How to Style 6 Types of Denim

Front row, from left: Dior, Alaïa, Bottega Veneta. Middle, from left: No Sesso, Diesel, Khaite, Ahluwalia. Back, from left: Peter Do, Brandon Maxwell, Missoni, Ulla Johnson

“Blue denims are the most beautiful things since the gondola,” the inimitable Diana Vreeland once decreed. And perhaps no article of clothing is as quintessentially American—and, like America itself, as endlessly capable of reinvention—as the blue jean. Patented in San Francisco in 1873 by two immigrants, tailor Jacob Davis and dry-goods merchant Levi Strauss, sturdy denim pants woven from indigo-dyed cotton and reinforced with metal rivets were first worn by miners and other laborers. They would become synonymous with Hollywood’s romance with the cowboy, and by the early 1940s they were popular as women’s leisurewear, thanks to silver-screen stars like Ginger Rogers and Rita Hayworth, who wore them in publicity photos. A symbol for 1950s teen angst in Rebel Without a Cause, they were adopted by the 1960s counterculture. Then, in 1976, Calvin Klein became the first designer to show jeans on the catwalk, ushering in an era of pop-cultural fixation that reached its apex (or perhaps its saturation point) when Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake wore matching denim-on-denim looks on the red carpet at the American Music Awards in 2001.

One of the most popular pandemic predictions was that people would abandon denim, as fashion observers and shoppers gravitated toward the softer feel and more forgiving waistlines of sweatpants. But rather than disappearing, jeans are once again a fashion phenomenon. Hallowed European houses from Alaïa to Bottega Veneta to Celine used them as a blank slate for innovation and experimentation. Similarly, in his debut at denim stalwart Diesel, Y/Project’s Glenn Martens showed a tour de force of research and development, featuring jeans that had been chromed, quilted, frayed at the waist, or tufted to look like fur.

Jeans have proved an enduring part of a classic wardrobe—a versatile closet workhorse—which isn’t to say they lack style. Just look at Matthieu Blazy’s debut as creative director of Bottega Veneta; he scanned denim to make a photoreal print that was then applied to leather, resulting in buttery-soft boyfriend “jeans.” Or luxe-knit authority Loro Piana, which created the world’s first cashmere denim this season, a warm blue trouser with a soft hand feel woven in Japan on artisanal looms. Chic tailored trousers were also seen at Fendi and Dior. The latter has introduced a denim capsule, Dior 8, a tribute to Christian Dior’s lucky number.

One thing jeans today aren’t meant to be is disposable (though if that’s your thing, AG’s Jean of Tomorrow is fully biodegradable). Increasingly, designers like Stella McCartney, Maggie Marilyn, Balenciaga, and Mother are offering organic fabrications and upcycled options, and their manufacturing partners have made real strides in the dye and wash processes to make the production of blue jeans greener.

If wearing designer denim once signified blindly following trends—think of the ultra-low-rise jeans distressed to within an inch of their life that were ubiquitous in the early 2000s—today there are a variety of fits and washes to choose from: straight-legs at Celine and Brandon Maxwell; oversize wide-legs at Balenciaga, Khaite, Peter Do, and No Sesso; couture-like crinoline bell-bottoms at Alaïa; and tech-forward laser-printed versions at Ahluwalia and Conner Ives. The key is choosing jeans that suit your personal style and will become staples in your wardrobe for years to come.

Six Essential Styles to Shop Now

Straight Leg

Celine

This year’s answer to the skinny jean is the straight-leg. Cut from nonstretch denim and sitting right below the natural waist with legs that are the same diameter from hip to ankle, it’s a universally flattering silhouette that shows your shape without being skintight. The fit ranges from slim to more relaxed. For a sleek finish, team with a crisp white blazer or a single-breasted coat and razor-sharp heeled boots, as seen at Brandon Maxwell and Celine.

Celine Kitty Straight-leg Jeans

Brandon Maxwell The Julia Distressed Straight-leg Jeans

The Feel Studio The Genuine Jean Straight Legs

Cropped Exaggerated Flares

Alaïa

With a slim cut through the hips and thighs and generous pleating at the knees, cropped, exaggerated flares may look tricky to wear, but it’s all about balance. Choose a fitted button-down or fine-gauge knit to continue the clean line at the top of the pants and offset all that volume down below. These jeans are built for movement.

