We often turn to women over 40 for top-notch sartorial advice given their experience fine-tuning their wardrobes over the years. In fact, for a bit of denim inspo, we recently covered the exact jeans celebrities over 40 swear by in their day-to-day routine. On that note, we wanted to take it one step further and focus on the general items this set of women have paired with their favorite jeans to create chic and effortless looks.
To do this, we sourced past imagery of some of the coolest style setters out there—including Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington, and Cindy Crawford—to show us what fashionable items look A+ with denim. What you’ll find is that many of the pieces in question really do all skew on that "basics” side in that they’re highly versatile and simple to pull off.
Keep scrolling to uncover the seven essentials women over 40 wear with jeans. And while many of us aren’t wearing a ton of jeans right now, the looks in question are definitely worth saving for inspo later.
1. White Button-Down Shirt
On Cindy Crawford: Saint Laurent bag
The classic white button-down shirt is a spring 2020 staple. It also happens to work just perfectly with skinny jeans worn on its own or with a blazer.
2. Trench Coat
On Katie Holmes: Reformation Jackie Ultra High-Rise Wide-Leg Jeans ($138); Wardrobe.NYC Trench Coat ($1138); Dorateymur Ankle Boots ($570); Zimmermann top
An outerwear staple amongst celebrities? The trench coat. You simply can’t go wrong with a trench and wide-leg denim combo for a sleek fit.
3. Short-Sleeve Knit
On Kerry Washington: DemyLee x J.Crew sweater
Cute yet cool, a short-sleeve sweater is seasonally appropriate and is a chic alternative to a classic T-shirt with jeans.
4. Blazer
On Jennifer Aniston: Chanel bag
A blazer—whether cropped or oversize—brings a refined quality to any denim ensemble (including an all-black look like this).
5. Oversize Crew-Neck
On Reese Witherspoon: Mother The Dazzler Ankle Straight-Leg Jeans ($127); Veja Sneakers ($150)
A-listers like Witherspoon stay comfy and chic with a simple outfit pairing, including an oversize crew-neck, jeans, and white sneakers.
6. Cardigan
On Mindy Kaling: Tory Burch Jessa Metal-Heel Pumps ($458)
A multicolored cardigan looks flawless with just about anything, but the celeb set seems to be all about cool printed iterations with timeless skinny jeans.
7. White Sneakers
On Julianne Moore: Adidas Stan Smith Sneakers ($80); Loewe bag
As showcased on a range of the stylish ladies in this story, white sneakers seem to be one of the top shoe silhouettes paired with jeans for an effortless feel.
Next, check out the best pieces to wear with flared jeans.