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(Filed: 09/08/2006)
Say goodbye to dirty denim - the sleek, sophisticated and sexy look of jeans this autumn is a return to their sassy Eighties prime, says Clare Coulson
Over the past few years, the denim market has embraced more trends and new looks than Madonna has achieved in a decade.
And this autumn is no exception. The latest incarnation is for sleek and sophisticated dark denim in lean cuts, which takes jeans back to their more polished past, to the sexy style of the first designer pairs from the Seventies and Eighties, when Gloria Vanderbilt made them an essential for every woman's wardrobe.
The fitted, dark and distinctly retro pair that Elizabeth Hurley is wearing in the ads for the recently relaunched Jordache jeans - one of the original designer denim brands - exemplifies this retro look.
"Everyone has tried to do too much with jeans," says Suzy Radcliffe, founder of Radcliffe Denim. "Now I think we are all going back to when they were polished - there are only so many occasions for a low-rise, stone-wash, boot-cut pair.
When we started Radcliffe, we cleaned jeans up with a darker, narrower silhouette. Now our studio walls are covered with pictures of Brooke Shields in those iconic Calvin Klein ads, and we're going back to an Eighties look."
Newer labels from Los Angeles - the epicentre of the premium denim industry - echo this smarter, sexier aesthetic.
J Brand, which was founded last year and is worn by Kate Moss, Angelina Jolie and Mischa Barton, is leading the way with its inky, slim-fit jeans.
"After so many seasons where there has been an emphasis on washed finishes, there seems to be a return to indigo denim with a smarter finish," explains Perushka DeZoysa, women's contemporary buyer at Selfridges.
"Shapes are more sassy, with fitted, tapered legs, which give a slimline, sexy look that is reminiscent of Charlie's Angels," she adds.
The LA-based label Serfontaine is adding glossy details such as shiny gold buttons and chains to dark, narrow-leg jeans. And other West-coast brands, including Acne and the newly launched 18th Amendment, which is stocked at Harvey Nichols, are pushing higher-waisted styles.
And where designers lead, the mass market inevitably follows. "The premium denim brands have been doing dark and skinny for a while, but now everyone, from Levi's to Gap, has finally cottoned on to the fact that people are bored with faded, boot-cut jeans," says Andy Knight, a denim enthusiast who even monitors its trends in a blog (www.denimology.co.uk).
"Distressing and detailing is being replaced by clean, dark straight lines."
These retro styles look best when worn with more grown-up clothes and accessories. This autumn's bell-sleeved blouses and stiff, ruffle-front shirts, for instance, complement them perfectly.
And heels are essential: autumn's colourful patent court shoes will provide a good contrast to the darkest denim.
telegraph.co.uk
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