How to rock a pair of colored skinnies

tell me what you think about the colored skinny jeans for fall. i think you mentioned you bought a red pair? what will you wear with them? what kind of shirts does one wear with brightly colored skinny jeans? and will you wear them with heels? as a very short, in shape but not stick thin, girl i just had the courage to buy my first pair of skinnies, but they're in gunmetal grey. i wonder if the bright colors would not work on my short curvy size. oh, and i live in NY so it's a little easier to get away with things here.

Before I make any recommendations, I think it's important for everyone interested in investing in a pair of brightly colored skinny jeans to understand two immutable facts, the first of which is that no matter what you do up-top, this look will never be anything more formal than what I like to call, "edgy casual." Sure, there are gradations within this category, with a retro t-shirt and flats on one end of the spectrum, a classy-sexy blouse and stilettos on the other and Rachel Bilson's fringed-boot and transition-tee look (above, right) falling somewhere in the middle, but unless you work in a trendy hair salon, a bar, a contemporary clothing boutique or a very liberally-run Manhattan PR firm, you must come to terms with the fact that your skinny jeans, if red, blue, green, purple, teal, yellow, or even typically pedestrian white, will never grace your place of work during business hours.

The second point is the more contentious of the two and involves my oft-encouraged notion of honest body self-evaluation.

Dark trousers, whether they be wool, linen, corduroy or denim are everybody's best friend for the simple reason that they encumber both you and outsiders from being able to view below-the-belt imperfections. Cellulite? Paunch? Lumpy bum? No problem, just slip on the black pants or dark wash jeans and problem (relatively) solved.

Brightly colored skinny jeans are an entirely different story. By definition, the skinny style is meant to be tight -- not fitted, not sorta-snug, but tight. When you add in the dimension of shocking color, the tightness requirement leaps up a notch to painted-on tight. If left even a bit baggy, the hip look for which you were aiming falls squarely into "Is she wearing tapered jeans?" territory, which is every stylish young woman's Mom-jeans nightmare.

So, to the reader who in yesterday's "your-legs-aren't-that-good"-free-for-all left the above comment/question, if you're curvy in a Penelope Cruz kind of way, then yes, I'd say go for it all the way. If, however, you find yourself choosing skirts, shorts and pants based on how well they minimize the size of your thighs or bottom, I would step away from the colored skinny denim altogether. A person who wears bright purple or (ahem) bright red jeans is a person who invites reactions, and if you aren't completely confident in how you look in what are essentially a pair of super-tight leggings, then there's no need to indulge in this trend.

And now, onto the recommendations.

If your super-skinnies are bright, clearly, the best way to achieve a polished look is to temper the tightness and attention-grabbing color with waistline-blousey silhouettes in neutrals like these in nude, navy, black, white, black and white, muted metallic, ivory and grey. Or, as I have done in recent weeks, pair your denim with a neutral cowl-neck tunic and cinch it loosely with an understated wide belt. With a more casual, urban ensemble like Fergie's (above, middle), you can add other dashes of complementary color (I wouldn't recommend too much of this, but to each their own), but if you're goal is upmarket chic, I suggest the former.

As for shoes, anything goes. Well, not flip-flops, wedges or espadrilles, but only because I personally think they're unpleasant to look at. When I wear my red Rich & Skinnys, I gravitate toward sky-high and simple, both in style and color, but boots, pumps, sandals, flats, slim trainers -- they all have the potential to work well.

I'm usually loath to use the "confidence is your best accessory!" chestnut, but in this case, with jeans this bright and this tight, I will endorse that sentiment but with a slight amendment:

When wearing colored skinny jeans, confidence in how tight your ass is and how killer your legs look is not just your best but most necessary accessory.