Moving on from the ubiquitous skinny jean – and some new denim brands to look out for
CristaSeya
After more than a decade of the ubiquitous skinny jean, the shift to a relaxed silhouette is more than welcome. Quite frankly, the, er, new status quo has a much more interesting aesthetic – think frayed, hand-painted, high-waisted, patchwork denim. This sartorial swing has had me wearing my old Levi’s 501s again and engaging in a spot of scissor-happy DIY. I’m really enjoying this opportunity to experiment with new shapes and silhouettes. How about you?
CristaSeya
Although this new mood is heavily influenced by headline-grabbing brand du jour Vetements – and LA’s cult denim label Re/Done – it’s the rise of a handful of female designers doing innovative things with denim and denim-look fabrics that has really piqued my interest.
Women like Italian-born Crista Cassini and her business partner Keiko Seya, former fashion stylists and co-founders of the Parisian lifestyle brand CristaSeya. Katie Green, who trained as a bespoke tailor and then worked as a buyer at Net-a-Porter for eight years, before launching Kéji Denim at the end of 2015. And Parisian-born designer Faustine Steinmetz who studied at Central Saint Martin’s under Louise Wilson and has said she likes to ‘treat jeans like a piece of couture.’ All of these designers are keen on sustainability, quality and hand-crafting fabrics; on creating pieces that have a perennial place in women’s wardrobes.
CristaSeya
I’ve written a feature on The New Denim Pioneers for the FT.
What I admire about this shape-shifting silhouette is the androgynous, gentlewomanly appeal, ‘ We love the unisex feeling,’ says Cassini of CristaSeya, ‘all the pieces are masculine and oversized; we believe femininity is a subtle and discreet attitude. Our customer is between 30 and 80-years-old, she’s an opinionated woman with a strong personality.’ Timeless, ageless and full of character – sounds good to me.
Discussion (41 Comments)
Anna Fursland says:
I agree! Unless you’re tall and skinny ….they would certainly make me look like a bag lady.
Michaela says:
Unfortunately the thick fabric and bulk would make me look and feel – well not very nice. Looks a bit like upholstery fabric to me – not even nice curtain fabric which can look and feel fab.
Wanda says:
Horray! Love that skinny jeans are finally waning! 501 Levi’s seem very appealing right now! Have we seen yours in prior posts? Would love to.
Also, really good to hear the designer say the age range for the jeans. Something one over 50 enjoys hearing for sure! Thank you!Cris Murray says:
I liked the “free form” creativity….very Cocoa & chic on the right body types! Alas, I was never long limbed, not even in my 20’s!
Ramona says:
They will have to rip my skinny jeans off me before I would willingly give them up. Can’t imagine wanting or needing anything to add bulk to my lower half.
Each to their own but those of us with substantial bodies are more likely to stay with skinnies as they provide some balance. My legs are one of my best features, my ‘waistline’ my worst. There is no way I want to hide my legs in wide legged pants. I think you would look amazing in them though.
Annie says:
I think these jeans look as though they are ‘trying too hard’ and I would personally feel like a fashion victim wearing them
Zanna says:
Well this Crista Seya is certainly different, but for me in a bad way . No body shape can help this fabric, jeez!!!
I like the J Crew crop bootleg but wearing heels with jeans isn’t for me . I don’t like shoes much and I wonder how they look with boots or flat sandals .
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The skinny silhouette has certainly been around a while and I loathe seeing them worn skin tight , but I do think they look great worn well .
So what next, always good to have a new look in mind while shopping. I’ve gone 100% Humanoid this Summer and have embraced the dropped crotch drapey trousers in jersey as they look great with my footwear . Love my big floppy Me and Em wide legs too.
I’m wearing jeans less, but when I do it’ll be Gap Always Skinny or Dungarees for a while yet .Julie says:
Its great to see new denim silhouettes and I appreciate the design of the Crista Seya pieces above but they are not for real women with tummies bums and height issues- 5 foot 4!!!!! But I’ve been experimenting too and my new favourites are the high waist boot cuts with frayed hems (Frame Denim) and my old flares from Paige. A pair of Isabel Marant- inspired block heels with studs (Top Shop) look very modern and are com
fortable to wear and update these new denim shapes instantly. Thanks for the inspirational piece!Rosamund says:
I love the citizens of humanity jumpsuit, if only I could afford it. At 5’4″ I avoid too much fabric as it swamps, but love these styles on tall people. I was interested in your last posting about French style, that you mentioned women with a bust prefer fitted shirts, which is true for me.
