Certainly, Seán McGirr had been ruminating on the “Back to Black” singer’s wardrobe, as well as the gritty style of other McQueen friends from back in the day (see: Kate Moss and Debra Shaw). “It’s about singular characters with really strong personalities that I’d be very curious to meet on the street in London; this sort of rough glamour of the East End,” the new head of the house told Vogue Runway. “This idea of sort of damaged opulence. And I also like this kind of bitchy intelligence that kind of comes through a little bit in the attitude of the boys and girls.” So far, so Hawley Arms on a Friday night.
Alexander McQueen AW24.
Alexander McQueen AW24.
McGirr’s were the least leg-hugging styles of the season, but he hammered home the point by lashing the ankles with jarring denim ribbons playing on the theme of constriction. Paired with giant furry structural shrouds, it was a lot to unpack. Demna’s Balenciaga iterations were equally challenging to imagine wriggling into when tucked into calf-kissing, knee-high boots, but flew under the radar in comparison to the bra-covered dress that set social-media alight. Miuccia Prada, meanwhile, sent her hip-skimming pairs down the runway with the sub-text: get crunching. Worn by Mica Argañaraz with a cropped denim jacket and loafers, the Argentine model goddess was the best advert the skinny could have hoped for. Still, we need to mentally prepare ourselves for the shift from Wales Bonner trackies and rigid barrel-leg denim to the return of Topshop’s Jamie jean.
Balenciaga AW24.
Balenciaga AW24.
Alarmingly, perhaps, Mrs Prada said the Miu Miu collection was about “classics”. But, quite possibly, the French contingent were nodding along at the sight of these streamlined versions of the workaday staple. That insouciant brand of Parisian chic is famously built on straight-leg jeans verging, let’s face it, on skinnies, as well as trenches, blouses, neckerchiefs and all the rest. Certainly, on the Chanel front row, Camille Rowe has already bought in.
A few words of advice from the woman who foresaw us all lunging back into elastane-cotton blends. Never tumble-dry them, pay attention to the back pockets – “They need to be the right size and angle to make your butt look good,” says Paige – and do a sit test: “The waistband should stay in the same place as when you’re standing.” For Adams-Geller, we need to have an emotional connection to jeans to feel good in them. For now, at least you’ve got the skinny on autumn/winter 2024’s most feared denim trend revival.
Miu Miu AW24.
Miu Miu AW24.
Shop skinny jeans:
Frame
Le Slim High-Rise Jeans
