-Jane, torontoshopaholic.com
Denim Trends: Going Beyond Basic Blue
Denim has gone way past basic blue the last season or so. Printed, coated, coloured; it’s hard to know what is just trendy and what is worth checking out past its 5 minutes of fashion fame.
And I am like you, the last time I owned even coloured denim was back when I was 14 in the early 1990’s. They were a salmon orange colour and I thought they were pretty cool.
Fast forward to now and I thought I was being adventurous purchasing a pair each of grey and black denim this Christmas, when it turns out that is playing it pretty safe.
But how do you style these printed jeans or neon hues so that I don’t look like a back up dancer for a 90’s pop band with teased bangs and a hyper-colour t-shirt?
Printed denim: Animal print was huge this past fall and still seems to be going strong, but for this Spring Summer 2012 season you can also add ikat and flower prints to the mix.
When it comes to styling printed denim less is more. Pair them with a chambray shirt or basic colours like white, red, blue, black, camel or grey depending on the colour palet of the print.
Flower denim is probably the hardest to style because it is a throwback to the 1990s. But this isn’t your mothers printed denim. The silhouette is slim if not skinny. Pair flower denim with something edgy and more masculine; chambray with rolled sleeves, a leather jacket or a boyfriend blazer. Do not in any way pair with more feminine accents otherwise you will look like you should be in a Laura Ashley commercial.
Keep in mind that print on the lower half can draw attention to this area so if it is somewhere you would rather not accentuate maybe try another denim trend. If you still want to give it a go, a number of styles have an almost faded look to their prints which makes the print easier to wear.
Coloured Denim: Coloured denim has been around for a few seasons now and you might have some in your closet already. Neon and pastels are the big players in terms of colour for Spring Summer 2012.
The great thing about it is that it is much easier to style as you don’t have to already consider a print. What you do want to consider is what colours you already have in your wardrobe. Don’t go and buy a pair of neon yellow denim if all you have to wear with them is a white tee.
You can also wear print with coloured denim, but make sure the print has the same colour as your denim in it so that the print is anchored. Do not pair the coloured denim with the same colour blazer. It will most likely end up looking like a suit gone wrong. Instead go contrasting but complimentary.
Coated Denim: I think that this might be the easiest of the three trends to style. Coated denim typically comes in black or browns, so what you end up with is a leather look jean; so much cooler than resorting to pleather.
Style them as if they were leather pants and because you don’t have a bold colour or pattern on your bottom half there are alot less style restrictions. Pair with a pretty feminine blouse and a cropped blazer and you are set.
What denim trend do you want to try most?
When it comes to styling printed denim less is more. Pair them with a chambray shirt or basic colours like white, red, blue, black, camel or grey depending on the colour palet of the print.
Flower denim is probably the hardest to style because it is a throwback to the 1990s. But this isn’t your mothers printed denim. The silhouette is slim if not skinny. Pair flower denim with something edgy and more masculine; chambray with rolled sleeves, a leather jacket or a boyfriend blazer. Do not in any way pair with more feminine accents otherwise you will look like you should be in a Laura Ashley commercial.
Keep in mind that print on the lower half can draw attention to this area so if it is somewhere you would rather not accentuate maybe try another denim trend. If you still want to give it a go, a number of styles have an almost faded look to their prints which makes the print easier to wear.
Coloured Denim: Coloured denim has been around for a few seasons now and you might have some in your closet already. Neon and pastels are the big players in terms of colour for Spring Summer 2012.
The great thing about it is that it is much easier to style as you don’t have to already consider a print. What you do want to consider is what colours you already have in your wardrobe. Don’t go and buy a pair of neon yellow denim if all you have to wear with them is a white tee.
You can also wear print with coloured denim, but make sure the print has the same colour as your denim in it so that the print is anchored. Do not pair the coloured denim with the same colour blazer. It will most likely end up looking like a suit gone wrong. Instead go contrasting but complimentary.
Coated Denim: I think that this might be the easiest of the three trends to style. Coated denim typically comes in black or browns, so what you end up with is a leather look jean; so much cooler than resorting to pleather.
Style them as if they were leather pants and because you don’t have a bold colour or pattern on your bottom half there are alot less style restrictions. Pair with a pretty feminine blouse and a cropped blazer and you are set.
What denim trend do you want to try most?
Mom of two, part time CA, Jane is the owner and blogger at torontoShopoholic.com, one shopaholic’s guide to shopping in Toronto. She also shares her personal style musings on her blog.
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