Trend Dissection 0.8: The Reincarnation of Denim

Collage by Aylea Skye/ Original Images by Unknown

Unflappable 

There’s something unflappable about denim. Reminiscent of cowboys, 1950’s rebellion (think Marlon Brando in The Wild One) and the insouciance of Kate Moss in Calvin Klein’s 1990’s adverts, it’s one of those rudimentary wardrobe pieces that one would suppose that everyone owns and wears with ease, that is until the noughties when jeans that appeared to be lacquered onto the flesh were introduced, yes we are talking the skinny jean. But in recent years skin tight denim has been rejected and neglected for boyfriend, mom and vintage styles, with Levis 501s reclaiming their place in the 20 somethings repertoire, and of late denim itself been reincarnated to a substantial status, taking centre stage in a melange of manners. 

Back to Basics

Rigid, raw and reinforced denim is now de rigueur. Yes, we are going back to basics; old shuttle looms and natural indigo dying techniques are in demand despite living in a society of ‘fast fashion’. Not only is denim basic in the manufacture, it’s also basic in silhouette. Simple, straight leg jeans are nowadays pairs with a white tee and leather jacket as if it’s the 1950’s, or 1970’s or...in retrospect, denim is being worn how it has for the last 60 years in the most classic of manners. But often basic denim is lucidly a foundation to contemporary silhouettes and trends. 

Current Cues

Take raw denim and bleach it, craft it into cropped wide legs and fray the hems; with a nudge from Vetements and Parisian girls of the moment, that’s the modus operandi for denim today. Or you could pair a more traditional pair under a whimsical floral-print dress, or with a fitted denim jacket (free your mind of the horrors of the Canadian tuxedo), or with a denim bustier ( a combo favoured by Bella Hadid). Denim is now a wardrobe piece to be played with, hopefully, we won’t cut off our waistbands a la 2001, but with the introduction of Vetements X Levis’ bare butt jeans who’s to say? The point in case is to toy with denim in the same way you toy with any other piece in your wardrobe, think of denim as ready-to-wear rather than a means to underpin ensembles, while evading trends and embracing your personal style, as fundamentally denim is well, denim, and if there’s one thing that can be said with confidence it will never wither and fade from our wardrobe treasury.