High-rise, straight-leg and rigid: how to give your jeans an update

The inception point of a trend often looks more awkward than appealing.So it was when street-style types began replacing their fringed Christopher Kane trousers and thigh-split Altuzarra dresses with high-rise, straight-legged, rigid jeans.First it seemed off.Then it became intriguing.Then I was too consumed with Googling vintage Levis to ponder how it looked.When the eBay parcel arrived, I opened it and took a moment to pause.Wait a minute… did I really want… mum jeans?

In a word, yes!After years of skinny being the only style on the denim block, were in the midst of a major shift in the jean-scape.Women everywhere are peeling off the stretchy, denim-lite fabric weve allowed to encase us for the past decade, and opting for something more substantial.

And, joy of joys, we have options.There are Vêtements pieced-together Levis (admittedly, at £880 these arent for everyone), Rachel Comeys released-hem Legion crop flares, Mothers Insider Crop Step Frays, Topshops Mom Jeans, and many, many other styles that break out of the skinny-jean box.All have more of that Jane Birkin-y look: more bespoke and more personal, says Chloe Lonsdale, founder of M.i.h Jeans.A great straight-leg jean in a tougher denim speaks way more to the authentic spirit of denim that people want now.

Shoppers are getting the message from the runway.Sell-outs of straight-legged denim styles have risen by 260 per cent in the UK over the past three months compared to the same period a year ago, says Katie Smith, senior fashion and retail market analyst at fashion analytics firm Edited.She attributes the change to a combination of shopper fatigue… and retailers seeking to win back some spend on denim from activewears clutches.(In the same period, deliveries of skinny jeans declined 58 per cent.)

Skinny jeans increasingly look like victims of their own ubiquity.Lets face it: any garment thats the default choice of Kim Kardashian, Vogue Paris editor Emmanuelle Alt and the Duchess of Cambridge (surely the only time the three have been grouped together) was ripe for replacement.

Like these women, we were once seduced by the promise of the idealised brushstroke effect achieved, at least in theory, by a pair of dark skinnies worn with Manolo BB stilettos.But reality rarely lived up to the hype, and in place of model-off-duty dash, we got sausage thighs.Anyway, even when a silhouette works, the eye grows weary.Too much of an allegedly flatteringthing is boring.

Look at a retailers denim wall now, and youll find straight-legged jeans, released hems, embroidered denim, vintage jeans, cropped flares, culottes.Its a liberating, even dizzying array of choice.Here are our pointers to help you find your new favourite pair.We wont tell if you end up wearing them every day.

Ditchthestretch

The magic words to note about the new denim are: high-rise, straight-leg and rigid.The biggest departure is in the non-stretch fabric, which can feel almost punitive after so many years of Spanx-like frankenjeans.People have got used to so much stretch that its actually a re-education to wear something thats not, cautions Suzanne Pendlebury, contemporary womenswear buyer for matchesfashion.com.

But its this very rigour that appeals to designers.When Brock Collection designers Kristopher Brock and Laura Vassar set about designing a medium-high-rise, straight-legged jean inspired by WASP icon Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy for its Resort 2016 collection, identifying the just-right weight of non-stretch Japanese selvedge denim was key.It makes them feel really secure, Vassar says.

She took the prototype through fittings with women in her circle to refine the cut.My mother said, “You are not going to sell these.These are the worst-looking jeans ever.”But we liked them.So did the shoppers, who turned Brock Collections first foray into denim into a bestseller.I get emails from strangers telling me how much they love them, Vassar says, noting that her mum has come around, too.

Note: if the prospect of relinquishing the almighty powers of Lycra makes you break out in a cold sweat, youll still find plenty of options.The majority of what we sell is still skinny jeans, denim retailer Donna Ida Thornton says.People like the idea of non-stretch, but weve been spoiled by stretch and its hard to go back.She suggests a slim boyfriend cut or a cropped straight jean, a way of wearing a skinny that feels a bit fresher.

