Denim Skirts Are Replacing Jeans in My Wardrobe—And I’m Not Looking Back

Hot take: denim skirts are just like jeans but...better. While I’ll always lean on a go-to pair of dungarees for getting out the door quickly, the freedom and flirtiness my legs feel in a skirt is unmatched—especially in the warm-weather days of sun-kissed skin, when legs do not deserve to be hidden behind swaths of heavy fabric.

And I know I’m avoiding an obvious category in denim shorts, but I find them way fussier to navigate. Honestly, I’m never really satisfied. Are they too short? Too long? Too juvenile? Too casual? A denim skirt is somehow just more polished.

And just like jeans, it’s important to have a handful of go-to silhouettes to rotate through. I think these three provide enough variety to act as wardrobe workhorses, much like your favorite pair: short, long, and a wildcard.

The rule for finding the ease in styling a denim skirt is simplicity. As boring as I find the necessary combo of sweater or shirt and jeans, swapping in a denim skirt makes it an entirely different look with the same amount of effort. I let pops of color and a peppering of prints “accessorize” the skirt, but don’t let them overpower it. It’s a classic for a reason, so let the skirt shine. This is how I did it recently.

The Short Skirt

I recently acquired a secondhand short denim mini, which honestly felt like a perfect addition to the high school throwbacks I’ve been peppering into my wardrobe. Instead of wearing it with tall Ugg boots and two-layered Abercrombie polo shirts, I popped on a Flore Flore cardigan “tee” over one polo, then added Damson Madder argyle socks and a revisited Hervé Chapelier bag for extra flair.

Because it was a little breezy, I added a long jacket, which always works well with a small skirt. I didn’t realize how much I missed a low-slung denim skirt. I’m excited to wear it with easy baby tees, or layered over oversized shirts with the tails peeking out from underneath.

The Long Skirt

I found myself reaching for this old Saint Laurent long patchwork skirt throughout the winter as an alternative to jeans that felt a little more put-together on super-cold days when I’d be layering tights under pants anyway. This A-line shape proved to be just as comfortable and warm as a pair of jeans, but looked far more interesting when all you can really figure out is throwing on a sweater and a puffer jacket.

I don’t think the same could be said for a more columnar shape, which either constricts movement or requires a front slit that exposes your legs. This felt like the perfect way to reintroduce skirts into the rotation on a chilly spring day, with a pop-color sweater and cozy elements like a marled red sock and a tweed jacket.

The Wildcard Skirt

And sometimes, you just need a funky version of a staple to keep things interesting. This Junya Watanabe denim skirt is my ultimate white whale in the wardrobe, one I had unsuccessfully stalked for nearly ten years. I had come close to surrendering to one on 1stDibs at a high-ticket price, until one day I stumbled upon one on The RealReal for under $200. I almost fainted from excitement.

As kooky as this mermaid-shaped midi denim skirt with flouncy cotton ruffles is, it’s surprisingly versatile. I wear it with just about anything I’d wear with jeans, but the look is at least twice as interesting. With a go-to Gap striped button-down, Sabah fisherman sandals, and a Longchamp net bag, this will be in steady rotation from mid-spring to early fall.