The “horseshoe” jean well and truly took over the denim consciousness in 2025, infiltrating the mainstream with tapered, barrel-leg silhouettes. Such coined phrases are yet to be decided for the denim trends of 2026, which emerged on the spring/summer runways in September and October, in New York, London, Milan and Paris. That being said, many of the key styles wouldn’t necessarily warrant a buzzy moniker: straight-leg and high-waisted cuts didn’t stray far from classic shapes, with enduring qualities that arguably shun the idea of a denim “trend”.
Still, these new iterations felt decidedly fresh. Riffing on the denim blueprint established by his Celine predecessors (slim-fit, Parisian spirit), Michael Rider kept his jeans close to the body, and experimented with cropped lengths. The jeans that arrived for look 33, for example, had hidden seams on the hemlines to create a neat finish on the edges. By contrast, Catherine Holstein delivered elevated straight denim in a punchy dark-blue wash at Khaite, paired with pointed-toe, toffee-hued pumps, a red cape-come-leather-jacket and a clutch. (It made for a relaxed yet polished evening proposition.)
As for Jonathan Anderson’s new denim vision for the house of Dior? Frayed-edge miniskirts that graze the thigh, repositioned as luxury items rather than a teeny-bop staple, styled with contemporary takes on the maison’s Bar jacket. This elevated offbeat attitude also shone through in the grungy mid-risers (look 47), worn with a grey marl jersey cape.
Time will tell if there’ll be a viral denim shape quite like the horseshoe – but for now, timeless silhouettes are set to reign supreme in 2026.
The denim trends to watch in 2026, according to Vogue
Classic straight-leg jeans
