Are Colored Jeans in Style in 2024 & Can You Wear Them After 50?
Hi Deborah!
Are colored jeans in style and appropriate for a 50-something woman?
I love color, but I don’t want to scream desperate like I’m trying to be young. Plus, they only seem easy to wear if you are a size two. How do I pull off this look?
Thanks! Trish
Hi Trish,
Colored jeans were very popular a few years ago and are having a bit of a resurgence, but a few things about them have changed.
First, long, skinny-colored jeans like I’m wearing above from a few years back, have been replaced by straight and wide-leg styles. Cropped-colored jeans are also more current.
You may have also noticed the new colors that are in style. You can still find a few light-colored jeans, but for 204 most colored jean are saturated pastels and cheery brights.
For example, look at these updated peach jeans I bought from Amazon. The peach is more saturated, they are straight leg and they’re cropped.
Red jeans, which used to be extremely popular and took a lot of confidence to wear, have pretty much disappeared. Instead, we’re seeing intense, clear spring brights in green, orange, purple, yellow and pink, like these pink, cropped straight leg NYDJ jeans I’m wearing below.
Trish, If you want to wear colored jeans, go for it! There’s no age limit on these. It’s all in the way you style them that will make your outfit look chic or cheap.
Colored jeans add a fun touch to your wardrobe and are great in the summer when you want to look sporty and youthful.
To Look fabulous in Colored Jeans:
Wear Colored Jeans Designed for Your Body Type
Many women worry that colored jeans will make them look fat since they can be rather bright, but when you find the perfect style to suit your body type, this really isn’t an issue.
Most everyone looks good in straight-leg or bootcut jeans, and if you have a large bottom half, go for a wide-leg jeans to balance you out. Stretchy colored jeans flatten your belly, slim your legs, and lift your bottom.
Style Colored Jeans in a Flattering, Modern Way
What you wear with colored jeans can make a big difference. To tone down the pants, wear a neutral-colored top. This will make your colored jeans outfit look less loud and more sophisticated.
Or try a monochromatic look—tone-tones and shades of all one color from top to bottom to look tall and slim in colored jeans.
Own the Look!
If you are going to wear colored jeans and feel self-conscious, take a pass. You must enjoy wearing color and feel confident to pull off this look.
More Ways to Style Colored Jeans this Summer
1. Mix with Prints and Other Bright Colors
Wear a print that picks up on the color of your bright jeans. Or, color block your outfit by wearing one bright color on top and a different bright color on the bottom. For example, a bright blue top with bright pink jeans (dramatic types love this high contrast look).
2. Add a Chic Jacket for a Cool Look
A chic blazer in a neutral shade tones down bright pants and makes you look polished.
3. Incorporate Sporty Stripes
A striped top with colored jeans had a modern, sporty look. Sporty equals youthful.
4. Pair with a Denim or Chambray Shirt
Denim and Chambray shirts are trending. Mix with colored jeans for a laid-back, casual summer look.
The Final Word on Colored Jeans
No matter what you wear them with, colored jeans are a great way to try something fresh and different for summer.
Color is energy, and energy is life, so pull on a pair of colored jeans, get out there, and have some fun!
Fabulous after 40 has affiliate partnerships. We receive compensation when you click and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. So, Thank You!
Thanks, Deborah! I love all of these looks……..& your informative, fun posts.
Lynne
I love the oxblood bootcut jeans you show on this page
Is it alright to pair flat red shoes with a plain navy blue blouse?
Hi Shirley,
Sure, red and blue go great together.
I like the idea of a neutral (or, in my case, black) jacket or top with bright jeans. My fav look is the orange ones with the striped top and neutral jacket.
Great post! I agree about the confidence factor.
I’m 42, and I recently got a pair of Wyatt turquoise skinny jeans via Belle & Clive (Bluefly’s private sale site). At first, I had the confidence to wear them–but now, when I wear them, they make me feel confident! Funny how that works sometimes :)
Hi Heidi, That’s so true. Sometimes new styles take some getting used to.
I might be persuaded to wear red jeans. My younger sister, also 40-something, recently wore paint splatter jeans. I felt they were something she saved from when we were teenagers. LOL.
Hi Elle, red jeans are hip and fun; splatter jeans sound too young. We think your gut feeling on this topic is right on!
I love this! Colored jeans aren’t just for teenie boppers! These women look great in colored jeans!
Hi Ladies,
I’ve just discovered colored jeans by Fabrizio Gianni and think they are fabulous. Super fit and soft and comfy.
