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Yup, Reworked Jeans Are Still Going Strong

Several pairs of painted, patched, printed, and otherwise souped-up jeans to shop.

By Cory Baldwin Jan 18, 2017, 1:04pm EST

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light wash jeans with painted shapes on them

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Like chokers and athleisure, reworked jeans seem to be one of those trends that just won’t die. Only this one doesn’t bother me in the least — in fact, I’m secretly (well, now openly) glad it’s stuck around.

We could probably blame Vetements and its wildly overpriced, wildly popular jeans that took over street style last winter and spring, which looked like two pairs of vintage Levi’s sewn together. But my favorite options now are of the (sometimes) more subtle variety, whether it’s a quirky pocket, added patches, or a little paint splatter here and there.

If you’re handy enough (and have enough free time), you could probably whip up your own version of embellished or reworked denim using vintage jeans, scissors, fabric paint, and some patience. But for the rest of us, I’ve pulled together some great examples of what I like to think of as “jeans+” — denim with a little something extra. Any pair here will definitely take your regular jeans and T-shirt uniform up a few notches.