One of my personal fashion mantras is ‘When in doubt, do denim!’. The eternally stylish and versatile material is just one of those thing that you can never get wrong come rain or sun, summer or winter.
Dolce and Gabbana - FW17
Although the exact history of denim is unclear, it is thought the the material originated in Nimes in France – hence the name, which was originally de Nimes or ‘from Nimes’.
The fabric was traditionally dyed indigo blue to make the now world-famous ‘blue jeans’, which were first made in Genoa, Italy. The origin of the word jeans comes from the French word for Genoa – Gênes.
Levis 501 - classic
Levi Strauss & Co can be attributed with giving blue jeans the world-famous status they enjoy today, with the brand becoming wildly successful, with their rivet-reinforced denim pants first being launched in the 1870’s for workers and labourers.
Since then denim has taken on a life of its own featuring heavily on catwalks and seasonal trends through the decades and worn by people from all walks of life, from the tight fitting ‘Western chic’ jeans worn by society women in the 30’s, to the bell-bottom wearing hippies of the 70’s.
Coach - FW17
Glamourized in the 50’s by popular stars such as Marlon Brando and James Dean, blue jeans became synonymous with youth rebellion and counter-culture, which continued into the 60’s with youth protestors wearing jeans to show solidarity for the working class. But it wasn’t until the 80’s that denim really became the wardrobe staple that they are today, with men women and children either going double denim with matching jackets and pants, or paired with simple t-shirts.
Although my own denim collection is forever growing, I just can’t seem to part with any of my pieces, and I’m not just talking about jeans, I’m also talking about denim dresses and jackets too.
One of my favourite travel looks this summer has got be the silk slip dress worn under a denim jacket. Other hot summer denim looks include tie die jeans, high waisted jeans, buttoned jeans, a return to the 70’s flared look and jeans embellished with rips, ruffles and embroidery.
One cut that doesn’t seem to have any place on the style stakes this summer is the previously popular skinny jean, so I guess my skinny denim will be relegated to the dark corners of the back of my wardrobe unless they make a come-back; unless of course, I cut them up and wear them with a pair of cowboy boots, to wear while kicking about in festival fashion.
If you simply can't even bear a world without your precious skinnies, go vintage high-waisted 501’s but keep them cropped or turned up rather than full length.
APC - FW17
There is still a lot of summer left, so I don’t feel like it’s the right time to talk about the Fall/Winter season yet, but I can say that the matchy-matchy, denim on denim trend of the 90's will still be around and alive and kicking for fall, as well as the 70's flairs.
I am still on the hunt for an all-in-one denim boiler suit a la Dior or APC, and I am also still looking to source some patchwork denim. By patchwork denim I don’t mean the beautifully tame variety like at Dries Van Noten , but more the Dolce & Gabbana style patchwork that comes blown up and super creative.