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This is not scientifically proven, but I’m pretty sure that the denim jacket – the classic trucker style that’s been around forever – is the oldest item in most women’s wardrobes.
You go for a clear out every now and then, come across it and think ‘I can’t get rid of this. I sat on it on the grass the day I met my husband. I wore it to see The Rolling Stones. It’s a timeless classic.’
And yes it is, but it’s time to move on. I’m not saying take it to the Red Cross shop immediately. I’m saying put it away because this denim jacket is past doing us any favours.
It’s heavy, it’s straight, it’s square, it’s cut on the hip just low enough to hide your waist and exaggerate your bum. You’ve had the best out of it.
And besides the denim jacket has evolved. Whatever your age, we’re in entirely different denim jacket territory now.
American actress Julianne Moore opts for double denim
Me+Em co-ord: Cotton blend denim sharp shoulder blazer, reduced from £325 to £162.50, and kick flare trousers, £225
In spring 2025, when fashion connoisseurs talk about a denim jacket, they’re far more likely to mean a sharp-shouldered blazer, or a belt-tied safari style jacket, or even a round-collar, boxy Chanel-esque number.
A ‘wear with lots of things including denim if you so wish’ jacket.
This is particularly good news for us fashion conscious 50-plusers.
We benefit from wearing structured clothes that give us shape and keep us smart, but we also like our clothes to have an easy, effortless feel - less corporate queen, more stylish and fresh-looking woman.
(That’s the goal, isn’t it? That and overhearing someone you don’t know roar: You Cannot Be Serious But She Looks half that age!)
The gift of denim is it’s the opposite of stuffy and establishment – plus most shades of indigo look good on everyone. Meanwhile a new denim jacket is an easy sharpener upper for summer.
If you’re wearing a knitted top and midi skirt, a denim blazer will pull it all together. A shirt and trousers get smartened up with the addition of a light double-breasted denim jacket.
What do you wear over a little summer black cotton dress? Belted four-pocket, or round-neck and boxy denim jacket. It’s always hard to find the right jacket to sling on over a pretty midi dress and a soft cropped denim jacket is just the job – something grounded to stop you looking too Truly Scrumptious.
I’ve tried a lot of different denim jacket styles recently and there are a couple that work best for me.
In no particular order, these are: a classic one-button, notch-lapel blazer – to wear over a T-shirt with smart wide-leg trousers or jeans.
Denim blazers should be sharply tailored, top-of-the-thigh-grazing, with a back vent (in other words everything you look for in a regular blazer) or they look dowdy.
Now would be a good time to snap upMe+Em’s smooth tailored dark indigo style as it’s half price in the sale (£162.50, meandem.com).
Dark denim works in spring and summer so long as you don’t double up. For that a mid-wash is best. Gap also has a well cut lighter wash blazer (£31, gap.co.uk).
The more glamorous, Parisian girl option, is double breasted with gold buttons and tabs on the sleeves – a little bit military, a little bit peacoat – and I love Zara’s cropped on the hip style (£55.99, zara.com).
Next up is the four-pocket belted style. M&S’s (£49.50, marksandspencer.com) has the advantage of being bottom covering and soft, and it looks chic with the cuffs turned up and the collar slightly raised, paired with relaxed wide-leg jeans.
Note: you have to wear a tie belt with this jacket or it can look swampy and unflattering.
The four-pocket belted jacket plus wide jeans is the new look Canadian Tuxedo (double denim). It has a relaxed Seventies feel and it’s easy to dress up with solid silver or gold earrings and mid-heel sandals.
Just remember if you’re teaming a denim jacket with jeans they should be a tonal match - if not co-ords - otherwise you can end up looking patchy.
If you prefer something more cropped to wear with skirts or trousers, there are plenty of boxy round-collar jackets with patch pockets.
The smartest come in a darker wash and Zara’s is the best of the bunch (£45.99).
Still boxy but more relaxed is Aligne’s Sasha jacket (£129, aligne.co) which, in spite of having elasticated trims and metal buttons, looks smart like a leather jacket and would work well with high-waisted trousers. The words denim jacket will never feel the same.
