Can you really wear white jeans after summer?
Yes, and the idea that you cannot is one of the last surviving fragments of a rule most people no longer follow in any other part of their wardrobe. The practical caveats are weather, not etiquette: pale trousers and heavy rain, muddy paths or a long train journey are a difficult combination, so choose your day. On a crisp, dry autumn afternoon they look better than almost anything else.
How do I keep white jeans looking clean?
Treat marks the same day rather than letting them set — a little washing-up liquid worked gently into the spot with cool water handles most food and drink accidents before they become permanent. Wash them inside out on a cool cycle with other whites, skip the fabric softener, which dulls the fibres over time, and dry them away from direct heat. If they start to look grey rather than dirty, an oxygen-based whitener used occasionally does more than simply washing them hotter and harder, which mostly wears the denim out.
One outfit to start with
If you want a formula that needs no thought at all: cream straight-leg jeans, a fine black or chocolate knit tucked loosely at the front, a brown leather or suede ankle boot, and a long coat in camel or navy. Add a gold chain or a scarf if you like. It takes four minutes, it works for the school run and for lunch, and it makes the rest of your autumn wardrobe look considered rather than resigned.
