There was a time when even the most fashion-literate couldn’t bear to look at a pair of stiff, dull, everyday jeans. The pandemic pushed the once tight and rigid staple out of the way in favor of Gen Z’s baggy, slouchy styles. Many people gave up jeans and wore sweats, or printed pants with elastic waistbands, such as those from Paloma Wool and Saks Potts.
This season, however brought forth entirely new ideas about the American staple cloth, particularly from a Parisian. The Dallas-born Daniel Roseberry, Schiaparelli’s artistic director, injected the house’s surrealist DNA into an unlikely medium: upcycled denim jackets and jeans. Anatomy-inspired embroidery and gold jewelry—there was an ear, a single breast, eyes, and flowers!—adorned much of his fall 2021 couture collection, upending the long-held idea that jeans can’t be considered couture. “We went to the markets in Paris when they reopened, bought a dozen pairs of [’80s] Levi’s, dismembered them, and then reconstructed them,” Roseberry says. “It confirms that any time the really extreme Americanism is mixed with extreme provocativeness, Baroque gold and everything, people respond to it. I wanted to do something that was a surrender to joy, almost to the point of fetishization of the body and of the anatomy of couture itself.”
And who could forget Balenciaga’s bold return to couture, complete with a dash of denim? For creative director Demna Gvasalia’s debut fall 2021 couture collection for the brand, he cut jeans high, long, and rounded, pairing them with hoodies and V-neck sweaters. A jacket that was perched high above the shoulders and had its sides folded forward was another sculptural take on the Canadian tuxedo.
Couture isn’t the only realm rethinking denim. Ready-to wear designers are also looking at the simple pair of jeans with a new perspective. At Chloé, Gabriela Hearst created denim sleeveless tops, trench coats, and mididresses, some of them offset with supple leather detailing, for a look that felt refreshingly brand-new for resort 2022. Hearst also used her innovative sustainably-minded thinking to create deadstock with recycled buttons and fabric treated with lasers in place of metal.
There’s a huge demand for jeans that feel more environmentally conscious, which may be why so many labels are starting from scratch, upcycling, or otherwise reinventing the fabric. Ganni launched a new line in responsible denim this fall. The Jeans Redesign Project, which saw more than half of the collection launched by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and 80 denim experts in 2019, is aimed at reducing waste and increasing recyclability. Ditte Reffstrup, the label’s creative director, says, “Denim has this great ability to make you feel capable of anything when you wear it. I think that’s a mindset that resonates with the American woman.”
It makes sense that designers who are used to wearing ball gowns and high-octane glamour are now giving denim a chance. Carolina Herrera’s resort 2022 collection had dramatic denim in spades, from ruched puff-sleeve blouses to high-waisted wide-legs and A-line minis. Likewise, Etro’s resort 2022 collection drove home the OTT approach, with kaleidoscopic patchwork pieces and the kind of embroidery that might decorate your most well-traveled pair of vintage jeans.
Elza Wandler, the street-style-favorite handbag designer, launched denim for the first time for fall, calling the items “great styling pieces that can easily be dressed up for different occasions, from work to dinner.” Telsha Anderson, the owner of the boutique t.a. New York predicts that directional jeans, such as the pink sets by Diesel, will sell out. “The fabrication, the color choices, and getting out of the box with skirts and dresses that still fall within the denim category” are all part of the novelty, she says. “People are looking for pieces that stand out.”
Many people find the appeal of this new style of fashion denim because they no longer wear jeans. Think about it. When was your last time you wore a striking pair of jeans, an embellished pair of denim or a simple denim skirt that made a bold statement, despite the fact that they are so expensive? “I’m learning that denim is a part of my core style identity—recently revealed by having two kids under two right now, coupled with the pandemic. I realized it had been missing for me for nearly two years,” says Lisa Bühler, founder and CEO of the indie boutique and brand Lisa Says Gah, which introduced its first in-house denim line for fall. “I am happy to be back participating in ‘hard pants’ again.”
This article appears in the December/January 2020 issue of ELLE.
Source: elle
