In 2004, as an impressionable teenage girl obsessed by fashion, a photograph of Sienna Miller made me immediately cease listening to Avril Lavigne as I avoided revision and instead scour my local shops for a very specific item: a denim skirt.
Miller wore hers with a white tank top, vintage cowboy boots and a red Balenciaga City bag (not to mention an excellent tan); I paid homage to her in the best way Topshop, H&M and St. Tropez (the brand, sadly not the location) would allow.
Then, last year, I was filled with nostalgia when I saw photographs of Kate Moss walking her dog in London, wearing a denim mini with lace-up flats. Always ahead of the curve, the supermodel knew that this Noughties staple was back. Since then? Well, she's just been proved right, of course.
As you might have noticed earlier this year, when designers in New York, London, Milan and Paris showed their autumn/winter 2026 collections, was that many show-goers (whose outfits are papped by avid street-style photographers) were opting to wear denim skirts.
Mostly, they've been midi in length, and often worn with a matching denim shirt or jacket. Incidentally, they've been populating the catwalks, too: Area and Isabel Marant both showed short, straight styles (á la Miller and Moss), Dior's were layered, ruffled and embellished at the edges, while Joseph and Dries van Noten presented longer lengths.
This only goes to show the longevity of the jean skirt. The spring/summer 2026 collections (more relevant for our wardrobes now) gave us Dior's pastel minis, Khaite's knee-length styles with turn-up hems and Akris' prim pencils – all iterations of the classic denim skirt.
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Celebrities, too, have been embracing them – from Jodie Turner-Smith in a maxi A-line skirt to Tessa Thompson in a belted midi. They're ideal for our current climate – not too warm, not too cold – and can be styled in myriad ways to suit temperatures, as well as plans. The longer lengths are slightly easier to make work now, as you can pair them with boots when it's cold or raining, and ballet flats when it's not.
They've looked best on the street stylers who have gone for polished pairings – try a silk blouse tucked in, or a smart denim shirt to create a co-ord. Shorter styles will also benefit from a more buttoned-up look on top; try with sheer tights while it's still chilly.
The most appealing prospect of a denim skirt is that, given their ubiquity on the catwalks for next season, too, it's a piece you can buy now and wear on repeat. If you'd told me that in 2004, I would have been delighted.
