Jeanius – the five denim styles you need this season

When the weather is cold, all I really want is a pair of skinny jeans and boots. But the daffodils are coming up and it feels like Spring is beginning to do exactly that. So it’s time to break out of the mould and to embrace a whole new season’s worth of denim. Because let’s face it, denim is as close to a uniform as many of us have, a go-to, default setting and all-round wardrobe staple. With a new season, one of the easiest ways to refresh your wardrobe is with a new pair of jeans. So with this in min, what is top of the denim hit parade for SS17?

Hemlines

Well we’ve had the rolled up girlfriends and boyfriends and now it’s time to fully embrace the new hemlines for this season: frayed and stepped. Wear with a flash of flesh on show with boots for now.

These Mid Rise Destructed True Skinny Jeans £54.95 from Gap have the obligatory unstitched hem but still being skinnies, aren’t too far down the trend scale.

Zara has these Frayed Hem £25.99 in several washes.

Topshop’s Leigh jeans are their skinny jean that is not spray on (that’s Joni in case you want to steer clear) and they come in with a Let Down Hem £40.

Topshop’s Moto Washed Black Raw Hem Straight Leg Jeans £40 are another goodie in a more relaxed style.

This straight leg style also comes in a whole range of washes including this bleached finish for a real 80’s vibe.

Embroidered and embellished

This will not be for everyone I appreciate but for the fashion forward, the plain jean is long gone and more is more. Zara has these Embellished Jeans £59.99 which I like. Nice with a simple white t and sandals for high summer or with a pair of boots and a knit for now. They are plain on the back and I don’t think you need to be able to have your midriff on show to wear these.

 

These are a bit more tasteful than lots of the embroidered versions around: Mid Rise Embroidered Skinny Jeans £29.99

The Kick flare

ME+EM has these super cool Kick Flare Jeans £129 which I like a lot. Great with trainers but you can definitely also pair with boots which finish above the hemline.

Whistles also has this Denim Kick Flare Jean in black £95 which with a crisp white shirt is quite Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction. Not a bad look.

Culottes

Now these would most certainly fall under the man-repelling category if my husband is anything to go by … denim culottes or cropped wide legged denim. Not entirely sure of the difference but I have to say, these are on my wish list. Oh how times have changed and I will forego a round, peachy bottom for the flat bottom that culottes tend to give you,  because, well, I like them. One option would be Gap’s High Rise Wide Leg Crop Jean £44.95 which also comes in lighter and darker washes as well as Petite and Tall.

This is the Rinsed Denim darker wash which is most definitely smarter and more slimming.

ASOS has these Current Air Frayed Wide Leg Crop Jean £45 which look great dressed up with a heel for going out but definitely good with a trainer, espadrille, skater shoe, boot or sandal. Basically anything really.

Dungarees

Well the jury is out on these. I do like the idea but not sure that I could pull them off without looking like a toddler… Slouchy Crop Denim Overalls £49.95 from Gap which come in Regular and Petite so would be a good place to start for those on the shorter side.

Or there are these Denim Dungarees £95 from Hush which are already sold out in some sizes. Another one that would probably be met with guffaws by my husband… but there is something appealing and with 10% off with the code SS17PREVIEW they may be worth a try.

Boden also has these Denim Dungarees £80 in both black and mid blue. I like these with a heel as well as with a pair of trainers. Another discount code here of 2C2V to get 20% off.

The best of the rest

So these are the denim trews the fash pack will be sporting. If, however, you are in need of something a bit more everyday then here are some ideas to try – because one woman’s ‘can’t live without’ is another woman’s ‘can’t live with’ on the jean front. You have to do a bit of leg work – pardon the pun – to find the holy grail that is the perfect pair of jeans, but these are the high street brands that come up trumps.

Uniqlo’s Slim Boyfriend Fit Ankle Jeans £24.90 are worth a try and come in a whole host of different washes.

Or alternatively Gap’s Girlfriend Jeans are very good and much less saggy bottomed than a lot of options out there as they are just the right amount of relaxed: Mid Rise Best Girlfriend Jeans £44.95.

If you want something a bit more on trend than the skinny, try their High Rise Real Straight £44.95.

Sticking with the skinny, Next’s Lift, Slim and Shape Skinny Jeans £45 work very well for curvy types and definitely good for the tummy conscious as they hold it all in, banishing any sign of the dreaded muffin top.

M&S has a similar thing with its Sculpt and Lift Jeans which come in Skinny and Straight legs. Both are £35 and come in various washes and leg lengths. This is the skinny in black. One thing to say on skinnies is that unless your legs are slim, it is probably best to go for a style that doesn’t cling on to your entire leg. Better to go for a pair that sits away from your ankle slightly, that way the difference between thigh and ankle won’t be so marked.

H&M’ s 360 degree shaping skinny high jeans is another option but irritatingly their website is down for maintenance at the moment so I can’t give you a link. Gap’s True Skinnies are also fab and don’t lose their shape. Plus they are great for Tall and Petite alike as so many of their styles come in all three leg lengths.

Whether you want high fashion or just desperately need to find some jeans that fit, this should set you on the right course to find ‘the one’.