Alaïa Crinoline Flare Jeans

Marques' Almeida Denim Cropped Flare Trousers

Stella McCartney '90s Cropped Flare Jeans

Now 60% Off

Trouser Jeans

Fendi

A dressier take on classic five-pocket style, trouser jeans are cut like suiting, with an elongating mid-rise wide-leg shape and elevated details like cuffed hems and creases or pin tucks down the front. For an evening vibe, take cues from Ulla Johnson and Fendi and wear them with a shimmery puff-sleeve blouse or a leather bustier and sturdy boots.

Fendi Stiched Crease Denim Pants

Callas Milano Sofia Cropped Denim Trousers

Ulla Johnson The Genevieve Pleated Wide-leg Jeans

Laser Printed Denim

Conner Ives

This season’s fresh take on a new denim wash is wearable art. Laser printing is an environmentally friendly alternative to the water- and energy-intensive washing process typically used to create patterns on denim. Ahluwalia and Conner Ives opted for designs inspired by Bollywood and Nollywood movie posters and the myth of the American West, respectively, and their eye-catching abstract designs are truly one of a kind. Follow their lead and opt for double denim or balance out the printed jean with a solid-colored top.

Ahluwalia Graphic-print Wide-leg Jeans

Guess Eco Adeline Floral-print Jeans

Frame Abstract Floral-print Jeans

Now 60% Off

Boyfriend Jeans

Vaquera

Cut straight up and down but slightly looser through the waist and thighs for the perfect hip-slung slouch, boyfriend jeans are the chill cousin of straight-leg jeans. The roomier waistband leaves ample room for a tuck, so try layering tops with different textures à la Vaquera or cinch with a belt at your natural waist.

B Sides Plein Relaxed Straight-leg Jeans

Now 20% Off

R13 Distressed Boyfriend Jeans

Denimist Paneled Distressed Boyfriend Jeans

Now 40% Off

Oversized Wide-Legs

Balenciaga

Fall’s most popular denim style is oversize wide-legs. Cut like a palazzo pant, with a relaxed shape that flares gently from the waist to floor-grazing hems, they work with everything from a jean jacket to a blazer or boatneck top. The longer inseam gives the illusion of height; pair with pointy pumps à la Diesel for an extra boost.

Balenciaga Oversize Wide-leg Jeans

Khaite The Preen Oversize Wide-leg Jeans

Diesel D-Sire Oversize Wide-leg Jeans

Ecodenim Glossary

Key terms to know to make shopping for blues greener

Richard Majchrzak/Studio D; Styling: Deidre Rodriguez

Organic cotton: Cotton grown without toxic chemicals and using less water

Upcycled: Reworked vintage jeans or ones made from deadstock denim

Biodegradable: Jeans made from plant-based materials and free of microplastics

Sustainable dyeing: Techniques like Kitotex, vegetal sizing, and nitrogen dye that use less water and fewer chemicals

Sustainable washing: Methods for finishing denim without chemicals, including lasers and ozone treatments

Recycled water: Rinse water from a denim mill that is cleaned and reused

Air dried: Jeans that are dried after finishing treatments without electric machines

Spotlight: The World’s Softest Jeans

Loro Piana’s new denim weaves together cashmere and cotton

Courtesy of Loro Piana

Loro Piana has been a leader in textile innovation for nearly a century, transforming the underfleece shed by Capra hircus goats native to the steppes of Mongolia and northern China into the world’s finest cashmere knits. For its fall pioneer-inspired collection, the Italian house gave denim the Loro Piana treatment, creating the first cashmere-denim blend. “We all love jeans and wanted to make them warmer, softer, and more luxurious,” explains Loro Piana women product director Alessandra Varianini of the motivation.

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Partnering with an artisanal denim mill in the Bingo region of Japan, Loro Piana developed a technique for weaving a warp of indigo-dyed cotton yarn with a weft of cashmere. The cloth is woven very slowly on traditional selvedge denim shuttle looms half the width of mechanical ones. Only about 55 yards—enough for fewer than 20 pairs of jeans—can be produced per day. The cashmere-denim fabric is then finished at a factory in Italy’s Piedmont region, and tailored into trouser and straight-leg jeans, resulting in a beautiful warm blue denim with an incredibly rich, smooth texture.

Loro Piana Cashmere-denim Straight-leg Jeans

Loro Piana Cashmere-denim Jacket

Loro Piana Cashmere-denim Trouser Jeans

This article originally appeared in the September 2022 issue of Harper’s BAZAAR, available now.

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