What to wear with these white(ish) jeans?

[Mr Tickle]

I'm fairly new to the practice of wearing light coloured trousers casually. Am I right in thinking it's best to stick to the idea of light down below/dark on top - to get contrast (as is usually recommended on here when talking about sports coats and tailored trousers) .
With that in mind does the light coloured shirt here not look great? Better to stick to the darker blue?
And what about shoes? Are the ones I'm wearing here too dark? Is it better to go for less contrast between shoes and trousers?

Also ... General thoughts on the trousers? I am experimenting with slightly looser fits than I am used to, having pretty much bought slim fit for the last 10 years, but having got bored with it recently. Are these good trousers? (I know they need to be shortened!)

Also

 

[pwbower]

I think the jeans fit well (maybe just cuff them if you don't want to hem) and the extra room gives them a more laid-back vibe.

And since they're neutral, they can go with just about anything—all of these fits look fine to me. Dark, light, play with it. Sometimes I wear light jeans with lighter shirts, sometimes I colorblock. I think if you were wearing a tailored jacket, you'd want to draw the contrast there. But casually, these are extremely versatile.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

I think light brown suede chukka boots would look sharp.

 

[Mirage-]

So-called straight leg (which is actually very gently tapered, usually) off-white jeans have actually become my favourite item of clothing in the last year or so, as they pair so well with both earth tones (dark browns and greens) as well navy, both casually (knitwear) but also with odd jackets (imo so much better than the "navy blazer on faded blue jeans" thing celebrities love to do).
After a (brief) slim/tapered phase, I decided it really wasn't for me and now actually am convinced almost no one looks good in it (despite the fact it's 90% of jeans sold by common shops).
I do think those are too long though, I would get them hemmed, since I don't like to cuff my jeans (prefer cleaner look, which is why I go for straight).
I don't think the light blue shirt works well (though the belt makes it slightly better than without), it's just too pale yet different colour. The other two looks, sure.
Also, imo dark (brown) shoes are fine, particularly with tops that are just as dark.

 

[Mr Tickle]

So-called straight leg (which is actually very gently tapered, usually) off-white jeans have actually become my favourite item of clothing in the last year or so, as they pair so well with both earth tones (dark browns and greens) as well navy, both casually (knitwear) but also with odd jackets (imo so much better than the "navy blazer on faded blue jeans" thing celebrities love to do).
After a (brief) slim/tapered phase, I decided it really wasn't for me and now actually am convinced almost no one looks good in it (despite the fact it's 90% of jeans sold by common shops).
I do think those are too long though, I would get them hemmed, since I don't like to cuff my jeans (prefer cleaner look, which is why I go for straight).
I don't think the light blue shirt works well (though the belt makes it slightly better than without), it's just too pale yet different colour. The other two looks, sure.
Also, imo dark (brown) shoes are fine, particularly with tops that are just as dark.

Yeah, I'm in the process of replacing all my slim-fit/tapered "staples" (blue denim, beige chinos, grey flannel etc) trousers with regular/relaxed fit versions. Taking the opportunity to upgrade the quality too as I go.
I know the trousers definitely need hemming/cuffing. Unfortunately my alterations tailor is booked up for weeks, what with everyone returning to the office at the moment.

Here's a couple of other outfits I tried to put together around the white jeans ...tried out a couple of tailored jackets too and I agree they look better than they do with blue denim. I'm interested in working out how to wear them with a tailored jacket but without a button-up shirt. Preferably not a roll-neck, either (not my thing). Would a polo and a shawl collar cardigan be a possibility?

 

[Mirage-]

Really like the first one. I've been looking for a suitable raglan coat for a while, but the vast majority are either too short, or belted, or the collar doesn't hold its shape. My ideal target is the *previous edition* Donegal coat from permanent style, which by the way Simon often paired with off white jeans and Shetlands.

 

[Mirage-]

I'm interested in working out how to wear them with a tailored jacket but without a button-up shirt. Preferably not a roll-neck, either (not my thing). Would a polo and a shawl collar cardigan be a possibility?

