A sense of realism has underpinned recent runway collections, with a focus on everyday basics that together function as . This was exemplified at the couture shows in Paris when Kaia Gerber opened Valentino at the colossal Chateau de Chantilly, wearing a white shirt and a pair of straight-leg, . This is couture, so these aren’t made from your average denim – they were crafted from silk gazar, which was painstakingly hand-embroidered with thousands of tiny glass beads that were dyed to look like .
However, it was significant that one of the most viral couture runway looks in recent seasons wasn’t the size of your living room, but a work of art created to (at a distance) look like the simple blue jeans hanging in your own wardrobe. For designers continued to have a pared-back approach to everyday dressing, with subtle design details and meticulous silhouettes used to add a luxury polish to even the most practical of items. This is particularly true within the denim department, which, by and large, stayed loyal to the classic styles that have proved popular in recent years, however thoughtful design tweaks were applied to offer a sense of newness and give them a premium update.
At Proenza Schouler, for example, much-loved ’90s straight-leg denim was souped up with clever double-layered waistbands. While at Loewe, baggy jeans were taken to the extreme with oversized denim which pooled, folded and rippled at the ankles. At the other extreme, brands applied the seams, darts.