Timeless and universal, denim is a true wardrobe hero for us all, says Amy Norbury. If you’re looking to add to your denim collection for 2024, here are some of the freshest takes on an old favourite.
No matter who you are and what you do, chances are you’ve got some denim in your wardrobe. Regardless of age or gender, shape or size, denim is just something which appeals to us all. And with good reason. Denim remains one of the most versatile, durable and highly sought after fabrics on the market – and most people own more pairs of jeans than there are days in the week.
Originally fashioned as workwear – in deep dyed indigo to better hide the dirt when work by labourers and miners – jeans became a fashion phenomenon in the 1950s thanks to Hollywood heavyweights like James Dean, Marlon Brando and Marilyn Monroe, who transformed the jeans’ image from workhorse to style icon.
Since then, every era has had its own denim signatures, from Seventies flares to the rise of designer denim in the Eighties, Nineties grunge styles or the Noughties skinny jeans – while denim looks in recent years have seen the reimagining of every past style possible.
2024’s key denim looks are coming through pared back and refined. Take inspiration from the standout look of the AW23/24 couture show in Paris, where Kaia Gerber stunned the fashion set sashaying down the catwalk for Valentino in a white shirt and straight-leged, high-waisted dark blue jeans.
Now this being couture, those wearing just any jeans, rather than a wearable work of art fashioned from silk, hand embroidered with thousands of tiny glass beads and dyed to look like denim – but the message was clear; simple, classic style with a luxe twist is the height of couture for 2024.
When it comes to colour, this season’s denims are staying true to blue, with mid-washes offering a more casual vibe and deep indigo shades the ones to go for a more polished look. Elements of tailoring are coming into play too, for a smarter smart-casual feel. This is denim you can wear to the office with confidence.
A standout shape for 2024 is set to be the horseshoe – otherwise known as the barrel leg – which has slowly been gaining traction since Alaïa included it in its AW23 lineup. With an unusual curved shape that juts out from the hip and tapers in at the ankle in a banana-like fashion, the horseshoe offers an almost sculptural silhouette – which certainly won’t be for everyone, but will give your denim a modern update, if you’re confident enough to give it a try!