sidenote--> By the way, this website Revolve Clothing is one of my favorites for ordering jeans online.  There's free 2-day shipping, free return shipping, no tax (in most states I believe), and I can always find a coupon code.

My original idea was to get these to wear tucked into boots.  I had a feeling that I wouldn't enjoy the skin tight look from my hips all the way down to my ankle.  But to my disbelief, I absolutely picture myself rocking these with a nice tunic and pumps to go out at night.  Besides the fact that these jeans surprised the hell out of me at being super slimming, they are SO COMFORTABLE.  I'm telling you I could take a nap in these bad boys.  They're unbelievable.

Some options for styling these jeans (Citizens of Humanity Avedon Slick in Azure):
For everyday casual wear:

 If you're wondering what any other items are that I'm wearing please don't hesitate to drop a comment and I'll be sure to answer you!

7 for all mankind...friends and family sale!

This probably shouldn't be my second post, BUT...for my one follower as of now....7forallmankind.com is offering 40% off! Enter code 7FAMFF10 at checkout.

You're welcome. =)

And so it begins...

Well, hello worldwide web. I've been dabbling in starting my own denim how-to blog for quite some time now. I think I have finally built the courage and know-how to begin!

What your going to find on Our Blue Genes is basically just that! I'll be keeping you up-to date on all the current denim trends, up and coming denim designers, celebrities in denim, and most importantly how I style myself in denim.

I've always had a hard time looking at celebrities and models in denim and trying to figure out how it would look on me...and I'm sure I'm not the only woman out there that feels this way! I would find jeans I like on a website then proceed to google them and try and find different models wearing them to get a better idea of how they fit on different body sizes and shapes. What I came across was the SAME EXACT model body type for every photo! I thought, well this isn't helping. There needs to be something out there where REAL women can go and see how jeans look on REAL women. How REAL women wear their jeans.

For starters, I know that all the women out there don't have the same body that I do...BUT as I progress down this blogging road I hope to eventually style and post other women. So for now, follow me along this blogging journey and let's see where it takes us!

P.S. I'm also going to try and provide links to purchase the jeans (and sometimes other items in my outfits and found on celebrities) I discuss and show.  Of course there will be an added bonus if I can find discount/promo codes to share...