Wearing the same colour and wash of denim on both top and bottom is a fashion faux pas. Too cowgirl and awfully matchy-matchy. You’ll look like you’re wearing a denim suit, which is not so fab.

But if you mismatch the denim pieces, so that the top looks entirely different to the bottom, you’ll get away with wearing them together. For example:

  • Match black, or dark blue denim jeans with a faded blue denim top or jacket
  • Match any wash of blue or black denim jeans with a white denim jacket
  • Match white jeans with a blue or black denim top or jacket

These combinations are fashionably acceptable, but no longer my cup of tea. I guess I overdosed on the look when I wore it to death in the 90’s. Over the last 10 years I’ve been big on wearing ensembles with contrasting textural interest, which means keeping my outfit to one denim item only.

But I’ll admit that with 90’s trends resurfacing, it might be fun to revisit the trend. As long as there is a new twist. If not, it’s one item of denim at a time for me.