I too have gone to Levi 501s but never wore skinny jeans anyway. For years I have made sure to have a fitted sleeveless denim dress in my summer wardrobe. In dark indigo and tailored they can look smart or casual.
Elizabeth says:
Just bought of wide palazzo shaped jeans from Hampstead Bazaar – not convinced on the hangar but tried them on and feel in love with them. Felt instantly stylish and feminine . Hope holiday photos support this
patricia wattts says:
As a sixty plus lady who wears skinny jeans, you are right to say we need a change, but come on are you seriously
suggesting we should wear any from the above photos. A nice denim jacket always looks chic and on trend but rest of
the stuff looks scruffy.Hilary says:
I don’t really like to read, “end of the… (Insert here)” articles. Surely it’s against what we as individuals are trying to achieve – style which works for us as individuals, our bodies and our lifestyles. Personally, I like skinnies: they work well with high/flats or boots, Look good with many different tops or shirts and work with most jackets. I also love wider pants but mainly in the Summer because they look daft with most coats and shoes and tops have to be chosen more carefully. Skinnies will stay in my wardrobe because they suit me and work when I need speedy, no-think dressing.
Always nice to see something different though.I took a pair of scissors to my oldest J Brand flares a while ago for that cropped wide leg look. Although I still own other flares that I’ll be wearing til the day I die!
Denim is such a malleable fabric it works in any design shape beautifully depending on the thickness & quality. I’m so pleased it has also become acceptable up-market attire. There is an amazing range of trousers & full skirts now that wouldn’t look out of place in a fancy restaurant or even boardroom.
As for denim shoes – I’ve had my eye on a pair of Gianvito Rossi denim plexis for ages!
Your selection is divine Alyson, all of it 😉
xMSFord says:
Occasionally wear skinnies but prefer a slightly more relaxed look – relaxed skinny, girlfriend jean or straightleg, all of which can be worn full length or rolled up with heels, flats, converse etc. Also, am an advocate of if wearing looser on the top half then wearing more fitted on the bottom half and vice versa.
mary d says:
I saw girls in high-waisted 80s style jeans and cutoffs in the park over the weekend. They seemed to be wearing them ironically, but still . . . It will be hard to break the skinny jean habit in this day of instagram, because both women and men feel it makes them look slim.
Fran says:
I think clothes need to be scaled to your size and shape. As a 5’4″ size 8/10 I think I would look horrendous in these baggy clothes. Even the skinny, tall models in these photos look like waifs and strays. Would Audrey wear them, I think not. x
JoJo says:
Change! Options! Bring it on.
I really love what you have selected here especially those first pair of J Crew patched straight legs but I think you could pull something together yourself at a lower price point.. I have some cropped kick flares from Citizens of Humanity in 2 sizes for different looks, so I obviously love them.Robyn says:
I like the wide leg look. Not so sure how it looks on me. I like a slimmer leg looks more polished but I have ordered a pair of wide leg crops only because it is so hot right now that I thought it might be a cooler alternative.
Jane says:
Although only 5’2″, I love wide leg trousers, not sure about how they look in denim, though. I’ve got a dead ringer for that J C Crew jacket. Mine is from Monki and cost a sixth of the price.
I love the new direction, although some of the pieces are too wildly baggy for moi. That’s how fashion works though – by the time it gets to our shops we’ll have the just-right drapey leg. xox
-Patti
http://notdeadyetstyle.comI’ve been reading about the “death of skinny jeans” for years now, and it never happens. It is a ‘trend’ that won’t die because skinny jeans don’t add bulk… they’re jeans equivalent of a pencil skirt. You have so many more options for what to wear on the top half of your body with a skinny jean; you’re much more restricted with these voluminous silhouettes. I’m all for there being more options for the slight of frame and long of leg (not me!) I’ll only wear what suits my frame. Audrey Hepburn was wearing skinny trousers (not denim) in the 1950s, and they still look chic and current in my view. My winter uniform is her black polo neck and skinny trousers that she wore in Funny Face!
Alice says:
I really love wide leg trousers, and have bought culottes, wide full length palazzo, and wide jeans. I’m only 5’4” but have stopped worrying whether shapes flatter me, and am only concerned with whether I enjoy wearing them. Which I do! They are so comfortobal, and such fun. I’m aware they could be a passing fad and will look dated in a couple of years, but if I get on with them then I will wear them anyway.
AliceHélène says:
While I don’t think skinnies are about to go away, I love these new ample lines. As opposed to many comments, wide cropped legs do look good on most people as long as the waist is somewhat defined.
