What to wear instead of "dress down" jeans?

[Ohthepressure]

I have just started a new job and unlike the places I've worked over the past 5 years, dress down Friday doesn't exist and I am being denied my weekly denim fix.

Now, I'm no double denim devotee, I'm mid 40s, conservative (with a decidedly small c) dresser, but I did love my 5th working day involving nothing more complicated than smart, dark blue, non skinny / ripped jeans and a reasonably smart top. My boss is adamant that the dress code is "corporate" but she turns up in leggings and a tunic FFS, and on a Tuesday! I am not usually client facing (and if I were, 90% of them would be dressed down too) and it's a relatively small corporate arm of a not for profit organisation.

What can I wear to subvert the no jeans rule which will feel as, I don't know how to explain it, reassuringly encompassing and simple as smart jeans? I'm in Australia, hence jeans are more of an option at this time of year but, quite frankly, working in air conditioned offices for me means jeans are fair game on any day below 28 degrees.

Help? Oh, and feel free to suggest UK brands, I am visiting the UK in a couple of months and can try out then (it'll be August, shops will be full of Autumn/Winter by then surely!)

[Ohthepressure]

Oh, I'm 5'6", size 16, bit of an apple shape (unless there's a more oblong rectangular fruit shape comparison)

[DelphiniumBlue]

I often get away with non-faded black jeans and call them trousers. As I am also an apple shape, I find a jeans cut is in fact the only trouser shape that works on me. Chinos or similar don't work for me. Never been pulled up on it.

[Chipsahoy]

I second black jeans. Also worn grey at work with no troubles. I wear them with smart shirts. I don't have a corporate dress code though, merely smart casual

[HundredMilesAnHour]

We CAN wear jeans on Fridays but I've worked in so many places where jeans weren't allowed on dressdown day (it was "business casual") that I would never wear them anyway.

My go-to outfit is leather leggings with a casual (jersey material) dress over the top. This is often my travelling outfit too. Really comfy, easy to dress up with the right jewellery/scarf/shoes etc and doesn't crease. And if it's hot, just remove the leggings and voila! (very handy when flying from somewhere hot to somewhere cold or vice versa).