THE SHEAN?
Should you, would you, could you do...
It’s a short, and a jean IF YOU LONG FOR THE DAYS
when jeans were just jeans, then we suggest you skip this page. Immediately.
Those of you still here know, of course, that just-jeans jeans are as over as Minidiscs and Brangelina. Thanks to the continuing Vetements-ification of our wardrobes, we’re in the midst of a directional denim moment.
Raising the barometer set by Vetements’ step-hem jeans – the deconstructed style that encouraged apparently sensible women to drop north of £800 on cut-up Levi’s – comes Ukrainian designer Ksenia Schnaider’s demi denims.
Allow us to introduce you to these curious Frankenjeans. A sort of jeans/denim shorts hybrid – we’re tempted to rename them ‘sheans’ – the demis have a sartorial split personality: baggy like culottes on the thigh and skinny on the lower leg. First introduced in 2011, but now gaining mainstream momentum, if your first thought is, ‘How ridiculous!’ remember that, after years of the bootcut’s reign, skinny jeans were considered outlandish when they first arrived on the scene. Oh, and sheans are made from repurposed vintage pieces – a big tick in the sustainability box.
But should you, would you, could you do the sheans? Needless to say, Instagram has jumped all over them, but the shocker is that they actually have real-world appeal too, albeit iff yyour version of ‘real’ involves a hefty dose of fashion experimentation. Surprisingly flattering, they look like just-jeans jeans from the back. The key to making the demi work is by rationing yourself to one off-beat silhouette per outfit – we suggest teaming them with the simplest of pieces to give them the attention they deserve. Worn with a tee or button-down shirt, you’re going for a fabulously odd spin on a classic uniform.
The deal-breaker? If you’re going bold with your denim, be bold in your outlook. Wear with confidence – demis aren’t to be done half-heartedly.