I gotta say, I have seen some Italians who look really, really good in the sport coat and jeans look. (In Italy, natch.)

I think in this day and age there are dressy jeans that go with dressy shoes, and non-dressy ditto. Especially for women, but men, too.

I think we can safely ignore pretty much everything Hamilton Nolan asserts, most particularly when it comes to fashion (or finance, for that matter, or, again, everything).

I think sports coats are perfectly cromulent with jeans. If that guy had meant suit jackets, I'd have agreed with him in many (male) contexts. Totally not sport coats.

I don't like the idea of dress shoes (typed hoes there at first) with jeans, but I'm sure some people (and/or designers) could pull it off.

Man, I feel sufficiently sick that I would go home, but I called in a prescription to the pharmacy near work (which I haven't done in about a year) for four o'clock, SO.

dress shoes (typed hoes there at first)

I pictured high class call girls there.

Man, I used to wear heels with sweat pants and I thought I was stylin'

It was the 80s, of course. That may have had something to do with it.

As in denim, or the same shade in any fabric?

Apologies for the delay -- I came back from a meeting to find an emergency.

Same shade, any fabric. And not just with blue jeans, it's any color clothing unless it's a suit. I just don't like the way I look if my casual pants and casual shirt are the same color.

It's called the Zion Curtain

Interesting. Now I'm mentally checking the restaurant/bars I've been in here. One I can't picture it, our table was in full view of the bar, but maybe the other part of the restaurant had an obstructed view. The place I ate last night definitely hid the bar.

I've worn heels with my jeans and definitely black shoes of various styles.

I had a horrible dream last night that someone had broken into my hotel room and was taking my stuff and talking to me about taking my stuff, but I refused to get out of bed to deal. Ummmm. Kinda panic inducing wake up from that one.

more than one person states strongly that men shouldn't wear black shoes (or belt) with blue jeans. I had never even heard of that. Is that supposed to extend to extremely rule-following women as well?

When I'm wearing blue jeans, I try to make my shoes and top coordinate. As in, a predominantly black or grey top gets black shoes, not brown.

Brown shoes can go with virtually any non-black, non-grey top.

Now I'm thinking this is wrong. But I just can't see black sweater, blue jeans...brown shoes. No. Just no.

If that guy had meant suit jackets, I'd have agreed with him in many (male) contexts. Totally not sport coats.

I think I posted here when my great-grand-boss asked for information about what the person he was meeting with was likely to be wearing? I googled some pictures and told my boss "suit but no tie," and she was about to pass along "sport coat," and I was like [slo mo] "NNOOooooooooooooo!!!!" Those are not the same kind of jacket!