I Thought That Straight, Blue Denim Was Unbeatable—These 5 Spring Jeans Trends Changed My Mind

Ask anyone on the Who What Wear UK team and they would tell you, you wouldn't usually see me in jeans. After a lifetime devoted to sweeping dresses and cute skirts, denim always felt a little bit too rigid for this fussy fashion editor, but I came to realise that was all down to the fact that I hadn't found the ones.

You know the pair, the jeans we all wish we had in our wardrobes—the leg-lengthening, bum-lifting, tummy-flattening wonders that go with everything in our wardrobes? After having given up the search a long time ago, I stumbled across mine during a try-on (the AGOLDE High-Rise 90's Pinch for those wondering), and they were enough to convince me that denim could be just as elegant as dresses forever.

"What makes a good pair of jeans a wardrobe essential? Detailing. And the more authentic looking, the better," notes Loise Læborg Madsen, Designer and Brand Manager at HEYANNO. "The wash is the main thing for me, and a great wash will never go out of style."

Given that I've been rewearing that same pair of blue jeans with just about everything during autumn and winter, the prospect of a sunny spring around the corner had me thinking about my warm weather options. Yes, my usual maxi dresses will be back in on rotation, but what fresh new denim trends could be next on the hit list? Are skinny jeans truly back? Is the new waistband low-rise, high-rise or somewhere in-between? What does one wear with white jeans? Well, I found the answers to these questions and more in the street style ensembles of fashions best dressed.

Long before the latest trends hit runways, stylists, editors and influencers are experimenting with styles and silhouettes that end up becoming viral hits. Whether thrown on with white tees and flats, or styled up for evening, 2026's most interesting jeans trends thus far are moving away from the same straight, blue jeans we've been wearing for the last few years, and trying subtle swaps and changes to make denim feel new again for spring. "On the opposite hand to leaning into nostalgia, there is a need for something new and fun this season, and this is where engineered silhouettes and great details come in," adds Madsen.

So, whether you're an expert in jeans searching for your next pair or dubious about denim and waiting to be convinced, keep scrolling to see the five spring jeans trends I'm convinced will do the trick.

Raw Hem Jeans

Style Notes: If the thought of distressed denim makes you recoil, you'll be pleased to know that torn knees and bleached fabric did not make this list. Instead, discreetly frayed hems are adding a little edge to everyday styles, and this little detail is the perfect way to draw attention to your shoes, making them ideal for wearing with sandals, heels and springy flats.

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Brown Jeans

Style Notes: If I were to hazard a guess, I'd imagine you already own a blue, black or ecru pair of jeans (if not all of the above), but what you won't have in your roster is a pair of brown ones. Think about and it they do make sense though, brown is the perfect neutral to build a look around, and warm chestnut hues will be ideal in summer with a white tank top, while deep cocoas are exceptionally cosy in autumn and winter with fluffy knits and boots.

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Peplum Jeans

Style Notes: There may not be many pairs of these polarising jeans on the market (yet), but the conversation around them alone warrants them a place on this list. Peplum jeans have been a hot topic in the Who What Wear UK office lately ("do we love them or do we hate them?"), but with plenty of peplum cropping up at the recent Jacquemus show, we can't rule out a comeback in 2026. This probably isn't a trend for the minimalists among us, but if you layered dresses over your jeans last autumn, this isn't too far removed.

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Ink Wash Jeans

Style Notes: The perfect accompaniment to pretty blouses and crisp shirts, these classic jeans are made all the better by delivering a shade of blue so dark, they could be mistaken for black. Sorry stonewashed blue, this alternative always looks expensive, and no matter what shape or style is your favourite, this rich navy will go with everything you already own. Wear them now with pops of red, pink or yellow, and through summer with white and grey.

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Deep Cuffs

Style Notes: Not feeling frayed hems? Deep, turned up cuffs popped up on the street style circuits last year and show no signs of slowing down in 2026. The best thing about this trend is that you don't even need to invest in a new pair of jeans to get the look, you can turn up the hems on any of your jeans at home to get the same effect. If you prefer a pair of deep cuffs that still hit below the ankle, baggier boyfriend styles are proving popular with trench coats and ballet flats.

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