Denim so smart you can wear it to dinner
ChECk out these denim trousers I bought,’ I said to my friend, Lindsay. ‘So... jeans,’ she smirked. ‘You bought more jeans.’
No, Lindsay, I didn’t. I bought denim trousers. Big difference. huge. And there’s a legion of designers who are with me on this. Denim has had a makeover and gone posh.
In a world where people are now wearing striped track-pants with a pair of heels for cocktail hour, the elevation of denim was inevitable.
It started at the New York shows. One of my favourite American labels, Tibi, offered up a fluid trousersuit in a dark wash. Voluminous, belted denim trenches featured at Adam Selman.
But the real surprise for me was at Tom Ford. Not generally known for being a fan of anything casual, he showcased not only double-denim suits, but even quadruple denim, once he’d thrown in knee-length boots and a matching clutch.
When the king of high octane bling is embracing denim, it’s officially a big, upmarket deal.
But before we run wild-eyed to the shops, let’s get one thing straight: posh denim is not the same as fancy denim. In recent years, the shops have gone OTT with denim embellishment. And while I like a fun jean, in all its tasseled, fringed, or bejewelled glory, posh denim turns up its nose at all that. ThIS
season we’re talking about a stricter silhouette: well- cut suits, skirts, dresses and trousers, almost always in near-black shades of indigo. (It’s hard to look posh in what I think of as the ‘Jeremy Clarkson palette’ of stonewashed denim.)
That’s what I love about my denim-trousers-that-are-definitely-not-jeans. They’re in the world’s most comfortable fabric, but if you work in an office that frowns on jeans, you could, I think, get away with them.
They’re available at my new high Street obsession, Arket (£55, the latest store to come from the h&M label. They’re cropped, flatfronted and work-ready when teamed with a navy blazer and my silver glittered Gucci mules. (Because if denim’s dialling it down, then there’s no better excuse for a blingy shoe.)
Massimo Dutti’s culottes (£54.95, are another great take on the denim trouser.
But if you really want to work the trend, get a suit. Bing Crosby was famously turned away from a Vancouver hotel in his ‘ Canadian Tuxedo’ ( double denim), yet this winter’s versions are definitely ultra professional.
Try La Redoute, which has a classic trouser- suit in denim
— the jacket is £55.30 and the wide leg trousers are £35.40 ( laredoute.co.uk).
I’m into the cool, mod-ish Edun patch-pocket denim skirt on matchesfashion.com (£180). Black tights, patent black flats and a Breton top will give you that streamlined Sixties silhouette that never dates.
If a Seventies vibe is more your thing, try a long, A-line skirt (£30, whistles.com). Add a cream knit and brown boots to look very ‘now’.
There is also nothing like a chic, beautifully cut kneelength shirt dress (£265, toast.
co.uk). Wear with boots and long- sleeved tees in autumn and metallic, tan or colourful sandals come summer.
But why stop at clothes? It’s the denim that gives the Ganni ankle boots their edge (£235,
mytheresa.com). These work with long black dresses, red cropped trousers and colourful pencil skirts.
In fact, the only thing I’d probably avoid wearing them with is more denim. That said, the kitten-heel mules (£74.95,
massimodutti.com) that offer a subtle flash of foot will go with cropped blue jeans.
So there you have it. This season’s denim is so classy, you could probably get it past the doorman at The Ritz. Go on, I dare you.