Sitting down with Jim Wetzel, co-owner of SPACE 519, we talk about one of the biggest shifts in ready to wear fashion right now, denim. We talk styles and washes and why buying quality denim is worth your while.
After your market appointments, what are the new trends that you are seeing in denim?
After our last buying trips in Europe and New York we are certainly seeing a shift in denim to a wider leg and a higher rise. There is definitely a reference to the 70s American Sportswear movement a la Lauren Hutton.
Are there any cuts that you see fading out this season?
Super skinny and legging type jeans are feeling really forced, even a slimmer straight leg seems a little more dressed. None of the cool new designer denim lines are offering true skinny fits anymore.
But does the ‘not so skinny’ jean trend work on the average American woman?
The fit works on even more body types than a skinny fit because it emphasizes the smallest part, the waist, and helps to camouflage the thigh.
How are you styling this new trend?
We are seeing a ‘chic French’ blouse and jean moment. The rise is high, the tops are tucked, and the fabrics are softer; like a light wool crepe or a silk. For a shoe, in Paris, I definitely saw a wider crop jean with a pointy toe; weather it was a pointy toe flat or heel. For evening, women were wearing a great statement shoe in the vein of Gucci or Balenciaga; the wide leg of the jean tempers the extreme of the shoe.
At SPACE 519, with this new trend in mind, is there one style that is a good option for all body types?
Khaite has a new style called the Raquel that really works well across a lot of body types. The Raquel is very constructed, with a slim, cropped bootleg; this is a great way to do a modern denim without being restrained, like you would in a skinny jean. All Khaite jeans are made from Japanese denim which is higher quality, it holds it shape without stretching, and launders better so it is a great investment piece.
In this new trend do you favor a certain wash?
For summer we focused on a really light cream, versus an optic white, which is a little softer and a little more sophisticated. The light cream is a color you can take you into the Fall season, which makes it a better buy.