Chambray on Denim for Fall (without looking like a late night talk show host)

Don't get me wrong...

I had the opportunity to meet and even get a picture with Jay Leno. He was quite nice and friendly to me and my family. He only made one small crack at us for being from Tennessee. Apparently, we Tennesseans don't know what running water is. It was all in fun, however, and I thought he was quite nice.

His denim-on-denim look...not so nice.

I remember denim shirts were a thing for awhile when I was a kid. I may have had one at some point.

Until the 90's happened and they weren't...

Once 80's trends like chambray and leggings were done, they were DONE. They were so not cool. Then you better not dare show up at middle school wearing something like stretchy legging pants. You needed to get with the program and start wearing Jennifer Anniston hair, mini-skirts, jeans, overalls, and plaid everything.

I may have been the kid who wore leggings and other 80's-ish clothes past their prime. With a little peer pressure, I catapulted my wardrobe into the 90's and never looked back.

When leggings came "in" again several years ago, I had a hard time accepting them. I remembered all too well the feeling of being "un-cool" for wearing them too late into the 90's as a 7th grader. I had closed that door a long time ago. How could I go back?

As they got more and more popular and my friends started wearing them, I finally broke down and embraced leggings again to get with the program. I actually like them again! I like them with sweater dresses or really long sweaters.

Then chambray came back in, and I have resisted thus far again.

Is it too 80's? What would I wear it with? Can I wear it with jeans without looking like Jay Leno?

In the meanwhile, it was getting more and more popular. I saw it in ads everywhere.

I saw this shirt at Target. It had a great pale color and the material felt soft. It was at a great price and I  decided I could take a risk on it. To get the over-sized look, I purchased it a size bigger than my usual size.

I was pleasantly surprised when I tried it on with the dark skinny jeans I had on that day. Later, I went home and tried it with an infinity scarf I recently got from Target as well.

And it worked. Enough so, that it inspired my first outfit post.

Shirt: Target
Scarf: Target
Jeans: Gap

Why do I think it works?

• Contrast - I copied a look I've seen in magazines - A very light top and very dark jeans. This breaks the two items up so that they don't run together. It also doesn't feel too "matchy-matchy".

• Accessories - Like all outfits, accessories will make or break the outfit. I chose an infinity scarf to add in more color and earthy jewelry. If you don't want to wear a scarf, jewelry could be a great way to dress up all of the denim and add a little polish. You could try a long necklace, a statement ring, or layered bracelets (probably not all at once!). As far as shoes, I wore brown flats. I've seen it done with sandals in the summer. I think short boots or close-toed wedges would be especially fun and trendy this fall.

Have you tried wearing chambray? How do you wear it?

-Amy

PS - a huge thanks to Brandon, who was nice enough to take pictures for this post. He also is kind enough to edit my posts with the most meticulous standards. He's one trooper of a husband to keep up with me!

I was not compensated by any of the above brands for this post, nor are they affiliated with this blog. I am simply sharing items I purchased for myself and love. 

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