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Fall Is Almost Here: 6 Denim Trends to Start Shopping Now

Like it or not, skinny jeans are back.

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Fall is just around the corner, which means one thing: a fresh crop of denim trends has dropped. Nothing is more visually indicative of the start of autumn—at least in the minds of the style crowd—than the shift toward heavier textiles, like cashmere, leather, wool, and of course, denim. The latter remains one of the most poignant visual cues (outside an actual calendar) that fall is upon us.

It’s nearly impossible to step outside, scroll online, or even shop without spotting some form of denim: pants, jackets, and even handbags. Of course, you can wear denim year-round, but the textile has something distinctly autumnal about it.

Simply put, denim has, and always will be, a decidedly fall staple. And there’s no better way to embrace summer’s end than by shopping a few new denim trends. But if you’re unsure which exact styles are worth investing in right now, we’ve got the lowdown. Spoiler alert: skinny jeans are indeed back. Millennials, rejoice.

Ahead, you’ll find a breakdown of the six biggest denim trends for fall based on their prevalence in the Fall/Winter 2026 collections of Kallmeyer, Altuzzara, Khaite, and many other designers.

From cigarette silhouettes to high waistlines and neutral washes, there is no shortage of denim trends worth adopting this season. The calendar might still technically say that it’s “summer,” but wearing any of these six denim trends in your day-to-day life will surely say otherwise.

The Skinny

Welp, it’s official… skinny jeans are coming back, or at least, that’s what one could glean from skimming through fall runway shows. From Valentino to Isabel Marant, we saw various luxury fashion houses take this “dated” denim shape and give it a more decidedly polished update through tailoring and styling. Moving away from the super-tight shapes that once dominated the ‘00s, designers championed slim-fitting silhouettes that skim the body without veering into overly tight territory—which, dare we say, makes skinny jeans feel wearable.

Doubling down even further on that agenda, we saw the denim trend styled on the runway with elegant everyday staples (think: sharp blazers and oversized bombers). The result was a series of runway looks that proved skinny jeans are getting a second wind.

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AG Farrah Skinny Jeans

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Ultra-Baggy

Let’s be real: some of us feel the same way about skinny jeans that we do about some of our ex-significant others; we prefer that they stay in the past. If you’re one of them, you’ll be happy to know other fish (or, in this case, jeans) exist in the sea of new denim trends this season—ultra-baggy jeans being one of them. From Chanel to Tom Ford, creative directors weren’t afraid to tread into new waters, embracing ultra-exaggerated silhouettes that pushed beyond the typical puddle territory into looks where models seemed to be drowning in denim (in a good way).

If you don’t feel like you can dip your toes into this trend easily, the trick to keeping the supersize silhouette from feeling sloppy is to balance out the volume. Pair your ultra-baggy jeans with a tailored top, a high-vamp pump, or a structured bag for a styling combo that you’ll surely love for seasons to come.

Levi's

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Levi’s XL Baggy Straight Women's Jeans

Baggy jeans balanced with a high rise for a more refined spin on the trend.

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Ridin’ High

What’s one denim trend that’s even more continuous than ultra-baggy or slim-fit skinny jeans? Low-rise. If you happen to loathe this denim trend, things might be looking up for you this fall (quite literally). The high-rise jean has officially returned to the chat, or rather to collections, as we saw the waist-defining silhouette debut at Valentino, Balenciaga, and many others.

What makes this iteration of high-waisted denim feel distinct from previous versions of the trend comes down to designers dialing up the waistline through dynamic styling—e.g., using bold statement belts, opting for cropped coats, or tucking oversized shirts into the waistband of jeans. By letting the waistline take center stage, collections give us all a chance to feel like we’re ridin’ high this fall.

Revolve

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Agolde ’90s Pinch Waist High Rise Jeans

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Craft Corner

While we saw specific shapes and waistlines dominate fall runway shows, an even more surprising element emerged this season: embellishments. It was as if creative directors decided that this was the season to nourish their inner child by getting crafty with their denim. At Etro’s fall show, that uninhibited spirit showed up in low-slung, dark-wash relaxed jeans covered in gold studs.

While at Conner Ives and Dior’s runway shows, jeans were treated less like an everyday basic and more like a statement piece, adorned with tasseled gold fringe and chunky crystals. It’s definitely a more maximalist take on denim, but after a few seasons of stark minimalist aesthetics trending, embellished denim feels like a nod to embracing a little more creativity in our closets, and maybe even a craft corner of our own.

Reformation

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Cary Slouchy High Rise Embellished Jeans

Subtle studding for a subdued take on the trend.

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Earth Tones

Not feeling like bedazzling your denim? That’s totally ok. You don’t have to get crafty with your denim this fall to make this staple feel special; simply start by rethinking your signature shade of jeans. Put those light blue jeans in a box to the left (for now), because this fall denim is taking cues from nature with soft earth-tone shades.

From Altuzarra to Chloé, creative directors gave us a way to be more “down-to-earth” with our choices this season by championing grounded denim washes in variations of sand, terracotta, umber, and more. The beauty of these neutral-hued washes is that they have the same styling versatility as any other pair of jeans, are more sustainable to produce, and feel far more autumnal. It’s basically your closet’s version of touching glass.

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DL1961 Miro High Waist Barrel Jeans in Tobacco

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Deep Indigo

Fall collections had no shortage of new denim styles to adopt, but for those who prefer a more classic option, one last rising trend is worth putting on your radar: deep indigo washes. Frankly, it doesn’t get more fall-coded than dark-wash denim. Yes, we’ve seen variations of this color trend come and go, but what makes it feel cool this season is pairing clean-cut silhouettes with the inky shade.

For instance, a model sauntered down the runway at Khaite in a shiny black crocodile-embossed blazer paired with dark-wash rigid straight-leg jeans that evoked freshly ironed trousers. Similarly, at Stella McCartney and Acne Studios, we saw pleating details, high waistlines, tailored hemlines, and styling that elevated this denim trend even further. It’s proof that even the most “passé” thing imaginable, like a pair of dark-wash jeans, can feel punchy and relevant all over again at the start of a new season.

Net-a-Porter

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Nili Lotan Joan High Rise Straight Leg Jean

These dressy jeans tackle two trends at once: a dark wash and an ultra-high-rise cut.

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