The 6 Denim Trends Defining Fall 2026
3 min readThere’s one thing trend forecaster and denim expert Amy Leverton can say with absolute certainty: “Denim trends always come back around.” That’s especially the theme of fall 2026’s trends.
These days, we shop for denim the way we shop for shoes, knitwear, or any other wardrobe hero. Jeans are so ubiquitous and timeless, you’re never not in the market for some good denim. It’s a closet staple woven into the very fabric of our modern wardrobe, but the forms it takes vary over time—giving buyers an ever-evolving mosaic of washes, fits, aesthetics, and styles to select from. “We’re moving away from that old idea that one fit comes in and another is suddenly ‘out,’” Leverton says. “Personal style and individual curation are much more important now, and denim is almost the perfect vehicle for that because it already exists in everybody’s wardrobe.”
This season’s denim spotlights are on character, whether it’s with the revival of an old silhouette or an added embellishment. “We want denim to feel personal rather than anonymous,” Leverton says. Find your next style statement with these six denim trends you can expect to see this fall.
Twisted Wide-Leg Jeans
As baggy, slouchy fits persist as the most on-trend denim silhouette, Leverton highlights jeans with unconventional seam detailing as the trend to look out for this season. The arcing pant seam actually came about by accident around the ’50s and ’70s, when manufacturing defects would cause the denim fabric to skew and tug the jean seam to curve toward the front of the leg instead of straight down.
Now the accidental style’s making a very intentional comeback thanks to JW Anderson’s Twisted Denim campaign from this past August and runway looks from Eckhaus Latta’s spring 2027 collection. “Today, designers are taking that imperfection and deliberately exaggerating it,” Leverton says. “It feels both nostalgic and very contemporary.”
Low Waist Slouch Boot Cut Jeans
Between Addison Rae’s March collab with Lucky Brand and Hailey Bieber’s capsule collection with Gap, stylist Chloe Felopulos has felt particularly inspired to embrace lower waists. This fall, she’s especially drawn to boot cuts for an equestrian-polish-meets-indie-sleaze-edge. “I think there’s something inherently cool and hot about a slouch boot cut—from the way it looks to the way it makes you feel,” Felopulos says.
Nipped Waist Trucker Denim Jackets
Leverton and Felopulos both highlight the necessity of a denim jacket this season—but not just any jacket. If you’re ready to retire that vintage number you’ve owned since college in favor of something more en vogue, this is the new denim outerwear Leverton advises investing in. While less of a style statement than the military jackets currently trending, the distinct femme frame demonstrates a fluency in well-edited dressing that’s reflective of your more refined tastes. “It nods to this romance theme that’s going on in fashion without being too theatrical,” Leverton says.
Denim Barn Coats
Alternatively, Leverton points to a barn jacket for those whose tastes skew more casual or “tomboy.” The barn jacket takes the casual construction of a jean jacket, and polishes it up with a boxier fit, some added length, and a contrast collar. The result? An option that gives off-duty model.
Bold Pants
Between the crystal-encrusted jeans from Dior’s fall/winter 2026 collection and the explosion of expression on Roberto Cavalli’s recent spring/summer 2027 runway, Leverton says more is more. “Right now, I think people increasingly want value they can actually see,” the founder says. Now buyers are turning away from the restrained silhouettes of quiet luxury and embracing texturally and visually rich surfaces—emblazoned with beads, embroidery, appliqués, and more.
Skinny Jeans
As Leverton said: Denim trends always come back, and the skinny jean renaissance is the prime example. After years spent as the butt of every fashion joke, she emphasizes this relic of 2000s-2010s dressing could be making a comeback following seasons dominated by baggier fits. It won’t be for everyone, so we won’t see the 2020s iteration of the style proliferate as much as it did ten years ago. But, according to the expert, “For the trend-led girlies, this is a fit you need to hop on.”
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