Every Major Denim Trend to Know for Spring 2024
Looking ahead to 2024, we’re making some predictions about where fashion is headed. Some major runway trends are emerging, including everything from elevated sports-inspired pieces and a new, modern spin on romanticism to the cult sneakers and the color trend that are already impacting how people are shopping and getting dressed.
We’re also getting more granular and taking a look at how trends are impacting specific categories. Our latest focus is denim. After studying the spring 2024 runways, we have some predictions about the direction it’s taking and the key denim trends to know next year. Some trends, including dark washes and ’90s-inspired shapes, are carrying over from previous seasons. Others, such as elevated pin-tuck jeans and polished jackets, point to some fresh ways we will see fashion insiders wear denim. Ahead, the six major denim trends to know for 2024.
We've been seeing the rise of dark-wash jeans, and designers are driving the point home that it is the key color to own. Deep-indigo jeans appeared in a variety of shapes ranging from straight-leg to slouchy wide-leg styles.
Denim is entering more-elevated territory, and one way we're seeing that play out is jeans with hard creases, pleats, and pin tucks. The effect instantly makes the jeans resemble trousers and take on a dressy look. The style was spotted on the S/S 24 runways at Gucci, Tibi, and Remain and is already appearing on the market.
Nineties-inspired straight-leg jeans are carving themselves out as a modern classic. While the silhouette is a wardrobe staple among the fashion set, we saw even more evidence in the S/S 24 collections that they will remain a core style to own in 2024—particularly in light to medium washes that evoke vintage denim circa 1995.
Slouchy, wide-leg jeans have been the denim silhouette to know over the last several years and have all but taken over looks on the street style scene. While we've been expecting to see them slow down, they emerged as one of the most dominant denim trends on the spring 2024 runways.
In a similar camp as pin-tuck jeans, we're seeing polished denim take on the form of elevated jackets and tops—collarless versions at Chanel, tailored styles at Akris, and open-neck tunics at Emilia Wickstead. Take a styling note from designers and pair them with matching jeans.
In 2024, we're expecting to see hot pants take over in an even bigger way. While we're seeing a variety of styles ranging from knit versions to tailored suiting with micro shorts, denim versions are also poised to be huge. They were spotted at brands including Celine, Ulla Johnson, and Chanel, which are making a case for the return of teeny-tiny denim shorts.
Kristen Nichols is the Associate Director, Special Projects at Who What Wear with over a decade of experience in fashion, editorial, and publishing. She oversees luxury content and wedding features, and covers fashion within the luxury market, runway reporting, shopping features, trends, and interviews with leading industry experts. She also contributes to podcast recordings, social media, and branded content initiatives. Kristen has worked with brands including Prada, Chanel, MyTheresa, and Luisa Via Roma, and rising designers such as Refine and Tove, and her style has been featured in publications including Vogue.com, Vogue France, WWD, and the CFDA. Before Who What Wear, Kristen began her career at Rodarte, where she worked on assistant styling, photo shoots, and runway shows, and at Allure, where she moved into print and digital editorial. She graduated from the University of Southern California, where she studied art history and business, and currently lives in New York.