Past Work...Part Seven: Denim

A blog centered around everyone's wardrobe essential: Denim!

Denim Devotees....
started
June 18, 2009 7:51 PM
Ok, so I love shopping on ASOS and I look through the awesome selection of gorgeous garments and accessories on offer....a LOT. But something struck me just lately as I was lusting over (yet) another pair of jeans....I always head for denim FIRST when i'm looking at making another purchase.My wardrobe does not need more denim. I have denim in piles. I have denim shirts, dresses, jackets, trousers, skirts, leggings. I even have (due to an error in fashion judgement, apparently) denim SHOES. But what is it about dutiful denim, that fabric relied on by miners and workers of yore, that makes us love it SO much?There is just something so timeless about denim. Apart from its quality, the thickness of material, and the variety of colours we can buy it in, what I love most about denim is its versatility. The way it can change your mood (great fitting jeans+great colour trickery=endless legs=happy customer) as well as your outfit in one hot minute....sling on a battered denim jacket over a slinky dress and hey presto, you've just gone from sophis to edgy in a flash. Equally, you can even use this wonder fabric to give your outfit an upgrade. A flowery lantern skirt can look super cute teamed with a snazzy tee for day, but pop on your heels and a stunning denim bustier (I see ASOS have a very on trend, pale wash one in the SALE right now, ladies, go to immediately) and you have a pretty, smart outfit that will work for more dressy functions without appearing stuffy. Excellent.And don't even get me STARTED on jeans....oh my. I'm currently on the hunt for the perfect pair of harem jeans (I know, i'm obsessed with this shape right now) and during my hunt I stumbled across the ASOS denim track pant (Wow) which have a right-on peg shape to the leg and CUFFED ankles. I know, I know, who thought the shape so loved by the shell-suit trouser and championed today by, well, youngsters of a 'chav' persuasion would once again be so hot? I couldn't have predicted it, thats for sure, but check them out and you'll see....with a heel, and a fitted top....yowzer. Talk about understated glamour. I can't get enough of them, am planning to buy a pair, and imagine they will become my New Favourite Jeans. And of course, skinnies are still a hot ticket (what did we DO before skinny jeans, eh?!)...with gladiators or ballet pumps, we all know how fierce they look. I liked Vicky B's effort in her 1k Balmains, but for those of a smaller-sized budget, a bottle of bleach and a cheese grater will emulate a similar (and cheaper) effect. Make sure you're careful!Taller ladies, get your pins into some high waisted, flared-from-the-knee numbers in a dark wash to make your limbs appear even more longer and coltish....being on the smaller side myself, I like to cheat and avoid stumpification by wearing my more flarey jeans with megawatt heels. Make sure your jeans are long enough to cover most of your shoe, and bluff your way to legs to rival Elle's. Likewise, high waisted jeans are so handy for a) giving you curves if you have none, and b) making you look deliciously Marylin-esque if you do. Remember Scarlett Johansson in her high waisters? Gorge. If you can bear it, wear them with a crop top for ultimate 50's chic...look to Daisy Lowe for inspiration on How To Do This Well. One to avoid if you have the bloat on, or are about to go out for dinner, I'd say.And what about washes?! Theres so much to cover....acid, bleach, pale, indigo, midnight, pacific....the list goes on! I covet dark jeans, especially skinnies, as the most flattering fit/wash of all. But indigo flared types can look pleasantly 70's if you bang them up to date with a few carefully chosen accessories. Trend-led jeans, such as the 80's favourite, acid washed, or the eye-popping paint palette selection of brights, look ace right now, but make sure you have some classic fallbacks in your collection for everyday versatility...they'll always get you out of a fashion fix.Denim, of course, needn't be limited to just jeans and the occasional statement piece though...oh no. Fear not, denim has made the foray into almost every feasible garment possible (versions of most of which, I have hanging in my wardrobe.) The humble denim jacket has never looked so good (I'm on the hunt for a suuuuuuper pale washed one as we speak, perfect over all my trillions of summer dresses....) and denim waistcoats (what?! I know!) are also sitting ever so slightly under the radar...I never thought i'd see the day, but I have, and also, the most perfect, slightly frayed denim waistcoat...Denim shirts are your festival best friend, and what better way to stave off the chill of an evening than with your new cardigan-replacement! Watch your bottom half though-double denim is a look best left to the 80's, despite what some fash mags say....as a one time wearer of a denim SUIT (oh dear) I believe I have the right to offer this piece of advice.Another wise investment at the moment is a denim dress. Surprisingly wearable, go for a light chambray denim in a pale wash to avoid a "Little House on the Praire" moment, and a statment shape, such a loose sack style for maximum impact. This will carry nicely through to Autumn with tights, and will look awesome now with a tan. I've found a little stunner right here on ASOS (naturally)....the Acne chambray shirt dress is a wise choice, being, as it is, jaw-droppingly cute. Whichever way you dress it up, (or down), its evident that denim has been part of the fabric of our (fashion) lives for decades for a reason-its just blimming ace. And for that reason, denim, in all your forms-we salute you!