The 5 Best Denim Trends to Rock in 2016

Image via Complex Original

Though known less affectionately as the “Canadian tuxedo,” the head-to-toe all-denim outfit has made a big comeback in 2015. Whether pairing a lighter-denim top with a darker-denim bottom or wearing pieces made to match, cool kids decided that there was no such thing as too much denim this year.

Branding in the form of bold, screen-printed symbols or text was very on-trend this year. Furthermore, wearers welcomed printing on areas of the jean like the crotch, knees, and ankles, turning jeans into an expressive, visual canvas.

Just when you thought the ripped denim trend might go away, many decided that having small slashes near the knee area wasn’t enough. In fact, leaving fraying or full-fledged flaps hanging from seams and edges became an acceptable way to make denim look fashionably distressed. Denim shirts and jackets are not exempt from this trend, either. 

Though wide-leg and bootcut jeans made a comeback for a quick second—giving girls an easy way to sport their boyfriend’s jeans—guys were still rocking skinny jeans all of 2015. Paired with baggier tops and jackets and minimal sneakers, skinny jeans were guys’ go-to in 2015.

This year we saw denim that was customized in so many ways, it made us realize that it would be possible to never wear any other kind of fabric again. From new denim that repurposed vintage elements to the creative use of patches, string, acid washes, dying, and selvedge, 2015 was the year that denim became everyone’s favorite fabric.