Over the decades, denim trends have been marked by the rise of specific silhouettes, ranging from ’70s bell bottoms to Y2K skinny jeans, but on the spring 2026 runways, designers’ propositions for denim bottoms wasn’t about one defining trend or “It” jean. Rather, the best styles spanned color and fit to embellishment, with wearability, subtle nostalgia and experimentation at the forefront.
Here, WWD breaks down the five best spring denim styles.
Classic Wash
For spring, luxury brands spanning from Acne Studios to Celine upgraded their offering by refining how this classic wash looks and feels with polished denim styles, as seen through MM6 Maison Margiela’s straight-leg jeans.
Cuffed Skirt
At Khaite, denim continues to be an important category for the brand, as seen via Catherine Holstein’s new risk-taking versions for spring 2026, which featured cuffed-up hems on cropped jeans and midi skirts, including the indigo denim Kilian skirt.
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Studded
Embellishments continue to prevail in the denim market, with crystal-embellished styles from Area’s Nicholas Aburn to Lemaire’s heavy slate denim high-waist straight pants with ample studs — offering wearers a sense of playfulness and edge to their overall look.
’90s Baggy
While wide-leg, cargo and barrel-leg jeans remain popular voluminous shapes in the denim market, the ’90s baggy look stood out on the runways as a strong style that translates day to night, as seen via Stella McCartney’s organic cotton denim midwaist Relaxed Curve jeans.
Punchy Color
Denim bottoms have a nice dose of spring fever this year with an injection of lively, saturated colors. These alternative washes brought a new vibrancy to the runway, as seen in Chloé vibrant lavender dyed denim Fog straight pants; Maria McManus’ rose-hued bottoms in collaboration with Agolde, and myriad jeans in almost every color of the rainbow at Versace.
