Recently I’ve had several dm’s asking what jeans to buy now. I promised those people a newsletter on the subject, which I thought would be easy enough to deliver. I’d do the field research and present a straightforward edit of the various styles and washes worth exploring.
But it turns out this one’s a little more complicated. So if you want to come on the denim journey with me, well, strap yourselves in.
I started my search feeling confident. I hit up the favourites - Levi’s, A-Brand, Lee Jeans, General Pants etc, and tried on many pairs. I looked at the entire denim section on The Iconic (all 33+ pages). I got out all my jeans at home and tried them on for the first time since last winter.
And after all this, I have good news and bad news.
The bad news is that the outlook is not… great.
In my opinion, the denim market is confused.
Trends in this category used to be pretty definitive. In the 70s it was all about flares; in the 90s it was baggy. In the 2000s we had low-rise and in the 2010s skinny jeans felt quite revolutionary and quickly rose to prominence.
Then, just before Covid, the fashion pendulum swung again. People started to get interested in a more relaxed silhouette, and jeans moved away from the leg into a wider shape. We had wide and straight leg jeans dominating for another few years, and we all breathed a (literal) sigh of relief at not having to undo our top buttons after lunch.
But now we’ve hit a snag. The question is, where to next?
Lots of the aforementioned brands are catering to a Gen Z appetite for super low-rise waists and baggy legs that feel new to them (but bring back Paris Hilton/Tara Reid baggage for many of us), and to that I think we collectively say.. no. Like thanks, but noooo.
Then there are whispers around about skinny jeans being “back”. A scattering of them on the runways, along with scarier styles like (gulp) capri pants and “cropped flares”.
But it feels too obvious, doesn’t it? Fashion is far more nuanced than that; I seriously doubt we’re going to see everyone adopt drainpipe denim again as fast as they abandoned it. We’re fickle, but we’re not that forgetful.
So what we’re seeing in the shops now is a denim section that feels, frankly, all over the place. “Where do I even start?”, one of you asked in my inbox.
Maybe you, too, spurred by the cooler weather, thought you’d try on some jeans to get ready for winter.
And maybe you found yourself standing in front of a pile of ill-fitting denim pants, picked over and inside out, discarded on a tiny stool of shame.
Because the thing is, for myself at least, jeans just don’t feel right at the moment. I’m trying to get to the bottom of this feeling, this growing sense of “meh” when it comes to my denim drawer. There’s nothing wrong with my jeans, I’ve gathered some excellent and reliable pairs (see a few below), but when push comes to shove, I’d rather wear something else?
And I think the issue is this: For around three years now, I’ve been living in stretchy lounge pants. First it was due to the pandemic, and then I got pregnant and couldn’t wear jeans for the best part of a year anyway.
Those loungey pants are what I’ve been shopping my closet around, so I’ve spent my wardrobe capital on things like oversized shirts and tees, sweatshirts and chunky shoes that work back with flared knit pants.
And now I have this predicament where none of that stuff really goes with my jeans.
This might be very specific to me, but I have a feeling some of you are experiencing the same confusion about where to go with denim this season. It used to be that you could invest in one key silhouette and sort of curate the rest of your look around it. But I can no longer tell you what that exact silhouette is.
Instead, I’m going to share the direction I think denim is ~moving~ in. And that’s the good news; it’s pretty directional.
The jeans that excited me most in the field were a pair of straight legs, in an inky blue sturdy denim, but with pale blue panels down the front. Two tone jeans!
Online, the jeans I’ve been saving in my Instagram inspo folder are all a bit creative. I saw Elle Ferguson wearing dark jeans from Ksubi covered in tiny sparkly gems. Another look of hers that I saved was the influencer in a pair of baggy Louis Vuitton jeans printed all over with the brand’s logo.
Who What Wear declared the next trend in denim is a cuffed hem (Hallelujah for short women), but again, that’s a styling detail more than a silhouette. It’s a bit of extra that makes you look.
So my prediction is that we’re now in the era of the “fun” jean. No particular cut or wash - you’re looking for an unexpected twist. That could just be about interesting front pockets or a split at the hem. It doesn’t have to mean all-over glitter. But some glitter = good.
Here are four new arrivals from Zara that got the “fun jean” memo.
See? Don’t those suddenly look fresher than your standard jeans? Wouldn’t it be so easy to put these with a white tee and feel cute and pulled-together when you leave the house?
HOWEVER.
I know. Sometimes you need jeans you can wheel out for the office or the playground that aren’t so look-at-me. You need incognito jeans.
So after extensive research, if I have to call out a style for the season that’s a safer bet in your wardrobe, I’m going to suggest that it’s a vintage blue, boot leg jean that could literally be from Vinnies. Think classic, 80s, Princess Diana style.
Neither wide nor skinny, light nor dark, it’s more about the mood of this jean, which is insouciant and effortless.
And in even better news, they’re wearable for much more of the population than a skinny or low-cut wide leg.
You might actually want to hit up an op shop for these. But because finding well-fitting jeans secondhand is always a fluke, consider getting some tailored to fit. Then they’ll be one of a kind!
Was that completely unhelpful? Sorry. I’m just the messenger.
It goes without saying that you can wear any jeans your heart desires. These are merely observations. As always, I welcome your thoughts in the comments! X