Fashion Trends

How to wear the new season denim

14 May 2015

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To say that denim is big this season feels like one of the dullest and most obvious sentences known to man, but it really is.

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We're not just talking about jeans (when is the fashion world not flogging a style of jeans that you might briefly consider, but will never buy?), but denim in every incarnation possible - think dresses, shirts, dungarees, jackets, tunics, shoes and skirts.

Designers have had a lot of fun deconstructing this most versatile of materials for SS 2015, most notably Marques Almeida, Stella McCartney and Burberry - the label's feather-lined denim jacket has become a trophy of the trend.

Some of you may be a dab hand at the tricky business of double denim, a look which works for both brave fashion die-hards and Jeremy Clarkson fans, but most will not want to wear denim head to toe.

We present our guide to mastering the new season denim:

Don't feel you have to go old school with it

Yes we all know James Dean wore jeans, as did Marilyn Monroe and they looked really great. But for a new way of approaching it, look to Marques Almeida - whose take on the material is ragged, ripped and oversized. Denim can hold a scruffy, grungy appeal if you should so be inclined.

Your must-have item is an A-line button-through skirt

Jane Birkin wore it first, and then Alexa Chung was inspired and designed her own version for her new AG Denim collection. Wear now with a polo neck for serious Seventies vibes and in the summer with a T-shirt tucked in. Marks & Spencer has a nice knee-length version for those who'd rather not go down the mini route.

Dungarees are your friend

Honestly, they are. We at team GLAMOUR have no time for dressing like a prepubescent child nor a turn of the century factory worker (ok, maybe the last one), but we can't dismiss the idea of something that allows for so much energetic charging around. For a grown-up approach, team with either a Breton top or a Victorian-style vintage cream blouse and chunky brown wedges. Dress them up with a sequinned top.

Embrace the shirt dress

No longer the domain of dowdy mums, the shirt dress can be worn in the cooler months with knee high boots and a polo neck and during the spring with just a pair sandals. It's the ideal office dress.

The three new jean styles run thus: flares, kick flares and girlfriend

Go for a true Seventies flare if you are a committed fashion follower, but if hypothetically-speaking you would sooner rub ammonia in your eye, then try the kick flare which is a subtler take and cropped in length - these are intended to be worn with a Chelsea boot (Francoise Hardy was the pioneer of this) or a ballet flat. Girlfriend jeans. Now we're not sure what the difference in between these and the our trusty boyfriend style, but they seem to be everywhere.

Dust off your denim jacket

Recast it for this season by ripping off part or all of the sleeves for a ragged vintage feel, or add patches for a distinctive edge. If you're feeling creative and a bit flash, design your own motif and take it to a seamstress and get them to customise it for you.

Repeat after us. Jane Birkin, Jane Birkin, Jane Birkin.

The patron saint of denim is, of course, Jane Birkin, who worked a flare like no other; wore ankle-grazing cropped jeans teamed with unfussy T-shirts; and boyfriend styles probably found on Serge Gainsbourg's floor. We can totally imagine her in one of MiH's breezy tunic dresses, still relaxed and carefree.

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