By Jenna Cosentino, Staff Writer
You may have noticed on your Instagram feed, Pinterest boards or in your favorite stores, basic denim usage – for functionality purposes – is out and expressive, fashion-focused denim is in. If you haven’t heard of it or seen it, it is basically spicing up the simple denim with creative cuts, layering and washes of America’s favorite fabric.
The trend consists of raw hem jeans, which I am confident were made for shorter people. Those who are short understand the struggle of having to cuff every single pair of jeans and the frustration of dealing with jeans that always seem to be too long. You don’t necessarily need to go buy jeans to achieve this trend. Head to your closet and get a pair of jeans that you don’t mind cutting up. Put the jeans on and measure where you want the hem to start. You can either cut straight across or cut the front a little shorter than the back.
Also, another style with raw hem denim is fringe hem. This is where the hem is about one or two inches up from the bottom, and it is cut into fringe. You can treat this as a DIY project, as well. Just pick the length you want, cut off the bottom hem and cut slits all around, making it into fringe. The more you wash and dry the jeans, the more they will fray, giving you that distressed look.
Another way to spice up your denim is two-toned jeans. This look is created when the inside section of the pant is a lighter color then the outside or vice versa. There are also styles color-blocked with the two-toned jeans, but making them look funky. Basically, each different part of the denim is either a darker color or lighter color.
The other trend is embroidered jeans, with either floral patterns or patches. The floral embroidered jeans are perfect to jump start spring, but getting a darker pair of denim is a cute way to give an outfit a little twist. Having jewels or pearls all over the front is also a fun way to spruce up an outfit.
There are many stores that you can find these styles at, even if you are on a budget. If you are not looking to spend much, check out stores like Forever21, Shein, Garage and Old Navy. If you are not on a budget, check out stores like Asos, Urban Outfitters, Free People, Zara or different in-store and online boutiques. Different keywords to look out for while looking for these different styles of denim are raw hem, spliced, striped and embroidered.
You should not be afraid to try out these denim trends. There are so many styles out there, depending on your comfort zone with fashion and/or your style. Throwing on a pair of boyfriend jeans with pearls all down the front of it and a T-shirt tied to the side makes your casual class outfits a little spicy.
