When Dakota Johnson, Riley Keough, Gigi Hadid, and Rihanna are all wearing the same jeans style, you better believe our backs get a little straighter. Over the last several weeks, each star has been spotted out and about in L.A. in vintage-inspired denim. The look is light-wash straight- or wide-leg jeans with a low/medium rise. While we tend to see jeans in darker washes this time of year, vintage-inspired denim is very much in line with a classic California spirit. Think endless summer, Topanga days, a walk down the Venice Beach Boardwalk, perhaps. The criteria is lived-in and easeful. These jeans are broken in. Maybe there's a frayed hem, and maybe some areas are more sun-bleached than others. Vintage-inspired denim should tell a story.
(Image credit: Backgrid)
(Image credit: Backgrid)
One perk of vintage-inspired denim is how easily it can be dressed up or down, as evidenced by our celeb wearers. While Rihanna, Keough, and Johnson chose to wear their jeans to run errands around town, Hadid opted to wear hers on a recent date night with a fuzzy white sweater and Miu Miu patchwork Beau bag. There's a certain je ne sais quoi about vintage-inspired denim. I would argue that this is where Paris and L.A. style overlaps. It's a coolness that you can't quite put your finger on, but you definitely want in on it.
(Image credit: Backgrid)
(Image credit: Backgrid)
Shop Vintage-Inspired Jeans
MASSIMO DUTTI
Straight-Leg High-Waist Jeans
Massimo Dutti jeans never let me down.
Levi's
501 Jeans
The jeans that started it all.
Reformation
Val 90s Mid Rise Straight Jeans
Reformation just gets it.
Agolde
Lana Mid Rise Straight Jeans
This Agolde style is a new favorite for me.
ZARA
TRF Wide Leg Low Rise Jeans
These jeans have a wider leg, and the wash is oh so good.
MASSIMO DUTTI
Low-Rise Straight-Leg Jeans
I can't get over how great the styling is here.
Madewell
The Dean Easy Straight Jean
You can't go wrong with vintage-inspired denim and a white button-down.
COS
Reprise Straight-Leg Jeans
COS is one of my go-to denim destinations that never gets it wrong.
Gap
High Rise ’90s Slim Straight Jeans
This is one of Gap's best-selling jeans styles.
Agolde
90's Pinch Waist High Rise Straight Jeans
There's a reason these jeans are a mainstay in our roundups.
H&M
Straight-Leg Jeans
Don't fear the fade!
Re/done
90s High Rise Loose Jeans
A forever favorite.
Madewell
The Longline Straight Jeans
Madewell knows good jeans.
Levi's
501 90s Jeans
Like Levi's 501s but roomier.
ANINE BING
Hugh Jean
Love her.
Abercrombie & Fitch
Mid Rise 90s Straight Jean
You simply can't beat this price point.
AGOLDE
Amber Low Rise Straight Jeans
Slightly more cropped than the rest but exceedingly cute with a pair of Mary Janes nonetheless.
Moussy Vintage
Parkchester Straight Jeans
Moussy Vintage is a new-to-me Japanese brand, and all I can say is wow.
We The Free
Tennessee Low-Rise Boyfriend Jeans
I love the patchwork here.
Le Jean
90's Straight Jeans
You can't beat this fit.
Rag & Bone
Harlow Straight Jeans
These are a dead ringer for Riley Keough's vintage pair.
Madewell
The Perfect Vintage Wide-Leg Jean
"The perfect vintage jean" is right!
Levi's
Easy Dad Jeans
It doesn't get more L.A. than these jeans.
Slvrlake
London Jeans
These are a splurge, but no one I know has ever regretted buying a pair of Slvrlake jeans.
Reformation
Cary Low Rise Slouchy Wide Leg Jeans
I'm sensing a theme here with light-wash jeans paired with robin's-egg blue sweaters, and I like it.