Ha–I think the only color I haven’t tried is orange. I’m 57!
Hi Terri, Well, not all colors look good on all of us…some look great in orange, others horrific, so don’t worry if you don’t like it! However, you just might too…
Great post… I love my red LOFT jeans; they are skinny without being SKINNY.
What a fabulous article! An ad to google ‘colored jeans after 40?’ and your super fantastic article popped up. It is written clearly and honestly, and I am now inspired to go to the mall and try on several different styles and colors to see what looks best. Thank you for your article:-)
Hi Deb,
Thanks so much for posting this article. I have purchased a pair of bright reddish skinny jeans, and I have yet to wear them because I have been waffling about how to wear them and with what shoes. The photos in your post have inspired me, and I’ll bust them out this weekend!
:)
Check out the “broken in chinos” that Gap just got in stock. (check out the website where they have pictures of the various colors) They come in several spring colors, like nautical blue, mango, pale pink, etc., none of them too bright or gariflashyThe fit is excellent, and they can be rolled up into crop pants.
Colored jeans look great if you have great legs and are not pear-shaped. I am slim, pear-shaped, with awful legs, and I can never wear colored pants even though I am definitely under 40. However, it is nice to see that there are options for other ladies that will add some pop to their outfits. I only have one pair of red, slightly flared track pants that are nice that I wear occasionally, but as soon as I hit 40, I have to give them away.
I’m rocking colored jeans, and I’m 48. They are working for me!
I’m funny. I think skirts and pants should be in solid, neutral colors like brown, navy, black and white or olive green for khaki. Color jeans seem to garnish. This has nothing to do with me being over 40; I have always felt this way. That said, they look fabulous on the first lady. Orange and black? It makes me think of Halloween.
Great article and I’m inspired now to try these out, having seen all the great combinations and ideas! Loving this website, girls; at last, some funky cool looks for women still in good shape over 50!
I had a lunch and movie date today. I wore red jeans, a black & white striped shirt, black leather jacket with black flats. I received many smiles and compliments. I’m a size 2, and I’ll be 60 in July.
I was excited to hear some bootcut red jeans were out there, as I’ve been looking for a pair for a few years. I took a look at Zappo’s site… LOL $169! I can buy some carbon fiber for my Ducati at that price. Not too sure I care enough about fashion to stay on this mailing list after that! Thanks anyway.
They look good on the ladies in these photos. But I am still going to give them a pass. This is when “never wear something the second time it comes around” makes sense to me. Wore red jeans and turquoise jeans for the first time. Still have horrible pictures to prove it. And I weighed 15 lbs less then than I do now.
I’m 51, 5’10” tall, and I wear a size 14, but I wore my skinny red NYDJ proudly with a Tucker/flowy blouse in a darker color print in Chicago last weekend, and I think I looked GREAT! (oh, and leopard print Tory Burch flats–a perfect touch of my style).
Thanks so much for this post. I’ve been wondering about wearing colored jeans as a woman well after 40. I do have a straight figure and skinny thighs, and I love love love skinny jeans — just got a pair of jeggings and felt like I finally found something that fits in the thigh! So this made me think that maybe the color is a possibility. I want to find something slightly less bright than red — maybe orange or a dark peach (NOT pastel).
I love this post. You have provided so many ideas on how to wear colored jeans. I am 51 and will be purchasing a pair this spring for sure. Now I know what to do with them.
I just purchased a pair yesterday. Now I have some great ideas on different ways to wear them. Thank you for keeping us up to date :)
This is a great help for many women! I love the colored jeans. Also, I own red skinny cords and love them! I am 42 and believe the trends can fit into any age. I will wear my colored jeans with a sweater jacket or pretty blouse! Thanks and I love coming here!!!!!
Great Post!
Thanks for sharing. Age does not matters but personality matters a lot :-) enjoy colour jeans :-)
Thank you so much for answering my question! You did so much more than that …. you gave us the tools and info to decide if
colored jeans are a good option, no matter our size/age.
I appreciate your response. And I thank you for all the inspiration!
I am 58, 5’7″, slim and shapely. I also am trendy and don’t look my age. I like colored jeans; I have a bright blue pair, a subtle shade of red with black in them, and I plan to get turquoise. So far, I have paired the jeans with a plain black top, which looks really good.
Jolie, I love that you pair your colored jeans with a neutral. It makes the look more refined. Please send us a photo of yourself. I’d love to post it.