Buyers this week at Magic in Las Vegas had their pick of utilitarian denim. The women’s trend and young contemporary trade show was home to a deep assortment of cargo jeans, cosigning Trendalytics’s report finding the functional and fashionable staple in high demand with 296,000 average weekly searches.
Pistola, Eunia and Ceros were among the brands to offer various cargo jean styles. Vibrant’s cargo assortment spanned black and dark indigo cargo jeans as well as versions made with navy blue and orange nylon. Mazik’s wide-leg cargo jeans were made with a lightweight, flowy fabric. Cello applied several different types of pockets to jeans legs, while Just Black Denim added a simple back pocket to the side of its jean.
Cargo jeans and miniskirts with cargo pockets were a popular merchandising pairing. Pretty Garbage showed jeans with frayed cargo pockets, as well as a mini skirt with cargo pockets that hung beyond than the hem.
Cargo pockets also co-mingled with another “It” item, the maxi skirt. Moon River’s dark wash skirt had a front slit and carpenter details like a hammer loop. Cello’s skirt was available with and without cargo pockets.
With most attention being paid to pockets, washes were generally clean with minimal distressing. Judy Blue played with the reverse side of denim to make a patchwork effect on shorts. KanCan’s oversized jacket and Elan’s shacket both featured tonal patchworks. Lola Jeans offered a contemporary take on a denim/trench hybrid.
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However, when brands did use distressing, they went full throttle. Bayeas presented destroyed wide-leg jeans and styles with bleached dipped hems. Distressed boyfriend jeans were staples in By Together’s collection. Signature 8 styled a miniskirt over a top and a pair of distressed jeans.
The great plains
Underscoring the speed at which youth-oriented trends cycle in and out, Magic was almost wiped clean of the Western denim trends that swamped the show floor in August. While the brands that have made cowgirl-chic a part of their DNA continued to offer jean jackets spliced with blanket fabric and dark rinse bootcut jeans, Western novelty pieces from trend-driven brands were few and far between.
Rock and Roll Denim showcased a denim blazer with faux suede fringe and jeans with a lasered Southwest print. A pair of flare jeans with an-allover American flag print was front and center in Judy Blue’s booth. Others added cowboy hats covered in sequins or crystals on denim-clad mannequins—perhaps a nod to the disco ball cowboy hat Beyoncé wears in the promotions for her Renaissance world tour this year.
While Western is riding off into the sunset, the Free People-inspired boho trend that dominated millennial fashion in the 2010s shows signs of coming back. Several brands showed lightweight denim dresses with flutter sleeves, bib fronts and dainty floral embroideries.
Newbury Kustom showcased a smocked dress, relaxed overalls and an array of flare and bellbottom trousers in denim and corduroy in ’70s-inspired colors. Caite had a short prairie dress with smocking details and puff sleeves as well as a long shirt dress with snap buttons. Vibrant presented a dress that had an overalls bib top and long peasant skirt.
Mazik showed a long peasant skirt, short denim dress with ruffle sleeves. A rep named ruffles and puff sleeves a winning combination in terms of bestsellers.
Blue B added tonal denim flower appliques to jeans. Hayden presented white denim shorts with flower appliques made from denim scraps. It also had blue jean shorts with lasered daisies. KanCan showed jeans and tees decorated the denim rosettes. Ceros laser printed roses onto cropped jeans.
Shine bright like a diamond
Elements of Y2K-glam lingered. Rock and Roll Denim and Judy Blue had jeans with crystal fringed hems. Crystal were part of On Twelfth’s collection as well as pearls which decorated jeans with keyhole cutouts on the sides.
Blue B Collection showed a wide array of jean jackets embellished with crystal studs and crystal fringe. Some were traditional Y2K colors like pink and white; others skewed toward workwear neutrals like ecru, tan and olive green. Molly & Bracken toned down its approach to crystal by applying navy blue crystals to a dark denim miniskirt and cropped jacket. Vibrant replicated pinstripes on flare jeans with small crystals.
Lelis presented a pink denim mini strapless dress alongside a denim button-down shirt and jeans with a light smattering of white crystals on both. The brand also had denim bustier tops with built-in cups. Paper Moon styled its denim corset top with gray sweatpants for a laidback vibe.
Iris delivered on denim for the club with an assortment of strapless mini dresses with lacing details, mini off-the-shoulder mini dresses and crystal-embellished spaghetti strip denim dresses with buster bodices.