Denim Is Back and Here’s How To Add It To Your Wardrobe : FashioNectar

Denim entered the world of clothing as a material used for everyone from cowboys to miners, but the predominant use was as work wear for manual labourers. Fast forward to the 1950’s and the release of Rebel Without A Cause starring James Dean, wearing denim jeans became a symbol of rebellious youth. From here, wearing denim, particularly in the 80’s and 90’s, was a part of most people’s wardrobes and this has continued ever since right into the 2020’s. 

In the 90’s, people really started to experiment with denim in a super fun way, which is when the iconic double denim was born. However, this got lost slightly and wearing denim was predominantly in the form of either jeans or shorts. However, this year, runways all over the world have been featuring fun denim outfits that are reimagining the material. As a result, we know that having fun with denim is back on the horizon and we’re here to give you some inspiration on how you can incorporate it into your own wardrobe. From full denim outfits to staple pieces you can wear all year round, we’ve got you covered with our guide on how to add more denim to your wardrobe. 

Tips For Buying Your Denim

The best tip we can give you when it comes to buying your denim is to go thrifting. Denim requires a lot of resources and materials to create it, making it bad for the environment as well as expensive. When you go to a thrift shop instead, you will be able to find exceptional pieces that will last you for years, for a fraction of the cost. 

If you do want a brand new piece of denim, we’d definitely recommend choosing a brand that is aware of its environmental impact and one that really places emphasis on the quality of the product. Some companies, including Levi’s, will repair your Levi’s for free for life when you buy from them, helping to support their sustainability pledge as well as highlighting their faith in their jeans. This is a great example of where it can be fine to buy a piece of new denim. 

Our final tip is to make sure that the piece you are buying is completely timeless. Denim is expensive, and you want to make sure that when you buy a piece you can wear and love it for years and years. In order to do this, avoid any trends like wide leg jeans or skinny jeans and instead go for a classic fit. The same goes with any kind of embroidery, if you aren’t sure if you’ll like it in a few years time, don’t get it! 

Tips For Looking After Denim

Before we dig into examples of denim you can add to your wardrobe, we want to give you an important care tip. The best tip we can give you is to make sure you don’t overwash your denim. Washing your denim regularly can really affect the material, causing damage and resulting in your clothes not lasting as long. So, the common rule is to only wash your denim when it really needs it, like a big spillage or something. This will prolong the life of your denim significantly, as well as making sure that you avoid tumble drying or washing at high temperatures. A 30 degree wash and air dry will definitely do the trick! To give you a ballpark, washing your jeans every 2-3 months if you wear them regularly is about right. 

A Good Pair of Jeans

Although we started by saying that jeans aren’t everything, this wouldn’t be a guide to styling denim without them! A good pair of denim jeans is essential in every wardrobe, as it is a key base that absolutely any outfit can be built around, for most occasions. The best piece of advice we can give here is to invest in a good pair. It will be so worth the money as you can really tell the difference when it comes to good quality denim, not to mention it will last you for decades.

As already mentioned, you want something timeless when investing in a good pair of jeans, so choose a classic fit. You can then roll up the bottoms whenever you want and jazz them up with different belts. We’d also recommend going with a classic wash rather than anything like acid wash, as again, you might change your mind on it in a few years. Trends will come and go, but a classic pair of jeans will come with you the whole time! 

Denim Jacket

Next on our list to help you add denim to your wardrobe is a denim jacket. When we think of a denim jacket, it’s just below waist length for a flattering fit, it’s thick and slightly oversized to give you such a timeless jacket to add to every outfit. You might wear it over the top of a full womens tracksuit for a smart casual finish, you could wear it with a summer dress and trainers or be brave with double denim, separating your jeans and denim jacket with a white tank top.

When you throw on a denim jacket, no matter what you’re wearing, the whole look just comes together. So, invest in a classic denim jacket and we know that you won’t regret it. 

Denim Dress

One of the most underrated dresses you can have in your wardrobe is a denim dress! We personally love a mini denim dress with thin straps. You can wear it on its own in the summer months with cute sandals, you can style one of your blazers over the top for autumn and then moving into winter wear a turtleneck underneath the dress and style with tights and boots for the cutest and cosiest winter look. You can wear this all year round, making it super diverse and a great outfit to have in your wardrobe. 

Denim Shirt

Another staple you need in your denim wardrobe is a denim shirt! Your opportunities when it comes to styling a denim shirt really are endless, whether you wear it open with a tank underneath and a black skirt, you could wear it tucked into a bright summery skirt with heels, it looks beautiful tied at the waist with a maxi skirt, and we’re just getting started! 

Of course, one of the more obvious choices would be to go double denim! We would recommend either choosing a different shade of denim to your jeans or wearing the same colour denim but breaking the outfit up by wearing the shirt open with a white tank top underneath and a belt. Another option if you’re not quite ready for double blue denim is to choose black denim jeans, as this is a great way to break things up. Choose an oversized denim shirt and then you could even wear a black jumper over the top, so parts of the shirt are just peeking out, for an effortless look. 

No matter how you style your denim shirt, we know you’ll fall in love with it and it will become an important part of your wardrobe. 

Dungarees

Last but certainly not least, we have dungarees! In the 60’s and 70’s, dungarees were worn by both men and women, but slightly dropped off in popularity moving past the 90’s. However, they’re back and better than ever! Dungarees are really easy to style, as they’re the centrepiece of any outfit so you really don’t need to do much to make them look great. You could wear a jumper underneath and boots in the autumn, a simple t-shirt and trainers in the summer, a tee and a blazer with heels for a meal out or a cosy teddy bear coat for cute winter walks. Skirt dungarees are also a great option if you don’t want to go for the full look, and can be styled in the same way as full dungarees. 

Go for classic blue or black denim dungarees for a timeless finish we know you will want to wear everyday! 

Final Thoughts

Denim has been an important part of society for over 100 years now, and trust us when we say it’s not going anywhere. Whilst trends might come and go, when you invest in a great pair of classic jeans or a timeless denim jacket, it will be in your wardrobe for decades and decades. When you know how to style it properly, your options are endless, so you can keep mixing and matching for an array of outfits by only adding a few things. We hope we’ve shown you that denim really is back and better than ever, so don’t be afraid to push yourself out of your comfort zone and we know you will be getting so many compliments on your outfits! More importantly, you’ll feel more confident than ever before, which we truly believe you will feel when you invest in a few great pieces of denim.