I have vivid memories of my mum wearing classic Levi’s jeans (501s, specifically) – stonewashed, high-waisted with a button-fly and loose tapered legs in signature thick denim – throughout my childhood to do the gardening or take the dog on a muddy walk. These were the ‘mom jeans’ before mom jeans became a thing.
As I hit adolescence, when replicating Kate Moss and Sienna Miller in their super-skinny Sass & Bide ‘Misfits’ (remember those?) became my ultimate goal, I would tease her about how ‘dated’ her pale Levi’s jeans were. ‘They’ll come back around one day,’ she’d say, like all mums do.
She was right: they did. Now her single pair of life-worn Levi’s make me look like the dated one. I own 24 pairs of jeans – and every single one of them is skinny.
After years of riding high, this style is now the bedridden former rock star of denim, clinging on for dear life as it watches its younger, peppier counterparts steal the limelight. Sure, Kate Moss is still wearing them occasionally, but she’s Kate Moss and I, sadly, am not.
What used to be my fail-safe outfit, the staple that formed the basis of every single look I wore, now makes me feel lumpy and overexposed. No matter what I pair them with, the proportions somehow feel all wrong.
I’m not the only one who feels this way, either. ‘As I get older, it’s not about showing off skinny legs, or figure-hugging clothing – feeling comfortable in my clothes and in myself is more important,’ says fashion editor and The Frugality blogger Alexandra Stedman.
‘Plus, the denim styles at the moment are moving away from slick silhouettes to more relaxed and voluminous – and I love that.’
Parisian writer, creative consultant and ELLE UK Contributing Editor Camille Charrière agrees. ‘It was very hard to get out of skinnies, especially being French, but now I find it hard to get back into them. I think it comes with being a certain age – you look more rock’n’roll in skinny jeans, but more elegant in boyfriend jeans,’ she says, adding that she finds the best jeans courtesy of Levi’s, Monki and H&M.
But where did it all go wrong for skinny jeans? ‘Jeggings ruined them,’ says Donna Wallace, stylist and ELLE UK’s former Accessories Editor, who favours a pair of Lee straight-leg men’s jeans that she’s cut off at the hems. ‘As soon as they started bastardising the denim and putting in too much stretch, it became trashy.’
Not to mention, that the elastane you find in your typical pair of skinny jeans or jeggings is unrecyclable and deeply bad for the planet.
Our perception of what looks cool has shifted, and though I’m a little miffed to realise that the skinny jean isn’t, as I had previously thought, my denim life partner, it’s a sign of a greater shift in fashion, and that is always exciting.
Brands such as Vêtements, the Parisian underground collective turned game-changing fashion powerhouse, and London-based Marques’Almeida, heralded the return of true denim a decade ago, back in 2014. And they reminded us of a pre-skinny golden age when it was thick, stretch-free and more of a statement than just an off-duty staple. Think Farrah Fawcett on that skateboard, Thelma and Louise mid-road trip, Jane Birkin in her spliced and re-stitched flares.
The way we shop has changed since then, too. ‘It used to be that a customer might find one style or fit they preferred and stick to that,’ says Topshop’s former Buying Director Emma Fox, ‘but now they are building up their jeans wardrobe with different shapes, cuts, washes and finishes according to what they want to wear that day.’
Proof? From high street to high end, brands are investing in their jean offering (M&S is betting on holding their market leader status with their bumper Spring denim range, while Loewe, Cecilie Bahnsen, Miu Miu, Dior, Valentino, Celine, Chanel – I really could go on – all sent relaxed denim down their SS24 runways) because we’re simply buying more and more, and they are no longer skinny (Levi’s best-selling style is the 501).
‘The influence of street style on this is undeniable and the result is that we are seeing trends emerging upwards from the street to influence designers, rather than the other way around,’ says Lisa Aiken, Net-a-Porter’s former Fashion Director.
‘The street-style phenomenon, made possible by the growth of digital and social media over the past decade, means that we now have endless inspiration at our fingertips. We can see how real people make trends work for them in real life, rather than solely through the creative filter of a major fashion house.
‘This has undeniably made us more adventurous, more confident and far more attuned to our own personal style. In turn, we’re now more diverse in our denim choices, opting for pieces that work in our own lives.’
