Is This the Year We Reached Peak Denim?

Thanks to a kick-back, comfortable look embraced by the fashion industry and many designers, we've been basking in the rise of athleisure, sneakers with everything, and denim everywhere. Surely, jeans are nothing new. They cycle in and out of our closets in varying silhouettes and washes, being reintroduced every few years with new touches and twists, embroidery here, embellishment, fringe, a wider crop, a higher rise, changing our everyday look with each small update or throwback. But if you stop to take stock of the year in fashion — denim trench coats, personalized pieces, day dresses, and tailored denim — you might just notice how much more we saw. It was more than just jeans.

Jean jackets featured prominently in Balenciaga's Fall '16 collection; Vetements reworked the look with two-toned jeans and uneven hems, and it all quickly took to the streets. Style stars' obsession with the classic was anything but traditional, embracing bold, baggy, frayed cuts, denim jumpsuits, denim on denim. It seemed very quickly jeans weren't just part of the outfit — they were the outfit. The center of every stylish outfit. To which, we wonder, have we reached peak denim? Where do we go from denim everything? Read on to see the year's explosive denim trend, then weigh in. What will your jeans look like in 2017? We have some ideas.