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To answer your second point, personally I like turtlenecks the most style-wise, but in practice I don't find them very comfortable (usually too hot to wear in over heated offices and shops, plus often tight and/or rough on the neck). You could go for a mock neck, which is slightly better at those problems, but often is on the other hand too low and you end up neither here nor there.
I don't think you can comfortably fit a shawl collar under the jacket, unless it's too big to begin with.
Many people go with polos, but I don't like it much, the empty space left by missing buttons seems weird to my eye. Maybe with more top-heavy polos like Yeossal's swallow collar, that absence is less obvious.
What I sometimes do is wear a polo collar knit, which looks nice in theory, though you will have to spend your day fighting the collar to stay where it should (or don't care, if sprezzatura is your thing).
Finally, for a very casual look you could experiment with knitted t-shirts, particularly the vintage inspired ones like those offered by the Anthology or again, Yeossal. I'm waiting for less harsh weather to try that look, in fact: in photos from the anthology it can often look great, but I think you need a very casual jacket, possibly unstructured and/or in cotton, else the absence of long sleeves under the jacket looks off.
Ofc many also like normal t-shirts with jeans and jacket, but I hate that look, it screams "Hollywood actor that can't dress himself without his stylist", to me.

 

[Mr Tickle]

To answer your second point, personally I like turtlenecks the most style-wise, but in practice I don't find them very comfortable (usually too hot to wear in over heated offices and shops, plus often tight and/or rough on the neck). You could go for a mock neck, which is slightly better at those problems, but often is on the other hand too low and you end up neither here nor there.
I don't think you can comfortably fit a shawl collar under the jacket, unless it's too big to begin with.
Many people go with polos, but I don't like it much, the empty space left by missing buttons seems weird to my eye. Maybe with more top-heavy polos like Yeossal's swallow collar, that absence is less obvious.
What I sometimes do is wear a polo collar knit, which looks nice in theory, though you will have to spend your day fighting the collar to stay where it should (or don't care, if sprezzatura is your thing).
Finally, for a very casual look you could experiment with knitted t-shirts, particularly the vintage inspired ones like those offered by the Anthology or again, Yeossal. I'm waiting for less harsh weather to try that look, in fact: in photos from the anthology it can often look great, but I think you need a very casual jacket, possibly unstructured and/or in cotton, else the absence of long sleeves under the jacket looks off.
Ofc many also like normal t-shirts with jeans and jacket, but I hate that look, it screams "Hollywood actor that can't dress himself without his stylist", to me.

Good suggestions. I like the idea of just being able to throw a tailored jacket on, on top of whatever I'm wearing, and use it as an everyday jacket, but the truth is, the limited range of clothing that it actually suits (button up shirts mainly) make it look too formal for most everyday situations. Like, it looks like you've just simply made too much effort for doing the school run, or grocery shopping in town, or popping to the pub for a catch-up with mates. This is possibly more true today than it was in the not-too-distant past - say 10 - 15 years ago when (it seems like) a lot of the Styleforum groupthink was forming. Take pocket squares as an example, look back a decade or so on here and the advice seems to uniformly be that a man in a jacket should accompany it with a square. Today the most frequent advice seems to be that this is too formal and even old-fashioned for most occasions.

 

[rjc149]

Sport coats are inherently dressy (or scholarly) as they are worn to dress up when a suit isn’t required. They aren’t purpose-specific, which, counterintuitively, makes them lack versatility. Sort of being neither here nor there, neither fish nor fowl, as they say. Too dressy for casual settings, too casual for formal settings. Unless of course, you want to be dressed up at all times when not wearing a suit, which means you need to embrace out-dressing everyone and standing out. I'm assuming that's something you've already embraced.

As for an everyday throw-on jacket, you could get something unstructured with patch pockets, like a tweed blazer, but they aren’t practical in chilly weather (sub 55 F) as you can’t really seal it up, and you’ll look like a professor or a career student.

As for the jeans, personally I think they’re a bit roomy and since you’re not overweight, you could pull off a more slim-fit look without sacrificing comfort. Just be careful with the ketchup.