After the great loungewear years of 2020 and 2021, it’s perhaps unsurprising that the women of social media and fashion week alike turned to baggy ‘dad-style’ and vintage ‘mom-style’ style jeans for AW23 (and beyond). However, since then, we’ve seen a surprising return to a slimmer silhouette. Far from being skinny, the high-waisted straight-leg style has started to gain steam for 2024, and in the shadow of Quiet Luxury, a premium has been placed on classic shapes, without elastic, and perhaps with a small twist.
Bleached, oversized and dark wash jeans are all big winners this year, plus, we see the return of the denim two-piece, a.k.a. Canadian Tuxedo.
To find out exactly what the biggest denim trends of 2024 are, we spoke to Libby Page, Market Director at NET-A-PORTER, to learn more.
THE JEAN TRENDS TO BUY NOW
1. The Bleached Jean
‘Bleached denim will be a core denim trend in 2024, as seen in the SS24 collection of Proenza Schouler,’ Page tells ELLE UK.
‘Bleached denim goes hand in hand with oversized silhouettes to exude an effortless aesthetic. New to NET-A-PORTER designer Haikure’s Bethany mid-rise wide leg jeans are comfortable, chic, and the ideal accompaniment to a pair of those Alaïa ballet flats.’
How to style them? You have two options with bleached denim: lean into their stoner and surfer aesthetic with a tie-dye t-shirt, flip-flops and beaded jewellery, or, more like the styling from the Schouler show, pair with polished loafers and a sleek leather coat.
2. The Dark Wash Jean
‘In direct contrast to the rise in bleached denim, we expect dark denim to dominate perfectly styled alongside the Primary Palette trend, where designers injected bold, bright colours into the fashion landscape of SS24,’ Page explains.
‘Masterfully showcased in Sarah Burton’s final collection for Alexander McQueen, dark denim works so well in a tailored silhouette. Pair it with cobalt blue for a head-to-tonal approach or take inspiration from Loewe’s unexpected combination of blue styled with chocolate brown. Toteme + NET SUSTAIN’s Twisted Seam high-rise straight-leg organic jeans are the ideal pair to incorporate into an elevated capsule wardrobe.’
How to style them? As Page mentioned, dark denim is perfect for sneaking into those office-appropriate looks. Pair with a blazer, heels and a white shirt for an instantly cool feel.
3. The Oversized Jean
‘At NET-A-PORTER, we see our customers gravitating towards oversized denim silhouettes,’ Page says.
‘The SS24 collections showcased the casualisation of fashion, which was embodied by the oversized silhouettes we saw at Loewe, Stella McCartney, Valentino, and Toteme. Loewe’s Anagram appliquéd high-rise wide-leg jeans are a cult favourite and look effortlessly chic styled with an oversized sweater and retro sneakers.’
How to style them? Oversized and baggy jeans are perfect for the 2024 update on the classic Noughties combination of ‘jeans and a nice top’, as evidenced by the SS24 Valentino runway.
4. The Straight-Leg Jean
‘In recent years, the Nineties straight-leg jean has become a wardrobe staple that will not go anywhere in 2024,’ Page says.
‘The beauty of straight-leg jeans is that they can look like a prized vintage pair but have been rigorously tested to ensure a great fit. Khaite’s Danielle high-rise straight-leg jeans are a hero item here and a firm favourite of Kendall Jenner. In the last three months at NET-A-PORTER, we have seen a 115% increase in searches for this style versus the three months prior.’
How to style them? Once you’ve invested in a good pair of (preferably high-waisted) straight-leg jeans, they will become your outfit-building bread and butter.
5. The Denim Set
‘Denim sets exude power and practicality, as seen in the SS24 collections of Valentino, Stella McCartney, and Ulla Johnson,’ Page tells us.
‘The perfect addition to a capsule wardrobe, denim sets have endless styling options. New to NET-A-PORTER designer Destree have an elevated dark denim two-piece set that can be worn in the day with trainers or dressed up for the evening with heels.’
How to style them? The wonderful things about co-ords is that they are an entire outfit in one, meaning all you need think about is accessorising your pre-made ensemble. If, however, you decide not to go for a ready made look, find a denim jacket and jeans in a similar wash to create the same effect.