California Apparel News

Trend forecasters say there is a shake-up occurring in the denim world as we know it.

For the past decade, blue-jeans makers have focused on the skinny silhouette, which many believed would never take hold and kick out the boot-cut look that had been so popular for years.

But a decade is a long time for a trend. What’s next? “The overall reaching trend I believe is important is the anti-skinny jean,” said Shanna McKinnon, an adjunct professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and founder of DenimHunt (www.denimhunt.com), a denim blog started in 2007.

Think volume. Think higher waistlines. Think about wearing something called—believe it or not—the Mom jean. “It goes against everything we think denim should do,” McKinnon said.

McKinnon was sharing her thoughts on denim trends at a seminar organized on Aug. 19 by Cotton Inc. at MAGIC Market Week at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The podium was shared with Abigail Cook, Cotton Inc.’s fashion trend forecaster/denim specialist, who maintains there is a back-to-basics movement. She believes in the “normcore” trend, which will continue to move forward.

“I cannot stress how important this is going to be,” said the forecaster, who this year traveled to several major music festivals, such as South by Southwest in Texas and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California, to scout for denim trends being followed by young music lovers.

“Normcore,” she explained, “is going back to the days of Jerry Seinfeld wearing khakis, stone-washed jeans and a white T-shirt. That is what we are seeing.”

Normcore people don’t want to stand out or distinguish themselves by their clothing. This means shunning labels and trying to be as back-to-basics as possible. “Less is more in this instance,” Cook noted. “It is a niche market, but we see it growing. It is definitely happening in the premium-denim market.”

As part of this trend, Cook sees blue-jeans manufacturers that offer more selvage-denim looks for women instead of just for men.

Subtle textures in denim will take hold as well as raw edges to give pants a more avant-garde look.

The anti-skinny trend

Countering the skinny jean look is a denim pant with a fuller hip, a roomier thigh or a bottom with more circumference around the ankles or calf. The advantage is this silhouette goes well with trendy cropped tops. “It’s more versatile. You can cuff it, wear it cropped or extra long, with minimal distressing, maximum distressing or DIY [do it yourself] looks,” McKinnon said. “It is a lot more refined [than the boyfriend jean].”

Another trend that is becoming more popular is the sports jean, or a jean that can double as a jog pant or sweat pant. It is usually 98 percent cotton but is a lighter ounce, knit-type denim that has a soft feel. “We are seeing a lot more athletically inspired jeans,” the DenimHunt founder said. “These are jeans that are more acceptable to wear out and can offer more variety in your wardrobe.”

A few seasons ago, Italian label Diesel introduced the “Jogg” jean, which is a jersey plus denim pant, retailing for $248 to $328. Denim mills have been working to develop more stretchy treatments that can be part of a jean used for exercising or lounging around the house.

“If you like being comfortable, then you’ll like the Mom jean,” McKinnon said. “It is anti-fit and anti-sexy. It exaggerates certain traits like hips instead of lengthening your body. It is a normcore favorite,” she observed. “I don’t think the Mom jean is going to be something everyone is going to wear, but there is more acceptance.”

But it was seen being worn by women at Coachella as well as at South by Southwest in Austin. You can roll it up, wear it with a cardigan and know that no one will be seeing your underwear.

Denim jumpsuits, rompers and overalls are also making it back into the trend pages after they had a long run in the 1980s. “I am starting to see more-mainstream people wear this onesies style,” McKinnon said.

To show how far the jumper has reached, a recent article for InStylemagazine exulted about how the jumpsuit is the next wedding must-have for bridesmaids. However, they probably won’t be in denim.

The denim jumper is easy to dress up or dress down. A pair of heels and clunky jewelry will often do the trick. For overalls, it is just a matter of throwing on a T-shirt and a pair of high heels to go with the denim outfit, and you are out the door.

G-Star Raw and Diesel were among the first to have this in their denim lineup, but now more fast-fashion retailers such as H&M are adding this look to their racks. “I think it is an opportunity for denim brands to use this and find different styles of finishing or distressing,” McKinnon said.

The lived-in look

Hyper-exaggerated distressing is taking a turn on the trend table. The more extreme the look, the more authentic it appears. TopShop is selling jeans that have huge rectangular holes cut out around the knees, fashioned after a hipster look seen on the street.

It is all part of the DIY movement that is becoming popular in the denim world. But instead of shoppers doing it themselves, they want to buy a pair of jeans that look like they were individually and artistically created. “It is not supposed to look manufactured,” McKinnon said.

Also part of this DIY movement is an onslaught of patches being sewn onto denim. Again, Diesel and G-Star Raw have gobbled up this trend and used it on some of their styles. “Patches are very important,” Cook said.

When McKinnon noticed the trend, she didn’t think it would last. “I am eating my words right now,” she said.

Patches add personality to jeans. Shoppers can add their own patches or opt to let denim makers figure out the best patches to add for a dose of individuality.

Don’t be surprised if you see more shapewear-like jeans in the stores. While some labels, such as Not Your Daughter’s Jeans, were ahead of the curve on this one with their waist-slimming, tummy-tuck jeans launched in 2004, more brands are picking up on it as the population ages.

Jeans are being made to enhance derrières, tighten tummies and suck in waists.

Even Atlanta-based Spanx, known for its spandex biker short–like undergarments, announced recently it was launching a shaping jeans in two silhouettes—a straight fit and a skinny fit.