Zara Tindall's blue jeans, boucle jacket and comfy trainers are an elegant spring combination you can rely on

Spring is here but it’s still too soon to break out the sundresses and sandals, making jeans, a jacket and trainers the perfect combination to see us through to the warmer weather. It’s a reliable formula that can be tweaked to suit different occasions and Zara Tindall’s take on it is worth checking out.

As much as we all love the Princess of Wales’s style, Zara’s outfits are often a lot more low-key and easy to copy, including this one from 2025 at the Badminton Horse Trials. She stepped out in Citizens of Humanity barrel-leg jeans with a Fairfax & Favor boucle jacket and white trainers.

Barrel-leg jeans are still a big denim trend for 2026 and if they’re not for you, I’d recommend sticking to something more timeless like straight-leg jeans.

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They’re more streamlined than wide-leg jeans and the straight up and down cut works well with a huge range of different shoe and top options. Zara Tindall’s denim was on the subtler side of barrel-leg anyway, so there isn’t a huge difference in shape.

She chose a mid-blue wash that I firmly believe is one of the most versatile tones to go for with denim. Indigo jeans feel more formal and very light jeans are more casual, so something in between gives you a lot of scope for dressing your jeans up or down.

Your jacket choice helps too and the equestrian royal championed one of her favourite British clothing brands with her boucle design. Her Fairfax & Favor collarless jacket was neat and minimal alongside her jeans and was a slightly more cool-toned blue.

These types of jackets bring understated glamour, perhaps because the boucle style is so closely associated with Chanel. Monochrome hues will complement any look, but paler colours work best with lighter denim as they’re less of a stark contrast.

She finished off her Badminton Horse Trials outfit with Fairfax & Favor platform trainers with the navy and denim chevrons. The best white trainers are equal parts comfortable and chic, and Zara Tindall’s gave her a small amount of elevation with the platform.

Until sandal season comes around, trainers are many people’s most-worn shoes and leather ones like hers are practical in unpredictable weather. If the King’s niece had gone for a different jacket, the rest of her outfit might have looked a little too relaxed for certain occasions, though the structured smartness of a boucle design works wonders.

It’s all about balance when it comes to finding the most wearable and put-together combinations and Zara Tindall knows this very well. Proportions are also worth considering closely. If your jeans have a looser leg shape, fitted, cropped jackets help accentuate the waist. When you’re styling fitted jeans, an oversized or waist-length jacket would be a great option.

This is the approach Zara has taken before when she’s been spotted out and about in jeans - which admittedly isn’t a huge amount! It just goes to show how much she genuinely loved this combination that she wore it last year to such a high-profile equestrian event.