A sense of realism has underpinned recent runway collections, with a focus on everyday basics that together function as wardrobe building blocks. This was exemplified at the autumn/winter 2023 couture shows in Paris when Kaia Gerber opened Valentino at the colossal Chateau de Chantilly, wearing a white shirt and a pair of straight-leg, high-waisted jeans. This is couture, so these aren’t made from your average denim – they were crafted from silk gazar, which was painstakingly hand-embroidered with thousands of tiny glass beads that were dyed to look like denim. However, it was significant that one of the most viral couture runway looks for 2024 wasn’t a gown the size of your living room, but a work of art created to (at a distance) look like the simple blue jeans hanging in your own wardrobe.
The most expensive jeans in the world? Kaia Gerber opened the Valentino couture show in denim hand-embroidered in glass beads.
For spring/summer 2024 designers continued to have a pared-back approach to everyday dressing, with subtle design details and meticulous silhouettes used to add a luxury polish to even the most practical of items. This is particularly true within the denim department, which, by and large, stayed loyal to the classic styles that have proved popular in recent years, however thoughtful design tweaks were applied to offer a sense of newness and give them a premium update. At Proenza Schouler, for example, much-loved ’90s straight-leg denim was souped up with clever double-layered waistbands. While at Loewe, baggy jeans were taken to the extreme with oversized denim which pooled, folded and rippled at the ankles. At the other extreme, brands applied the seams, darts and pleats you’d expect from tailored suiting to your basic straight-leg jeans.
Denim was also an important foundation at Sabato De Sarno’s debut at Gucci for spring/summer 2024, where models wore indigo baggy jeans with crystal-adorned knitwear and slouchy faded low-rise jeans with heavily-embellished Jackie bags. But it’s not all about jeans, as shorts were a dominant trend across all four cities (including at Gucci), with the likes of Alexander McQueen, Laquan Smith and Valentino making us excited about denim short-shorts and Bermudas again.
If you are thinking of adding some new to your denim collection, keep reading for the six trends that are bound to impact how we get dressed over the next 12 months.
Dark denim washes
Miu Miu SS24.
Helmut Lang SS24.
Deep indigo washes always give denim a more polished and upscale look, and a number of designers presented tailored jeans and separates in dark rinses. Gucci, Miu Miu and Helmut Lang are all driving this trend, and interestingly on the runway they all styled this wash with a restricted colour palette of midnight blue and camel.
’90s straight-leg jeans
Tove SS24.
Proenza Schouler SS24.
Straight-leg light-wash jeans that you’d have seen Kate Moss or Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy wear in the early ’90s have been trending for several seasons now, and this will remain the favoured cut of minimalists in 2024 and beyond. Tove’s pairs have a slightly baggier trouser leg, while Proenza Schouler adds a point of interest to this classic style with a layered waistband detailing.
We The Free
Shelby Low-Rise Boyfriend Jeans
Shorts of all forms
Valentino SS24.
Alexander McQueen SS24.
Shorts were a key trend for spring/summer 2024, as hemlines rose at Prada, Versace, Miu Miu and more, and they were a significant part of the new-look Gucci under the direction of Sabato de Sarno. They came in a number of silhouettes and fabrications across the collections, including baggy denim Bermudas at Valentino and micro indigo-wash hot pants at Alexander McQueen. Both came complete with matching denim blazers, making them more polished than your average throw-on beach cut-offs.
Big and baggy
Loewe SS24.
Loewe SS24.
Baggy, wide-leg jeans are hardly a new silhouette for spring/summer 2024, however the proportions have become even slouchier, with jeans that will get eye rolls from dads everywhere and that pool around the ankle. Jonathan Anderson perfected this look at Loewe, with extra-long, jumbo jeans that fold over crystal ballet pumps. Pair with oversized knitwear to really embrace the Loewe mood.
Darts and pleats
Gucci SS24.
Tibi SS24.
On the other end of the spectrum, there is another movement of denim that is tailored with the same precision as a Savile Row trouser suit. At Gucci, Tibi and Toteme pleating, darts, creases and pintucks made everyday jeans look more polished and carefully constructed. Paired with glossy brogues and a button-down shirt, this will be your new smart uniform for 2024.
Horseshoe jeans
Alaïa AW23.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley wears a pair of horseshoe jeans.
The horseshoe silhouette has slowly been gaining traction since Alaïa included it in its autumn/winter 2023 collection, and has an unusual curved shape that juts out from the hip and tapers in at the ankle in a banana-like fashion. “The Horseshoe feels a bit sculptural, but still has the ability to look relaxed and sophisticated. It references vintage styles, yet feels modern,” Marianne McDonald, creative director at Citizens Of Humanity previously told Vogue of how this feels relevant for now. “It’s a divisive style though, and when it was first posted on Instagram people had very strong opinions. That’s when we realised we had a bestseller on our hands!”
