Staying in casual comfort with a denim jacket

When it’s durable, and it’s fashionable – it’s a great addition to your style. Whether you have one sitting in your closet from years ago, or you’re purchasing your first one, this is definitely the season for wearing the denim jacket. Denim jackets have been around ever since the beginning of the 20th Century. They were first designed by Levi Strauss for cowboys and gold-rush miners in the Wild West for their functionality and durability. Now, they are sold in a variety of fabrics, designs and colours to blend the modern with the tradition. It’s not always easy to take such a classic fashion piece and make it modern, but designers are doing their best. American fashion brand Proenza Schouler, founded by a design duo from the iconic Parsons School of Design, created a colour block denim jacket. The light blue denim on the collar, upper bodice and trim, provides a strong contrast to the deep blue denim, giving the iconic piece a modern design edge while staying true to the original tailoring developed by the famous Levi Strauss. Marchesa Voyage, the contemporary line of Marchesa inspired by “far off exotic adventures”, combined the Victorian era style tailoring of puff sleeves and high colour and combines it with the more modern look of rugged large bronze zippers. The result is an ultra-chic denim jacket that can be worn day or night. Rag & Bone on the other hand stayed truer to the original denim form. Both the wash and the fit of the jacket is traditional, however the brand opted for sweatshirt sleeves and a collar to make the appearance of a jean vest. On the other hand, New Zealander Rebecca Taylor created a distressed denim jacket, but kept the look clean with a slight peplum hem and no pockets or buttons for a minimalistic look. The red-carpet stars are dressing down and wearing this trend with class. Jenna Dewan, wife to actor Channing Tatum and recent mom to Everly, wore a light blue classic denim jacket with leather sleeves while out walking her dog in her neighborhood. She paired with a long print maxi dress for ultimate comfort. Childhood actress and recent Broadway star Katie Holmes wore a classic Levi Strauss denim jacket with a yellow-tiered cotton dress. To class the look up, she paired with camel suede booties and a leather satchel. Power celebrity couple Rachel Weisz, known for her role in The Constant Gardner for which she won an Oscar and Daniel Craig, the most recent 007 James Bond, wore matching denim jackets down the streets of New York City in a recent visit. This trend is one of the best, because it is not all about the designer collections, so it fits every fashionista’s budget. Take a trip down to Kicukiru market or Nyabugogo to pick up a vintage style denim jacket. For nights out, wear darker denim over a mini-dress. For the day, keep the look casual with lighter denim but make sure to modernise the jacket with unique sleeves or with coloured fabric. That’s the fashion scoop for this week. Got a thought? Trend? Style you hate? Send it my way. Rachel Breaux is an American living in Rwanda.