Collections: the Considered Edit. The ultimate denim curation
All the best styles, cuts, fits and colours for your autumn (and forever) wardrobe
I saw this week that you can now try clothes on ChatGPT. It’s a helpful, practical first step in discovery but AI doesn’t understand your body shape, proportion, or even how clothes make you feel in them. The tactile frequencies, the comfort indexes. The connection between your body, emotion and your context. These are specific and individual to you. Alas clothes aren’t simply aesthetic, they’re a conductor of your identity, your energy, your mood. There’s only one way to truly establish not just if something suits you aesthetically, but also physically, emotionally and practically. That is to try it on.
The past few weeks, I’ve done a deep dive into premium denim economics and applied The Considered Method to build my vision, edit my denim collection down, and start the arduous process of researching and shopping for new styles.
This is your short-cut straight to new styles: the best cuts, washes and fits. As implored last week, denim is so personal, to your tastes, your body and your context. So please go back and read The Considered Method’s guide to help you make considered choices. If you go in-store, wear a white t-shirt to try styles on. If you’re trying on at home, create three different outfits to truly test-drive the cuts and silhouettes. Test how well they integrate with your existing pieces and most importantly, test how you feel in your jeans.
Dark denim
The moodiness of it, the unexpected tension of dark denim. Black jeans are the ideal imposter: they ape the perfect black trouser for business-casual office attire. A dark grey denim offers a twisted foundation, a colour very easy to build up from and play with. And indigo, preferably a raw indigo dye is so lush paired with blacks, browns or reds.
Wear it with black or brown leather jackets, blazers and a white button down. Invest in a pair of black loafers or black leather boots this season. They’re a forever piece you’ll repeatedly reach for given their comfort, durability and elevated simplicity. If they’re already stalwarts in your wardrobe, invest in an animal print or mock croc shoes or bag. Excellent styling option to show your personality, your modern tastes and your ease at looking polished.
My current favourite brands and styles are:
Levi’s 501 90s in black. Tread carefully here size-wise. I suggest going up one size as these fit small. Excellent price point for the quality and inevitable longevity of the style.
Rohe offer excellent denim options, great quality and launder really well. Fits true to size.
Citizens of Humanity 90’s French high-waist taper. These are my favourite jeans style currently. Elongating the legs, nipping the waist. Looks great with boots, loafers, sneakers or ballet flats. Get these in every colour! Fits true to size.
Khaite Danielle high-rise slim leg jeans are a perennial classic. These are a slim fit, and especially with a darker dye, recommend you size up.
Agolde Kelly mid-rise straight leg jeans are soft and malleable, they skim over your body and sit perfectly across your belly button (my preferred rise). I find these fit large, try one size down.
Joseph high-rise straight leg jeans in the perfect raw indigo. I’ve actually never tried Joseph jeans before but it’s a decent price-point for premium denim and you know with Joseph the pattern cut and tailoring will be exceptional.
Blue jeans
I am heavily inspired by men’s tailoring and styling. I love the balance of a heavy blazer with sharp shoulders offsetting a slim-straight blue jean, nipped at the waist for a feminine softness. There’s great tension, while remaining polished and effortless. That is why slim-straight blue jeans, which pool at the foot in loafers or glide over the top of black boots is my autumn go-to.
My addition for this season: a statement belt. I love the Celine oval belt but I steer away from viral pieces given the price versus longevity don’t add up. Instead, Dehanche have classic, high-quality leather belts with intriguing mixed metal hoops. Like jewellery for your waist.
My favourite brands and styles are:
Agolde 90s mid-rise straight leg jeans. All the Agolde 90s jeans are great but these are probably my favourite cut. Any jeans that skim over my belly button, snatch in my lower stomach and cut straight down my legs is it. Fits large to size, go down one.
Rohe Bruun wide-leg jeans. Another great denim offering from Rohe in a baggier, more masculine fit. Think “my dad in the early 90s.”
Still Here Childhood high-waist straight leg jeans are on my wish list. I have the Khaite Corben jeans in blue which are my favourite pair of all time. Upsettingly this Khaite style hasn’t come out this season as I need a smaller size. These Still Here jeans look like virtually the same cut and colour and will be acquired soon.
WNU Crawford straight leg high-waist jeans. WNU has recently started offering denim and similar to the Still Here jeans, these could be a mid-wash blue alternative to my Khaite Corben jeans. Very intrigued to try especially as it’s a good price point for premium denim and a British brand.
Toteme low rise straight leg jeans. I also love Toteme denim except all my pairs are a few sizes too big. I’m not hugely a low rise fan as I prefer my lower stomach snatched in but I’m curious to try these as the colour and straight leg looks perfect.
Khaite Danielle high-rise slim leg jeans. Same as above, size up.
Levi’s 501 90s in mid-wash blue. The internet advice on Levi’s sizing is a minefield. From my recent try-ons in-store, take your regular size. I’m 5’5 and find the 32” inseam just grazes the floor when I’m in loafers. That’s my ideal long length jean, with pooling over the foot.
Colours and cuts
It’s no secret that I adore Michael Rider’s Celine. I was explaining to a friend last week, it’s the perfect synergy between American preppy and Parisian playfulness. Celine’s a/w2026 is particularly inspiring: the reds, blacks and camels. Accents of gold accessories. So why not apply that colour palette to denim? One huge caveat, and this is a non-negotiable: red denim must not be skinny. It can be straight-legged, tapered, wide-legged with pooling at the foot but absolutely not skinny. I cannot emphasise that enough.
If you also love the Celine palette but are hesitant about red jeans, try raw wash indigo and inject red in via your top, shoes or accessories. Modern, polished, sublime.
I also am loving brown jeans this season. Similar to grey, they’re neutral enough to easily build from, but intriguing and unexpected. I prefer a straight or barrel-legged brown jean, a more masculine cut which I would pair with a 80s cinched jacket and a kitten heel.
With voluminous jeans, always strike a balance with fitted form on top. Barrel leg jeans tend to be high-waisted, so you’re already set-up to wear with a cropped 80s cinched jacket. And if you want additional elegance, wear with a cummerbund. It’s a trending accessory this season and is the perfect bridge between a cropped, fitted jacket and a voluminous denim.
My favourite brands and styles are:
Tove straight leg red jeans are the ideal cut red jeans. Modern, polished, cool.
Blaze Milano mid-rise straight leg jeans are almost a royal blue without looking cheap. I’ve only worn Blaze Milano blazers, haven’t tried their jeans but as with Joseph, their pattern cutting and finishes are excellent so I trust their jeans are too.
Stella McCartney high-waist straight leg jeans are the pair Nicole Kidman wore for British Vogue’s September cover. The priciest pair in this edit but they’re truly fantastic. I especially love the contrast stitching, almost a chevron pattern across the front. Sporty, luxe, refined.
Citizens of Humanity The Taper Jean mid-rise jeans are a simple styling foundation: a less obvious cut and colour to pair your jumpers, blazers and trench coats with. Fits true to size.
Agolde 90s pinch straight leg jeans are the ones for you if like me, you have a boxy torso i.e. you’re straight up and down with no defined waist. These jeans cinch in creating an hourglass silhouette but never feel like they’re cutting you in half. True to size.
Dark Park Audrey barrel leg jeans are the most voluminous of this edit but easily wearable every day. I haven’t tried on but by looking at the high-waist and darker wash, I’d try sizing up first. And remember when styling, to keep the proportions right. If you’re uncomfortable wearing more form-fitting tops or jackets, opt for a cropped jumper that hits just at the waistband or tuck in a shirt. And pair with a pointy-toed shoe to continue elongating the leg. Kitten heel to optimise.