Rochelle says:
I think the larger takeaway here is that denim itself is a remarkable fabric and deserves more creative treatment by the fashion world. Likewise I volunteer sweatshirt fabric for a rethinking–I had a fabulous Shanghai Tang sweatshirt jacket, purchased from the its Madison Avenue store when it first opened, that I wore until it was in tatters. I still can’t bear to throw it away.
aud says:
Trying to find the perfect denim is almost as hard as finding the perfect white shirt. I read somewhere that the average UK woman has 10 pairs but wears only 2. I plead guilty to that! I wear skinnies with boots and will keep doing so because they are so useful. My holy grail denim is 7/8 length, highish waist so no muffin top or exposure of underwear bending down, not too stretchy, and wider than skinny at the ankle/ calf, but not bootcut or flare which make cankles look even worse if you wear sneakers. That is the style that I know suits me and I feel good in. My current faves are DL1961 Angel Ankle cigarette jeans. Pricey but I’m wearing them constantly just now – alternating with last years Me+Em slim boyfriend jeans. You could do a whole series on finding the right jeans for your shape and style Alyson!
maudie says:
I have also played around with old 501’s – chopping and restyling and I love the 7/8 raw edge effect that I have given them. Even did a higher front than back thing with the hem! However, I don’t think that this would work unless it was summer. WHERE does a mature, slim 5′ 7″ woman buy jeans? NYDJ give me the willies (sorry, NYDJ) and I am not in the income bracket for Paige or the like. I have just bought a pair of Adidas perforated Court Vantage and am having trouble styling them. Help would be appreciated fast! PLEASE do a jeans article for us .
Rach with an E says:
LOVE those CristaSeya items so much I had palpitations and that was before I saw the website with all that gorgeous oversized clothing. Lovely on the model, less so on ordinary mortals especially the super-heavy looking denim skirt. My 79 year old mum would say I’m a proper mawther (Norfolk dialect) if my 52 year old 5’7″ self wore them. I’m tempted…
A jeans article would be fab…. But please make some of the options affordable.cw says:
Being just under 5’3″ and slender, baggy pants of any fabric do not enhance my figure. However, I’m all for experimenting so I will continue to try on various styles of bagginess to see if I can discover a brand that will not make me look like I’m wearing a pair of pants that ate Manhattan.
Judy says:
Love the looser denim . I completely disagree that petite types cannot wear these, as asserted in some comments. For me, I’ve been embracing wider for about four years…Chimala ankle Jean…and In a recent move tossed the skinnies. I’m for all types of denim. I’m loving the creative bent of the new…didn’t know about CristaSeya….the drape of those wide leg looks beautiful! Thx for sharing Alison!
Fran says:
I’m loving wider-legged pants in lighter, drapey-er, flowy-er fabrics than denim on myself — have some linen-look wide-leg cotton drawstring pants and some cropped wide-legged trousers from Madewell, a pair of (deeply discounted) jogger pants from Vince, and some great, slouchy jogger pants and very drapey wide-legged pants from Uniqlo (where they go on sale for $20 U.S.), all of which I love. Haven’t actually tried on any in denim yet — since I’m 5’4″ tall, I’m not so sure that this silhouette will work for me in heavier/stiffer fabrics, but I won’t know til I try! Uniqlo has some relaxed-fit, wide-legged ankle pants in denim-look fabrics from their collaboration with Hana Tajima for $40 that I’d like to try on, but they’re not available in stores near me. I still love my skinnies or a good (substantial) pair of leggings, though, if I want to wear a big, loose top — big and loose on both top and bottom can swallow up my small frame. I would love to try on the top pair of pants above, but with a skinny top rather than a big, loose one. Of course I’d have to lop off 4-6″, because I can’t wear heels, and then they wouldn’t look right . Also relating to the other readers with tight clothing budgets; there really is some great stuff available for less these days, if you know where to look for your size and body type. Figuring out which brands make pants that are likely to fit you can take hours of frustrating trying pants on in a lot of different stores, though!
Sjay says:
I love the new jean shape – I’m only 5.4 but I find this shape flattering if the hem is above the ankle. I’ve been waiting for those Anthropologie dungarees to come up in the sale.
lisbethinsydney says:
Margaret Howell’s Edwin Painter Jeans – bought on eBay – every time. Adjustable waist at the back. Perfect flared cut. Pockets. Comfortable and stylish. Japanese dark denim. People ask where I got them.
Lyna 
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Most of what is pictured here is HIDEOUS! I’ll take a (roomy) skinny jean any day…