3 Stylish Denim Trends for Summer 2025 (and 3 Outdated Looks to Avoid)

Fashion’s long-standing love affair with discomfort seems, at last, to be cooling off. After seasons of denim austerity — the tyranny of the skinny jean, the grip of rigid fabric — we find ourselves in a moment of welcome reprieve. This summer, denim takes a looser approach: baggy bootcuts and wide legs. In other words, silhouettes that signal fashion’s turn toward the generous.

Both styles have already been tipped as denim trends we’ll be seeing everywhere in 2025, but they feel especially suited to summer dressing. Volume adds ease. Wide legs and roomy bootcuts allow airflow (no small mercy in the heat). The denim can drape, and the body can move comfortably without negotiation. With Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour on the horizon, the timing feels almost too perfect. The bootcut, after all, was made for cowboys.

If you’re looking to step into this roomier frame of mind, Beverly Hills stylist Joseph Katz points to Gap’s mid-rise UltraSoft baggy jeans as a democratic entry point — trend-conscious without asking too much of your wallet. For something a touch more refined, AG Jeans has a sleek, slightly structured wide-leg cut that feels just elevated enough. If you prefer understated trends, Fillippa K’s Stella straight-leg provides a strong middle ground. COS, predictably, delivers a minimalist’s take on the wide leg: clean lines, no fuss.

Denim shorts are undergoing their seasonal rebrand, and in 2025, they’re taking cues from their roomier, more relaxed denim cousins, and aren’t interested in playing it safe this summer. As Joseph Katz reminds us, “We’re moving away from super tight cuts and leaning into comfort with a bit of attitude.”

This season, that attitude comes through in looser silhouettes, faded acid washes, and intentionally frayed hems that suggest these shorts have lived a little (or at least look like they have). The details matter. Ripped hems, heavy fading, and that “intentionally ‘dirty’ look” give these shorts their boho edge, transforming a simple summer staple into something with personality. For those playing along at home, Katz points to this easy, slouchy pair from Uniqlo. Ganni, of course, supplies the designer interpretation, adding just enough edge to remind you it’s fashion.

Meanwhile, long denim Bermudas are returning to the limelight, notably popularized by Emily Ratajkowski. They’re stepping in with relaxed tailoring and the same worn-in finishes. Frame delivers a sharper version, whereas Urban Outfitters leans grittier, closer to the street.

If denim jeans are loosening up this summer, the denim dress is doing the opposite. Instead, it’s cinching, sculpting, and flaring in all the right places. Toeing a fine line between utility and charm this season, it reimagines workwear’s structural, rough-and-ready fabric as something unexpectedly refined. Strapless styles, in particular, are leading the charge, and stylist Joseph Katz looks out for “fitted bodices that cinch the waist paired with voluminous, flared skirts that create that hourglass shape that’s flattering and playful.” And if you need a cultural endorsement, Paris Hilton — a long-time connoisseur of bold fashion choices — has been an enthusiastic adopter of the all-denim mini dress in seasons past.

For a budget-conscious entry point, Gap has put forward a button-front denim mini; its sharp V-neckline, structured seams, and slight flare at the hem turn a basic shape into something thoughtful. Those inclined to invest a little more will find that Ramy Brook’s version takes the trend up a notch. These dresses aren’t confined to dressy occasions, either. Layer a sheer blouse underneath or shrug on a light jacket, and the entire mood shifts.

If there’s one garment that’s carried the weight of rebellion, it’s ripped denim. First appropriated by the punk movement of the 1970s — slashed and shredded as a sartorial manifesto — it was paraded down Vivienne Westwood’s runways and immortalized on album covers. Grunge picked up the thread in the 1990s, with Kurt Cobain’s disintegrating jeans becoming emblematic of a generation’s cultivated apathy. By the 2010s, ultra-distressed denim resurfaced once more, aligned with an ’80s revival that brought back high-waisted trousers and culottes (as well as the idea that rebellion could be bought retail).

Now, these rips have worn out their welcome. As stylist Joseph Katz notes, “Ultra-distressed denim is fading out as we see more of a clean, minimalist look, and tailored looks are trending.” The ripped knee has been dulled by overexposure, but abandoning that rough-edged sensibility altogether isn’t necessary. For those still drawn to the punkish, zine-inspired spirit of denim’s past, there’s a new compromise. Embellished denim is another defining trend being ushered into 2025. The attitude remains; the holes, mercifully, do not.

We need to prepare for the reality: skinny jeans aren’t coming back yet. Since around 2019 — and certainly by summer 2025 — it’s time to accept that our calves have moved on from this millennial mainstay. Stylist Joseph Katz tells Women, “A more comfortable fit, a gender-fluid vibe is what’s trending.”

The shift wasn’t abrupt. Straight-leg cuts quietly edged skinnies out of the fashion hierarchy, bringing a reprieve from the constriction. Baggy denim soon followed, taking up more space — literally and metaphorically — and continues to hold that ground. The prevailing mood is ease and fluidity. Still, some haven’t quite let go. Skinny jeans stick around in certain corners of the sartorial landscape, worn by those not accustomed to the shifting tides of fashion. Kate Middleton, for instance, continues to rock this outdated trend, pairing them with blazers and Veja trainers.

But fashion moves in cycles. The recent revival of early aughts capri pants and other fitted silhouettes suggests that super skinny jeans may yet stage a comeback. But for now, they remain in exile, neatly folded away and waiting for their cultural comeback.

Quilted and patchwork denim: charming in theory, often ponderous in practice (apologies, Etsy). It’s usually caught between high craft and homespun cliche, but in 2025, fashion seems more inclined to let the fabric speak for itself. “We are seeing instead more nature and festival-inspired denim,” says Joseph Katz, earmarking “some fun fringe and embroidery that will be hitting the summer scene.”

It’s a welcome course correction. Where patchwork strained to signal taste or high-fashion credentials, fringe and embroidery pay homage to ever-inspiring folk traditions whilst still keeping that authentic feel. As always, the festival circuit serves as fashion’s testing ground. Unfortunately, Coachella 2025 was a fashion disaster for everyone there — a dust bowl of clashing trends and overreaching statements. The hope for this new age of festival denim rests with Glastonbury. With its lower tolerance for artifice, may it offer denim a chance at redemption.