The throes of summer beckons playful, colorful and oft-revealing fashion—sometimes at the expense of tried-and-true blue jeans.
However, this summer brings with it a new round of experimental denim that caters to the adventurous side of festival goers, firework revelers and boardwalk darlings.
Mythical optics, extreme cutouts and topsy-turvy designs are among the talked-about (and debated) denim designs online and across social media. Here’s a look at some of the summer’s strangest denim looks.
Iridescent jeans
Parisian-inspired L’Agence breaks from its French girl chic aesthetic with the Margot jean, a super stretch high-rise skinny with an iridescent foil appliqué. The Los Angeles-based brand describes the $290 silvery jean as added “sparkle” to summer style.
Teen Vogue was quick to note that the jeans’ oil-slick swirl of color smacks of the unicorn trend, the millennial and Gen Z glittery and colorful movement that has touched virtually every industry from hair dye and cosmetics, to food and beverage. Meanwhile, Bustle dubbed L’Agence’s skinny jean as the “mermaid jean” and named it the “next wild denim trend you’re actually gonna want to get on board with.”
Suspender jeans
Don’t mistake “suspender jeans” as a nod to old-timey grandpa style. Asos maintains its tradition for out-there denim this summer with a jean and lingerie hybrid, the Rivington high-waisted denim jegging.
Offered in black and fire engine red, the jeans have cutouts around the thigh that mimic thigh-high suspenders. The red jeans feature cutouts around the outside and inside of the thigh, while the tamer black pair leaves the cutouts to the front. The $40 jeans have a “tight cut for a sleek shape.”
Upside-down jeans
Cie Denim flipped the script when it comes to conventional patternmaking. The New York City-based brand is turning vintage jeans into upside-down inverted denim shorts and jeans.
According to Allure, the collection is inspired by The Upside-Down from Netflix’s Stranger Things. Each style is named after a character from the sci-fi show.
The $385 patent-pending designs include the Nancy, a high-rise short with a v-back seam and raw hem, and the El with double back panels. Each pair of shorts have working pockets. The brand also offers upside-down inverted jeans, which features belt loops that wrap around the ankle and back pockets on the calf.