Denim, the dress for all seasons

Eighteen years after Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake’s denim moment, the ‘democratic fabric’ is fashionable again.

From the Karen Walker Spring collection 2019-20.

It’s hard to believe that 18 years have passed since Britney Spears graced the red carpet in a strapless denim dress at the American Music Awards with her boyfriend at the time, Justin Timberlake, in co-ordinating denim.

Clearly the fashion industry has needed that long to allow the denim dress concept to move beyond Halloween tribute costume to high fashion.

Given denim’s history as that most democratic of fabrics — hard-wearing, utilitarian, of the people and for the people — its high-fashion makeover has been compelling and, perhaps, galling to some who feel pieces that can run into the thousands of dollars are the antithesis of its workwear roots. But, then, fashion has always been a peculiar beast, and there is no questioning that the denim dress is definitely having what we like to call “a moment”.

Its current peak can likely be traced back to Christian Dior’s autumn 2017 collection, when Maria Grazia Chiuri sent out denim ensembles on the catwalk, and the fabric has remained a constant in her collections since, whether pleated into skirts, or woven into jacquards as in the current cruise collection dresses.

While pinafores and shirtdresses are fairly constant in the denim realm, usually from well-known denim brands including Levi’s and J. Brand, it’s the fashion-forward fraternity that more recently has adopted denim as its own.

Miu Miu, $2023, net-a-porter.com.

On the autumn runways earlier this year, now arriving in stores, Jonathan Simkhai’s artfully panelled midi dress was a standout, while Balmain spliced denim with tweed, plastic and ruffled silk into jaunty evening ensembles, and House of Holland played a more straightforward approach with a belted asymmetric tunic style.

In some ways, the rest of the fashion world has caught up with New Zealand’s Karen Walker, who has long enjoyed playing with denim in the fashion space, this season offering up trapeze minidresses and others with ruffled sleeves.

Country Road, $199, countryroad.com.au.

“I love contrasts and I love utility and uniforms, and denim obviously comes from that place,” says Walker. “But it’s most interesting when it’s elevated. Ninety-nine per cent of the time when we’re working in denim, we’re treating it as though it’s not denim but silk, taffeta or tailoring, to elevate it out of the denim space.”

For Edwina Forest, one-half of Sydney label Aje, denim dresses have become something of a staple, and for good reason.

“For me it does all comes down to the versatility,” says Forest. “I love how open the denim dress is to interpretation, and the multitude of ways in which it can be styled and constantly reinvented, and it never feels tired in your wardrobe. Denim, unlike most fabrics, is one that definitely gets better with age. Over the years, denim contours to your body, wears in perfectly and visibly becomes more loved and like a second skin. There is something so nostalgic and truly cool about a well-worn piece of denim.”

Teneille Oakley, buying manager for David Jones, prefers the more classic approach for this item. “I think I would go for something more traditional with buttons down the front. A piece like that can be worn season after season. It won’t date and because they’re popular for every season you’ll get a lot of wear out of it.”

Luckily there are plenty of options at both ends of the denim dress spectrum this season.

Victoria Bolton, head of womens­wear for Melbourne’s Neuw Denim, which has a button-through flared tunic style this season, also cites its versatility and trans-seasonal appeal.

“The great thing about this dress is that is can be styled in different ways — layered as a tunic over jeans or worn on its own. We’re in Melbourne and it’s still freezing down here, so it’s about lots of layers. You can wear this layered over a skivvy with slim cropped kick jeans and a giant jacket over the top. Up north you don’t need to wear it with anything else.”

Country Road head stylist Paris Johnson concurs, saying a denim dress “is the ultimate trans-seasonal piece”. The label’s long-sleeved shirtdress is one of its key pieces this season, and Johnson says it can be styled not only for different temperatures, but also a variety of occasions. “The safari dress is easily paired with turtlenecks and sneakers for a casual day-to-day feel but can be elevated with jewellery and a fancy flat for night times. The cinched waistline gives you shape, whilst opening the collar and scrunching the sleeves will give you effortless comfort.”

Forest says: “Personally, I love to style them layered with a feminine billowing blouse underneath to add a touch of softness and create contrast. I love experimenting with movement and volume in my personal wardrobe. It’s that classic pairing of toughness and femininity that we love at Aje.”

So, given the current appreciation of the denim dress, perhaps it’s time for Britney to get hers out of mothballs?