Light-Wash Jeans Always Look More Expensive When Worn With This Elevated Basic

When I think of denim washes that look expensive no matter what you wear with them, light-wash jeans don't make the cut—in my opinion, at least. They tend to look more casual and less polished than darker washes. That said, there are things you can pair with light-wash jeans that actually do make them look quite expensive, and Zendaya just wore one of them.

This week, while out and about in Favignana in Italy (the Sicilian island where she's filming The Odyssey), Zendaya opted for a pair of straight-leg light-wash jeans, and she made them look just as expensive as their darker-wash counterparts. Her trick? She wore them with a basic that elevates casual outfits in an instant: a car coat. Also known as a mac coat or a single-breasted trench coat, car coats were initially given the name back in the early 20th century because they were designed to protect your outfit from the elements while riding in an open-top car. These days, owning one for that purpose certainly still works, or you can just wear them to make your light-wash jeans (and everything else) look expensive.

Keep scrolling to see how Zendaya styled her black car coat and shop trenches of that style and light-wash jeans to wear with them.

Zendaya wearing a black trench and light-wash jeans in Italy

(Image credit: CIAOPIX/COBRA TEAM / BACKGRID)

Zendaya wearing a black trench and light-wash jeans in Italy

(Image credit: CIAOPIX/COBRA TEAM / BACKGRID)

On Zendaya: Bottega Veneta Curvy 53MM Cat-Eye Sunglasses ($405); Loewe Pebble Pouch Bucket Bag in Calf Leather ($1850)

Shop Car Coats and Light-Wash Jeans

Allyson Payer
Senior Editor

Allyson is a senior editor for Who What Wear. She joined the company in 2014 as co-founder Katherine Power's executive assistant and over the years has written hundreds of stories for Who What Wear. Prior to her career in fashion, Allyson worked in the entertainment industry at companies such as Sony Pictures Television. Allyson is now based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and is originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She holds a BFA in theater arts. Her path to fashion may not have been linear, but based on the number of fashion magazines she collected as a child and young adult, it was meant to be.