TREND ALERT - HIGH STAKES DENIM: Not so simple jeans n' jackets n' skirts

High fashion Luxe Denim is elevated above the simplicity of the daily jean as we know it.  Luxe denim may follow original vintage inspiration, remodelling fit and form and adding personalised limited edition detailing.  It is the clever cutting, higher design form, embellishment and creativity that commands the high stakes price and desirability.   Couture and Ready to Wear brands are highly sought due to their limited editions and the almost rock star status of the Designer.  It is encouraging to note the extensive use of simple denim at couture and catwalk levels.  Thereby influencing the confection of high street denims.

Designers: Left: Tibi  | Right: Fendi 

Voluminous beautifully cut Tibi man style pants suits in dark barely washed denim takes blue denim into a formal fashion conversation.  Likewise with a formal dress from Fendi in unwashed lightweight denim where the styling details are imaginative and dramatically visible. 

Designers: Left: Alexander McQueen | Right: Oscar De La Renta

Flamboyant yet super clean cutting from the atelier of Alexander McQueen. The Atelier has focussed on visible seaming, multilayering and clever shaping bottomed out with kick frills of contrast fabric.  This is flamboyant longevity to wear with pride. Oscar de La Renta is showing less flamboyance, instead moves subtly from an original Levi style cut in jacket and skirt with a difference in slits and shaping topped off with paint splashed finish.

Designers: : Left: Stella McCartney | Right: Mary Kantrantzou

Stella's signature boiler suit having a nod to its denim origins whilst being simple is flamboyant in colour and gathering detail to contain the volume.  Attention to details of seaming and top stitched cording and most importantly the high quality non denim fabric are all signatures of Stella. Mary Kantrantzou has stepped right away from denim in both her use of performance fabric and brilliant colour blocking.  The nod to the denims is in the studding and riveting.  Her pieces sit alongside denims and jeans adding the sport influence rather than emulating them. 

Designers: Left: R13 | Right: Calvin Klein 

Mixing leather, denim and plaid in jeans influenced styling is a clever combo. Topped off with cowboy boots in metallic leather. Such creativity and use of fabric has resulted in a covetable outfit from the denim brand R13.  The creative catwalk collection from R13 has raised the profile of the main brand which is likewise one of the best in the business.  Hand dyed leather from Calvin Klein helps elevate his jeans line to catwalk status

Designers: Left: Dolce and Gabbana | Center and right: Chanel

Dolce & Gabbana bring their creative and unusual flair to what essentially could be a simple jacket and jeans combo - Nothing is simple from D&G!  Chanel is more elegant.  Shaping and top stitch seaming forms the embellished denim jacket into the puffed transparent skirt below.

Designers: Left: Paul and Joe | Right: Gucci 

Super creative hand made denim fabric, fashioned from a commercial jacquard fabric hand finished with stitching and fraying from Paul & Joe in what would be originally a work style jacket.   Whilst Gucci keeps it more simple with hand drawing onto his sheering trimmed trucker jacket.

Designers (from left to right): Junya Watanabe Man, Lye Lysianne, Junya Watanabe Man A Cold Wall, John Lawrence Sullivan 

Various top designers play with denim combining it with sport fabric in simple and not so simple jacket shapes for men.  Watanabe shows off her signature jeans patching and shiny coating for her mens collection. Adding cutting edge to simple loose jeans.

Sport and jeanswear are natural bedfellows demonstrated here very well by the creative use of visible zippers to embellish khaki cargos cinched with a studded military belt from Marques Almeida.