LOS ANGELES ― Jeans for this spring and summer have gone from basic blues and intense indigo to Technicolor versions of playful Crayola shades. It’s all very 1980s a la Esprit or Benetton, but this time there’s nothing junior about colored denim. It’s coming in sleek skinny shapes and cropped lengths that liven up simple T-shirts or button-downs and work well with neutral sandals or flats rather than a pair of old-school high-top Reeboks.
The most popular color seems to be red. Celebrities such as Rihanna and Rachel Bilson have been seen sporting attention-grabbing skinny reds. For colder months, red jeans look saucy paired with leopard accessories and a sharp black blazer. But for summer, they’re good with a simple white T-shirt or black-and-white striped tank top and black flats. The colorful jeans are the focal point for an outfit, and you don’t have to do much else in the way of styling. Too much pattern or additional color worn with brightly colored pants will have you looking like a box of crayons that’s exploded and perhaps melted.
Labels including Rag & Bone, Paige, 7 for All Mankind, J Brand and Current/Elliott are serving up an array of rainbow shades for spring and summer. Besides red, many of them are also doing hues such as teal, lemon yellow, lavender and salmon pink.
Colorful jeans from J Brand, $176. Jeans for this spring and summer have gone from basic blues and intense indigo to Technicolor versions of playful Crayola shades. (J Brand/MCT)
Colored jeans make it easy to wear denim-on-denim, as is the current trend. Any of these styles would look great with a basic blue jean jacket or simple chambray shirt. Try dressing up a pair with a crisp white shirt tucked in, a skinny belt and a sexy pair of heels or wedge sandals. Any simple top that’s mostly solid will work, though there are some exceptions ― be conservative when pairing bright jeans with a patterned top or accessory. A graphic pattern can work, but make sure it’s not too busy. Stripes would be the best bet.
And don’t wear a color in your top or accessories that matches the color of the jeans. Colorful pants with any kind of matching top will make you look like you’re clad in a trendy version of a Hot Dog on a Stick uniform rather than taking a spin on summer’s denim color wheel.
By Melissa Magsaysay
(Los Angeles Times)
(McClatchy-Tribune Information Services)