The fall 2024 denim trends include the usual subjects. There are classic, straight-leg styles alongside bold baggy jeans and trouser-like denim finished with tailored pleats. But the season also presents an alternative, albeit compelling, argument for something other than denim pants: the best jeans for fall 2024 aren't jeans at all; the season's best denim skirts—minis, midis, and maxis in a slew of washes—are where your wardrobe should focus.
Kate Bellman, the managing fashion editor at Nordstrom, co-signs the style swap: "Similar to jeans, denim skirts offer immense versatility within your wardrobe," she says over email. "And these past few years, we've all come to rely heavily on denim as the workhorse of our wardrobe, so it makes sense we are now searching for new alternatives to our favorite jeans." In other words, we want familiarity and function but with a dash of novelty. The jean skirts defining fall 2024's trends offer just that.
Fashion editor and stylist Gabriella Karefa-Johnson in a light-wash denim skirt detailed with a peek-a-boo ruffled lining.
While denim skirts have been percolating for some seasons now, the retail expert points out that they hadn't been in the trend cycle's focus in years—perhaps not since the early 2000s, when your favorite pop stars were wearing their best denim maxi skirts (typically low-waist and bejeweled with rhinestones) to red carpets. "It's been quite some time since jean skirts emerged as a key item, so 2024's denim skirt trend also provides a reason to buy something new," Bellman says. This is why we've composed a well-researched and curated denim skirt guide to indulge in some much-needed retail therapy.
Starting at ground level with long denim skirts and then traipsing up the leg to knee-length and mini territory, ahead is a comprehensive edit of our favorite interpretations. Oh, and if you're looking for advice on jean skirt outfit ideas, we have you covered there, too.
An Abridged Edit to Fall 2024's Best Denim Skirts
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- The Best Long Denim Skirt: Agolde Hilla Frayed Organic Denim Maxi Skirt
- The Best Midi Denim Skirt: Reformation Jayde High Rise Denim Midi Skirt
- The Best Mini Denim Skirt: J.Crew Button-Front Denim Mini Skirt
- The Best Black Denim Skirt: Grlfrnd Amara Maxi Pencil Skirt With Back Slit
- The Best White Denim Skirt: Still Here Panama Jean Skirt
The Denim Maxi
A New York Fashion Week guest in a worn-in blue wash denim maxi skirt styled with a roomy button-down shirt and white pumps.
Fall 2024 offers an inspired take on the elongated silhouette you might remember from the early aughts: from thigh-high front slits and asymmetric hems to mermaid flares and distressed details, these aren't the denim maxi skirts you remember on Christina Aguilera. For example, eternal It girl Alexa Chung's collab with Madewell features two very sophisticated options, one a fit-and-flare, the other floor-length with a front slit. As for styling a long jean skirt, take Bellman's cue: "A denim maxi skirt pairs easily with a bomber jacket and your best sneakers," she says over email.
The Midi Denim Skirt
French fashion editor and editor-in-chief of CR Fashion Book, Carine Roitfeld, showcases the polish of a jean pencil skirt at Paris Fashion Week.
Not quite as modest as a maxi but certainly not as flirty as a mini—acquaint yourself with the denim midi, the more coy middle sister of the skirt family. The Nordstrom fashion expert points out that the shin-length piece is endlessly versatile because of its in-between length. "[Midi skirts] can seamlessly be dressed up with a soft ruffled top for date night or a refined blazer for the office as a fall work outfit," Bellman says.
The Mini Denim Skirt
A matching denim set—comprised of a mini and shacket—is a strategic styling choice that ensures your thigh-level bottom doesn't tilt too youthful.
Now, onto the leggier styles, starting with the best mini skirts in denim. "Denim mini skirts feel particularly modern this season with new and innovative design elements such as quilting, pieced, and patchworked applications," describes Bellman. A front-button style is another option to consider, as it exudes a preppy-adjacent ladylike attitude that's sweeping the season and across the Marie Claire team (editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike shouted it out in a recent Self-Checkout post on her favorite fall trends).
The Black Denim Skirt
A pair of black trousers or jeans would have worked just fine, here, but the black midi skirt adds an intriguing girlish-meets-grunge element.
Take a bigger step away from blue jeans and opt for an alternative, darker wash: black. The inky color adds a touch of formality, making a black jean skirt feel more formal than any style done in a light wash. Lean into the color's inherent polish with a column-style pencil skirt—which pairs perfectly with your best loafers and a business-y button-down shirt.
The White Denim Skirt
Opting for a denim skirt in a non-traditional wash—like stark white, for example—and teaming it with another jean component is a failsafe idea for a denim-on-denim outfit.
Similar but different to the above: a white denim skirt offers a welcome refresh on age-old true blue washes. A split-front midi or maxi makes for a flirtier take, yielding a playful peek at your legs, ideal for summer-to-fall transitional weather. And remember, no matter what any antiquated fashion rules say, you can absolutely wear white after Labor Day.
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