Denim skirts. We’ve mentioned them before, more than once, but we’re bringing them to your attention again because: a) they are riding higher in the fashion charts than they have for decades, b) their fashion cred level happens to match their VITL (value in the lockdown) level, and c) you may already own one. It’s true that denim skirts have been on the fashion radar for at least six years.
Stella McCartney was an early reviver of the Seventies button-through denim midi, and every other designer in town has caught up since, not to mention all the denim brands. But this season has produced a bumper crop.
The Celine version is full and tiered and belted, and the Givenchy one (pictured) is extra long and faded, with a raw split up the front. Loewe’s, meanwhile, is as Seventies retro as they come. It’s fashioned to look like it was cobbled together from an old pair of Levis, the way we did back in the day on our pedal sewing machines — though this 2020 version will set you back £595.
Shane Watson shared her advice for embracing this season’s denim skirt trend at any occasion. Pictured: Givenchy catwalk show
What this summer’s denim skirts have in common (well, the right ones) are a high waist, a fly front or buttons, and a hemline that’s mid-calf or longer.
Longer — even ankle-grazing— is the fashion- forward choice, but much longer than midi is tough to wear; there’s just an awful lot of denim flopping about, so we’re not going to go there.
Your denim skirt can be flared or narrow, but ideally it should look and fit like oldschool jeans, so avoid too much stretch in the fabric; you’re not aiming for that packed-in, punchy Eighties look. The point of a denim skirt, right now, is that it’s not jeans, or leggings, or trousers — and oh, what a relief that is!
Sometimes it feels like we’ll never see our legs again, which is why a denim skirt is exactly what we’re in the mood for. The right one comes with inbuilt cool. It thinks it’s a pair of great jeans with a bit of extra sass. It looks good with a poloneck while the weather is still cool, or a little leather jacket over a T-shirt. You can also pair it with a high-necked blouse, a striped shirt, or a skinny ribbed knit. As for what you wear on your feet, boots, flat sandals or mules all work.
If you want to carry off the fuller midi — Toast does one in soft indigo denim (£115, toa.st) — you’ll need to be tallish and have a small waist, otherwise you’ll get swamped. If you are going for the longer line, the safest bet is a buttonthrough style like the Levi’s one (£70, next.co.uk), which comes in a stonewash denim. Ganni does something similar in a dark wash (£175, matches fashion.com).
You need the movement afforded by the buttons, but they should stop around your knees or you can end up looking like you’re stuck in a pipe. On the whole, a little bit of a flare is more forgiving, and more Seventies. Whistles has a promising midi, buttonthrough style (£66.75, whistles. com), but it does have stretch so be careful to get it with enough give. Whistles also does a tiered denim skirt (£111.75, whistles.com) though, honestly, it looks like it has the potential to add pounds.
Boden has a flared, panelled denim skirt with pockets (£48, boden.co.uk). Or try Goldsign’s neater, flared, dark-wash midi (£162, farfetch.com). Note: this one is on sale because of its extra dark wash.
While you can get away with dark denim in summer, it’s a lot less versatile. If you want to keep it simple, there are plenty of narrower cuts, though make sure the hem is long enough to stop you looking square-bodied.
Zara does a faded denim skirt with a split front (£19.99, zara.com) or Arket has a similar one in a darker wash (£69, arket.com). M&S has a faded one without a front split (£29.50, marksandspencer.com). These will do the job for when you’re knocking about in the garden, but if you want to take them out to the pub come the end of May (fingers crossed), they don’t have the fashion cred of the others.