Before we get into that all important question of how old is too old to wear boyfriend jeans, I feel we need to start by defining just exactly what a boyfriend jean is.  Lately I’ve noticed that if jeans are rolled at the bottom, everyone calls them boyfriend jeans.  I’m pretty sure, however, there is a fundamental difference between a true boyfriend jean and a slim legged jean that is rolled. Curious about my presumption, I googled “how to wear boyfriend jeans.”  I always browse the pictures that come up first because I can learn a lot just from paying attention to how women are wearing “boyfriend jeans.” What I determined is that some sites differentiated between the two types and some did not.

So here’s my take.  A boyfriend jean is by nature your boyfriend’s jean. What I mean by that is the look should be slouchy, like you are wearing men’s jeans.  The important thing to remember when trying this style is that the slouchy style of jean requires a slim fitting top or tee to balance the whole look.  Avoid legs that are too wide to roll.  You definitely don’t want to try to roll a boot cut jean.  The resulting roll will be too big and too sloppy (see the top pic on the right).  Stick to straight or narrow legged styles that have a beat up or distressed look and a slouchy fit.  The bottom of the roll should hit your leg at the top of your ankle bone or one roll shorter.  Too long and it looks like you are waiting for a flood.  Too short and it looks like you are wearing capris.

A slim legged jean that is rolled is an equally cute look. I liked this picture from howtowearboyfriendjeans4 because it shows several types of rolled jean looks.  The true boyfriend jean is the one on the top right because it has that worn in and looser fitting look.  All of these styles were considered boyfriend by this site, but as I have already argued, I’m not sure I would agree.

So, now that we have that clarification, let’s talk style and age.  Any one can wear a clean, slim legged jean that is cuffed to an ankle length.  This is a timeless style that can be dressed up or down.  Remember that with an ankle jean, you always want to wear some type of heel, even if it is just an inch high.  A little height from your shoe will help the ankle length seem intentional.

As you start to get closer to the true boyfriend, slouchy, beat up jean, things get a bit more tricky.  The simple truth is the more “distressed” the jean is (the more beat up patches and holes) and the slouchier it is (loose fitting, almost oversized), the younger the jean will be.  In my opinion, women aged 60 and over should maybe avoid wearing very distressed and slouchy jeans.  This does NOT MEAN you have to avoid this trend!  Opt instead for patched holes or minor abrasions.  Ladies in their 40’s and 50’s can pull off jeans with holes, but the holes and distressed patches need to be placed appropriately-like at the knee rather than upper thigh, as an example.  Also, women in this age bracket might want to avoid large holes in their jeans.  The whole knee being blown out, for example, is too young of a style.  Ladies in their 20’s and 30’s can go for it; wear distressed all you want!

Be prepared! You will pay top dollar for your already worn out jeans!  For women in that older category, this will be annoying! Just remember, the trend doesn’t work if the jeans look like the beat up places came from lots of wear. This trend is about the jean looking like it is new and intentionally distressed!  And, I have to add, my boyfriend jeans are MY FAVORITE jeans to wear because they are so comfortable.

So ladies, get in there, if you haven’t already, and get wearing this trend!