THE JOURNAL

The jackets and jeans you need this season.
Denim is an eminently wearable and comfortable fabric, which means it never truly goes “out” of style. But it definitely has moments when its popularity peaks, and seeing as how a multitude of brands including Gucci, Tom Ford, Saint Laurent and Stella McCartney all have new iterations of denim jeans, jackets, or both, now appears to be one of those moments. It could be to do with that whole “20-year cycle” thing, where clothes start to look good again two decades after they first came into fashion (hello again, 1990s; that’s the lost property-style sneakers phenomenon explained, then), but it could just be that nothing beats a solid pair of jeans or a crisp denim jacket. There’s a fair thwack of new denim that’s hitting the virtual shelves at MR PORTER this week, and we’ve compiled some of it below with a few tips on how to wear it. What would you do without us?
DOUBLE DENIM WITH A (SAFE) TWIST
Double denim was a trend that peaked in the early 2000s, but had a little bit of a semi-ironic renaissance a couple of years ago. Still, wearing a denim jacket and jeans has always been one of those sartorial minefields, producing a glut of instructional articles on how to wear it without looking like you’ve donned a “Canadian tuxedo”. Our advice: unless you’re Mr Justin Timberlake, don’t bother. Or do, but switch it up by wearing a traditional blue denim jacket (you can’t go wrong with this classic from Ami) with some neutral-coloured jeans such as these from Incotex – their grey-green shade makes them as versatile a pair of chinos, and they’re cut from premium denim that stretches ever so slightly. It’s double denim, but not as we know it.
RAW-EDGE DENIM
Stonewashed, tapered, slim, raw-hem, carrot-fit, grey and cropped are just some of the adjectives we’ve used to describe these jeans from Stella McCartney. That’s a veritable mouthful to attribute to one item of clothing, sure, but we think the end result is simple: this is a pretty decent pair of jeans. The style harks back to the 1980s, and they are crafted from tough sustainable denim that will last you a long time. You’ll want to team them with something equally streetwise – this graphic T-shirt, also from Stella McCartney, will work well, and depicts a plane island hopping through “seven levels of love”. Like Dante’s Inferno, but, you know, more optimistic.
POETIC PARTY DENIM
If you wanted to capture that rock ‘n’ roll insouciance through your denim, look no further than Saint Laurent. These black drainpipe jeans have asymmetrical rips on the knees, and would have looked very much at home on stage at the London Astoria. To inject a little bit of bon vivant bohemia into your look, throw on this Saint Laurent crepe de chine shirt with a print inspired by a Moroccan tapestry. Think of it as Mr Pete Doherty meets Lord Byron.

Keep up to date with The Daily by signing up for our weekly email roundup. Click here to update your preferences.