This year, I decided I want to wear what I own more often. It may sound silly because, of course, we wear our own clothes, but what I mean is I feel as though I’ve neglected some of my much-loved pieces over the past couple of years. So with this in mind, I had a try-it-on session at home, digging out some of my trusty favourites. While I found some gems (hello, vintage Dior jacket I had forgotten about), when it came to denim, I realised my initial plan failed. My favourite H&M jeans I wore on heavy rotation throughout 2018 and 2019 split (literally) at the seams when I tried to put them on. And the rest of my denim collection didn’t quite make me feel good anymore. And ill-fitting, tight denim can really put a dampener on how you feel about an outfit.
So after taking some jeans to the charity shop that no longer worked for me, I asked some of my fellow fashion editors and influencer friends about their favourite denim brands. J Brand, Boyish and sustainable label Seventy + Mochi were among the favourites, along with high-street heroes & Other Stories, M&S and Weekday. Denim with a recommendation is worth looking into, and as I started my search for some new jeans, I discovered spring/summer 2022’s hottest denim trends—from retro flares to baggy ’90s styles—have all been ticked off by these brands. So to save you the epic search of finding the best jeans you can invest in for spring (and beyond), I’ve rounded up five styles, cuts and colours everyone is already backing, with inspiration on how to wear everything from blue denim to flamingo pink.