How to Style Black Skinny Jeans

Cardigan

This first outfit is pretty easy; you just need to grab a gray turtleneck (I've gone for a sleeveless one, but you can go for one with sleeves if you like) and throw either a black cardigan or a black and gray cardigan over the top. The finished look is both very cute and super cozy (and who doesn't want to be wrapped up nice and snug in soft cotton?)

Blazer

For this look, your blazer doesn't necessarily have to be plaid, but you definitely want one that's not structured and has more of a loose tailoring. If you wear a structured blazer on the weekend or during the week when you're not at work, then it might look a bit too dressy. When choosing a blazer, definitely don't go for a plain black blazer; make sure that it has some color or has some type of texture or pattern to it. That way, it will make the black pants look a little less dull, and it will add something to the outfit. Especially because I'm wearing it with a black shirt, you have to have something else to contrast the top. I really like this outfit, the white of the plaid pops, and it contrasts nicely against the black.

Leather jacket

This third outfit is one that I had fun with. I love this leather jacket. I've had it for a long time, and I feel like I don't wear it enough, but I definitely should because it's super cute. I especially like the red lining on the inside - it adds a little flash of red to an outfit. I added this striped shirt to go with it just to add a little something extra to the outfit so that it's not just black on black. Brining some gray in makes it less matchy-matchy. Since this leather is obviously a different material to the black jeans, it adds a contrast to the outfit that I feel like you really need with black jeans. The different textures stop this outfit from looking bland.

Denim jacket

For this last outfit, I added some color. Just a little bit, but just enough. I'm wearing a denim jacket. Any style guide that shows you how to wear black pants will include a jean jacket because that's just basic styling. Jean jackets are really cute to wear with black pants because if you wear blue denim with blue denim, it can look a little 2006 (not that you can't wear denim with denim, it just has to be the right type, and sometimes that's hard to find). I've added in a striped shirt underneath. This is more of a tunic-type shirt, it is very long, and I feel like that adds something to the outfit that makes it a little bit different from a regular denim jacket and black pants look.

Here I’ve tied the jacket around my waist to cinch my waist in, and the long tunic top creates nice proportions.

Those are the four looks. Like I said, super easy but all very fashionable. It’s good to have a lot of basics in your wardrobe that you can just throw on when you’re getting dressed in a hurry. Many of the items featured in this lookbook are also very easy to mix and match, so you can have fun pairing different tops with different outerwear. Which of the outfits do you like the best?