Ditch Your Skinny Jeans! Denim’s New Relaxed Look Is Life-changing
High-Waisted
High-waisted jeans get a bad rap. They were the hottest denim style of the ’90s, but the “mom jeans” reputation in recent years meant that kids, young adults, and even “hip moms” would’t touch them in a vintage bin. Now those same receptacles are empty, having been cleaned out by early adopters of the old-new trend. But if your local consignment shop is sold out and eBay seems too daunting (or if previously worn stuff just gives you the heebie-jeebies), brands are producing the silhouette once again. The high waist is flattering — no more sucking in! — and can be worn both baggy and more fitted. Photo: Rex Images
Patchwork Denim
The new patchwork should not be confused with the arts-and-crafts look you might spy on Etsy. This is a very urban look and was championed by Tom Ford this fall. The designer mined the ’70s SoCal standby of patchwork denim and glammed it up with leather strips on boots and pop-art-like suede pieces on skirts, and he even reworked the quilted look on fur jackets. At Moschino, Jeremy Scott created geometric patchwork denim skirts and denim-blocked jackets trimmed in gold leather, which Taraji P. Henson’s character Cookie wore on a recent of episode of Empire. However, if looking too thirsty is not your style, fear not: There’s plenty of tame patchwork pieces out there. Photo: Adam Katz Sindig
Cuff Denim
Remember in the early aughts when fashion editors couldn’t get enough of cardboard-stiff, raw Japanese denim? It seemed like everyone was sporting extra-long stovepipe Helmut Lang or APC jeans and rolling up the hem halfway to their knee to show off the meticulously sewn inside seam. Well, it’s back, but this time it feels less serious because the denim is softer and the hem is actually taped. Go DIY, or buy it properly hemmed — the choice is yours. Photo: Adam Katz Sindig
Charlotte Russe
Charlotte Russe Refuge Ankle Skinny Destroyed Cuff Jeans, $25, charlotterusse.com
Diesel Black Gold
Diesel Black Gold Relaxed Crop Indigo Japanese Denim, $295, luisaviaroma.com
Midi-Length
On the rack, the midi-length skirt looks like something to avoid — unless you’re a longtime Holly Hobby fan or thinking of becoming a sister wife— see all of Chlo? Sevigny’s looks on Big Love. Anything with the term midi worries me— it screams neither here nor there. But when I saw that designer Victoria Beckham recently stepped out wearing a below-the-knee, above-the-ankle skirt, I decided to reconsider the Victorian-era shape — especially when it’s done in denim. Let’s call it prairie style at its hippest. Designer Rachel Comey did a denim version with buttons running down the front, while ASOS came out with a zipped-front one. Paired with a nubby crop sweater and booties, the midi skirt has evolved from a modest religious look to urban chicness. Photo: Adam Katz Sindig
DIY Denim
We can never fully escape the ’70s, and so this season the slashes and rips on your skinny jeans have been replaced with flower-girl floral embroidery at Dolce and Gabbana and Stella McCartney, or perhaps try a little embroidery like Drake’s favorite, Marie Sophie Lockhart from Good for Nothing EMB. If you’re feeling sort of crafty, you can opt for old-school iron-on patches from Itchy Scratchy Patchy, the kitschy brainchild of Brit model Edie Campbell. Flower power never looked so chic. Photo: Getty Images
Tu Es Mon Tresor
Tu Es Mon Tresor Pearl Embellished Boyfriend Jeans, $715, brownsfashion.com
I knew the fashion world was desperately in need of a change this summer when I spotted several men at the airport in Ibiza wearing jeggings. Yes, that skinny denim staple we girls have worn because the tight fit and cropped ankle make us feel long and lean even on our “feeling fat” days has apparently been co-opted by the boys — and not just in Europe.
So when the marathon march that is spring 2016 fashion month arrived, I decided I was going to ditch my skinny jeans for a more relaxed fit. Well, apparently the rest of the fashion world got the memo too, because every chic girl from New York to Paris was sporting baggier, patchier, Mom-style-meets-’70s Jane Birkin-esque jeans. And if that weren’t enough for shape shifting, editors were doubling up on denim, sporting Canadian tuxedos in various shades of indigo and channeling their inner Lauren Hutton, topping off their vintage jeans with chambray shirts. Editors weren’t coveting the latest “it” bag; rather they were collectively mourning the perfect pair of Levis 501’s they wore in high school and gave to Goodwill. And just to make certain this wasn’t just a jegging backlash among fashion-obsessed editors, designers reflected the fashion world’s sentiment by sending all sorts of denim down the runways. Here are the five denim styles you should be investing in now. Remember: Trends may fade, but they always come back again — and denim always looks better distressed.
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