Surprisingly at age 40, I’ve become a huge fan of faded and distressed denim. Not torn, frayed or ripped denim, but lighter washes with lots of fading. Here’s why:

  • It’s “new”. Faded denim refreshes my existing wardrobe making it look and feel different. Ever since I bought my cropped faded Diesel denim jacket (see it here), my dark wash denim jacket has been hibernating.
  • It dresses down an item of clothing like nobody’s business. I love wearing a faded denim jacket or shirt with a formal dress, glitzy skirt, pearls or dressy boots and bags because of the sharp contrast created by this sort of combination.
  • It lightens up my outfit. I wear lots of black and charcoal grey tops in cold weather. Pairing them with light wash or faded jeans creates more contrast and a lighter feel than unfaded dark wash denim. My faded Gap Legging Jeans are favourites in this regard.

Obviously, I still like and wear my dark wash jeans when I need a smarter look. But at the moment I’m not grabbing them as much as I used to. Am I alone in feeling this way about faded and distressed denim? Are you still a dark denim fan at heart?