Everythingvintage isnew again

You can trace the new denim moment to a basement sex club in Paris, the site of the a/w 2015 Vêtements show featuring reworked vintage jeans, which have become cult items.Or you can draw a line further back to the 1990s and the mom jeans Jennifer Aniston wore as Rachel Green in Friends.Or to Kate Mosss 1992 Calvin Klein Jeans campaign, Madonna in double denim in the 80s, Farrah Fawcett in dark-wash flares in the 70s, or all the way back to Lady Levis, the first jeans designed for women, in 1934.Take your pick – the vintage influence is clear.

For Vêtements, splicing together two pairs of used Levis was a clever workaround to the problem of not being able to meet manufacturers order minimums.Other agenda-setters have appreciated the charms of vintage denim for years.Linda Rodin, the 68-year-old style icon and beauty entrepreneur, is devoted to her vintage Levis. So is fashion blogger Lucy Williams (she even appears in a Levis campaign).

Theres something really nostalgic about the 90s-style straight-leg jean that I love, she says.The classic blue wash and vintage fit makes everything feel that bit more relaxed, but somehow sexier too.Its amazing how substituting high-rise jeans can transform your look.

Williams is also a fan of Los Angeles-based denim brandRe/Done, which improves upon classic, pre-loved Levis, unpicking the seams of vintage 501s and re-sewing them following a modern pattern.No two pairs are alike.Women want to be individuals, and each jean being unique plays into that desire, co-founder Sean Barron explains.Sourcing the vintage jeans is challenging – especially when the reworked products keep selling out as soon as they hit the website.

The good news is that if you want to try vintage denim, often you can find the real deal at your local vintage emporium for under £20.Topshops Mom jeans, Acnes mom-fit jeans and Levis Wedgie jeans (yes, really—its a high-waisted, bum-hugging style) also approximate the vintage look.

Hems arethefocal point

Frays, step-frays, cuffs, released hems – however you chop it, all eyes are on the ankle as designers introduce thoughtful detailing to cropped jeans.Make no mistake: most of these jeans are meant to be worn on the shorter side.M.i.hs Topangas, Frames Le Crop Mini Boots, Donna Idas Margot culottes and Paiges Colettes all fall into the cropped camp.

The ideal length is an inch and a half above the ankle bone, says Donna Ida Thornton.People always think that theyll put them on and theyll fit exactly as a cropped jean should, but youdo have to alter them, she says.Herin-store alteration specialist removesand reattaches hem details to retain the original look.

Cropping makes tricky shapes more wearable.A flare silhouette is so much easier to wear when its cropped, says Lonsdale, whose M.i.h Jeans pop-up shop, now open, features an on-site cropping service.As soon as you show a little bit of ankle, you dont have to worry about height.

Little details matter

Heres where opinions diverge.On one hand, with more attention to fabric, fit, and finish, some experts see reduced appetites for ready-distressed styles.Its much cleaner, more vintage and more true blue-jean heritage than something thats overly distressed.Its cleaner and sharper, Pendlebury says.This camp is all about focusing on the true character of the denim.

If that all sounds a little plain, then youre in luck.At the other end of the spectrum, youll find jeans adorned with embroidered patches, as seen on the runways at Alexander McQueen and Gucci, and in styles from niche brands like Aries and Bliss and Mischief.

Or you could take inspiration fromMarie Sophie Lockhart, Drakes jeans embroiderer of choice, and DIY.Gaps Denim Addict collection offers a customisation service where you can add studding, or take home a miniature grater for home distressing.

Thinkbeyondjeans

Denim doesnt just have to be a five-pocket jean, says Pendlebury.In fact, increasingly designers are using denim as a fabric in ready-to-wear collections.People have realised that there is more choice and it doesnt have to be just something you wear at the weekend.Just look at MarquesAlmeida, Kéji, McQueen, all of which have shown collections that reveal how versatile denim can be, in skirts, dresses, shirts etc. Even if youre not sold on adding a high-waisted, zero-stretch, step-frayed culotte into your denim wardrobe, the joys of denim can still be yours to enjoy.