Five most flattering ways to wear denim
WHAT in the windows of a swanky department store would make you do a double take? I can tell you, because this month’s display at such a spot made me stop and gawp.
Nine mannequins, nine outfits, each quite different from the other — some smart, some summery, some ready for work — and every one of them . . . denim.
I could bang on about denim being the new round-the-clock, dress-up or down staple. I could tell you that there were matching denim skirts and jackets on the catwalk at Dior. I could wax lyrical about the pintuck denim shirt at Loewe, or the suede-trimmed jeans at Miu Miu, or the tailored denim trouser suit at Max Mara.
But nothing will convince you denim has fully shed its casual image quite like seeing all the options, from High Street brands, displayed in the window of a very fashionable institution.
It’s official — you can wear denim at any age, and there are at least nine ways to wear it, five of which are of genuine interest to women who are past the dungarees and studded jacket stage...
1. New A-line jeans
I’M CALLING them A-line, some call them wide-legged or palazzo style, either way they fall in a similar way to a slim A-line long skirt which allows you to wear them in a cocktail context. My favourite look was a pair of these (€69.95, benetton.com) with a white tuxedo jacket buttoned over a slim white top — your new spring tuxedo.
They also look good with a tucked-in shirt under a jacket or, for a more casual look, with a waisted sweater or tank top. I’m still wearing last summer’s very wide Me+Em jeans (€82, meandem.com) with a sharp-shouldered velvet jacket over a cream satin shirt and almond-toed boots.
Note: the denim should not be too floppy so it maintains the silhouette.
2. The denim shirt
ONCE it was Western-style with enamel snap fasteners, now it’s a tailored shirt made of soft denim and you wear it with suit trousers. Or, you double up a plain blue denim shirt with slightly darker straight or wider jeans.
Double denim, especially if you sling a smart blazer on top and add a belt and a block heel, is the epitome of smart casual. Try the fashion front row’s favourite, WNU, (€210, withnothingunderneath.com) or Whistles’ version (€115, whistles.com).
3. The denim skirt
THERE are so many of these on offer (28 at the last count on the Marks & Spencer site), but even so, finding the right denim skirt is as much of a challenge as finding the perfect jeans.
I’m still tempted by the ones with panels that look like the first denim skirt I owned, made out of cut-up old jeans, but unless you have a tiny waist and hips, that style feels too voluminous.
What’s important with the modern denim skirt (the one we’re wearing) is that it’s below the knee (shorter looks old fashioned), probably midi (there are plenty that are ankle grazing, but they’re far harder to wear), not too tight and it needs a medium front split. Too high a split and you won’t wear it; too short and you’ll feel hobbled.
M&S Collection’s denim skirt fulfils all the above requirements (€47.50, marks andspencer.com).
Wyse has a smart A- line dark wash midi skirt in the sale (€93, wyselondon.com) that you could wear to work with a cropped jacket over a T-shirt or polo shirt, or out with a tucked in full-sleeved blouse.
4. The denim jacket
FORGET the classic fourpocket. Avoid the oversize trucker style (we’ll look like we’re wearing our husband’s cast-offs).
The best bet is an Alexander McQueen-style sharp denim blazer with peak lapels (€78, riverisland.com) or try Karen Millen’s (in the sale at €162.80, karenmillen.com) and wear it over all black (it looks good with a polo neck with trousers now), or cream, or white come the summer.
5. The denim jumpsuit
YOU either love a jumpsuit or you don’t, and if you’re a lover then a denim jumpsuit — for casual wear with trainers or ankle boots — is a no brainer.
The key is to make sure the denim is light and soft, not bulky. Try Marks & Spencer’s belted sky-blue style (€67) or Me+Em’s great new relaxed style (€390). If only everything was this simple.