Older Men Wearing Jeans. Should older guys wear jeans? Or is jeans an outfit reserved for the young? By older we mean those in their 40s and above. And by young we mean those in their teens to their 30s? What say you FashionWatchers: are jeans a fashion No! No! when a dude hits the big 4 Oh?
Our take: Older men can still wear jeans. But here’s a rule you should live by: Your jeans should be the right fit. It should not be too long or too short. It should not be too tight or too loose (baggy). You might want to stay away from high-waist jeans (because they often come across as mom jeans). And, by the grace of God, you should stay away from those revealing low-waist/low rise jeans unless you want to come across as the male version of Dina Lohan (aka messy old lady trying oh-so-hard to be young and hip).
Oh, finally, pre-ripped or pre-torn jeans are silly, we throw shade at men (whether young or old) who buy them.
Ripped jeans? Ewww! Just because it’s on the runway does not mean that you have to buy this kind of atrocious jeans.
Some more helpful tips and guidelines to buying jeans for the older men from Real Men Real Style:
Meantime, British men’s designer Oliver Spencer agrees with us that ripped jeans ain’t for the older guy. He tells details.com, “I’ve found recently that older guys are wearing clothes that are far, far too small for them. There’s nothing worse than an [old] guy who’s very fashion-conscious but not in shape wearing small shirts. A 45- or 50-year-old guy shouldn’t be wearing ripped jeans or leather jackets. They shouldn’t even be wearing jeans that are all washed out—those are for kids.”
Should older men wear skinny jeans? Nope! Here’s French designer and A.P.C. founder Jean Touitou (who’s over 50) on the age-appropriateness of skinny jeans: “Skinny jeans. I can’t do it. Down jackets. I’m too old to wear them. It’s not very sexy. If I were a woman or I were gay, I couldn’t take the aging-rocker look. It seems it’s a trend because we do not accept death, apparently.”
If you can only have one pair of jeans in your closet, what should it be? In an interview with Reddit, fashion guru Tim Gunn suggests that “pair of dark wash jeans” is an outfit that a man should have in their wardrobe. Like this one:
Finally, here are some famous older guys who look cool in their jeans:
President Barack Obama and his Gap straight fit jeans.
Bruce Willis in his Ralph Lauren men’s classic fit jeans.
Tom Cruise in his Ralph Lauren jeans.
And George Clooney in his Levis 501 original.
