Photographed by Atisha Paulson
So, now that the weather's shifting, and it's time to add some sharp layers on top of your favorite jeans, we turned to Ms. Gould for a little guidance in this department. The lady delivered. After whipping out her Old Navy Rockstar Skinnies (complete with a fetching tuxedo stripe), she took us out onto the NYC sidewalks and schooled us in the finer points of fall fashion with three street-style-worthy looks for all fall occasions. Click on for a free lesson in layering.
Photographed by Atisha Paulson
Okay, this one's a cinch, folks. But there are a couple granular details we want to highlight in this sweetheart pink-and-blue ensemble. First off, note that by keeping all other colors in the pink or neutral area, Gould was able to make her jeans truly pop. Frankly, the look might have been too girly if the color of the jeans was any less bold. The pattern-on-pattern thing she's got going on is actually a little harder than it looks. The wrong tones and we'd be in clash city (and not in a good way). By keeping that blazer a lighter color than the shirt and the jeans, it all balances out. The fact that the jacket is collarless is only to the look's benefit. Also, with a smaller jacket like this, make sure your shirttails run longer (or way shorter) than your top piece's hem. It'll tie the whole thing together.
Old Navy The Rockstar Tuxedo-Stripe Jeans, $36.50, available at Old Navy.
Photographed by Atisha Paulson
Denim on denim. Rawr! Now that it's layerin' time, maybe we should do a quick refresher on general denim-matching theory. Generally, this can go one of two ways: Either you match your rinses and washes as closely as you can and go for the trucker-tuxedo look. Or, stick to completely contrasting colors, and get a balance like this. While we like both, contrasting washes are easier to pull off simply because you'll have more options in your closet. So, basic rule of thumb — either make sure your denim pieces are practically twins, or make sure they're polar opposites. Note that by picking a patterned top that doesn't match either of the two pieces, Gould was able to balance them, instead of emphasizing one over the other and creating an unwanted visual asymmetry (you got that?).
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Old Navy The Rockstar Tuxedo-Stripe Jeans, $36.50, available at Old Navy.
Photographed by Atisha Paulson
And, finally, we have this — a look topped off by a jacket that's literally a galaxy of colors. Now, this ensemble would look okay matched with any old pair of jeans. The fact that the space-age heels match the space-age jacket is a wonderful extra. But what really pulls the whole thing together — and creates an arrow pointed from the jacket right to those shiny, shiny shoes — is that one little tuxedo-stripe detail on the jeans. It pulls the black from the jacket and the shirt and brings it all the way down the legs. The lesson here? Try to make your jeans do more than one thing at a time — after all, they work for you.
Old Navy The Rockstar Tuxedo-Stripe Jeans, $36.50, available at Old Navy.