Why baggy white jeans are this summer’s menswear…

Why baggy white jeans are this summer’s menswear staple to know

Boys, if you make one wardrobe investment this summer, make it a pair of loose fit, white jeans (and a box of Vanish stain remover, while you’re at it).

In doing so, you’ll be joining the ever-expanding white jeans club; a smart set risking wine spills to brighten up their looks at everything from premieres to fashion pub parties. That’s the style’s big selling point: you can dress them up or down with surprising ease.

Bugzy Malone and Micheal Ward attend the Cartier Queen's Cup Polo at Guards Polo Club on June 18, 2023 (Dave Benett/Getty Images for Cartier)

At Cartier’s very posh Queen’s Cup Polo day last weekend, Top Boy star Michael Ward opted for Louis Vuitton’s monogram jacquard jeans alongside rapper Bugzy Malone, who matched in white linen slacks. At the start of June, Daniel Kaluuya proved ivory denim was red-carpet material at the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse screening; while Liam Gallagher’s two sons - Gene and Lennon - both dressed down their’s to attend Mulberry’s 20th birthday party for their Bayswater bag, when the sun started shining this May.

Dolce and Gabbana added jewlled glmaour on their SS23 catwalk (D&G)

The seed was sown during the Spring Summer 2023 menswear collections last June, when brands big and small offered ample styling inspiration. There was French label, Ami, which saw models primed for summer evenings pairing their white denim with red, breton-striped fine knits, suede beige jackets and neckerchiefs; Dolce & Gabbana’s were given pizazz and paired with crystal-embellished short sleeved shirts; while Etudes sent theirs out shredded, with beach-ready, open plaid shirts.

For those looking for classics? Your best bet is to start on the high street. Levi’s 501’s are the originals, or head to Arket, who have recently launched a standalone jeans sector. Elsewhere, see Gant for a smarter fit, and Axel Arigato for a baggier style.

Ami shows off a sophisticated white denim look for SS23 (Ami)

More adventurous dressers should look out for white denim with appliqué or subtle colouring. Chet Lo, the upcoming London designer known for his spikey knitwear, adds gradient hues and spray paint to give his added flair. ‘‘A white jean or trouser is perfect for the summer,” he says. “I personally never wear shorts so a white pair of trousers is the only way I can survive the heat.”

Chet Lo added gradient hues for his SS23 colection (Chet Lo)

“Our white jeans from SS23 were made using sustainable, ISKO denim and were developed with two different prints,” he says. “I love to create optical effects with prints, so one has a blue gradient effect reminiscent of anime blasts. The other is made of Lotus flowers, but with an optical effect that looks like stripes up close but from afar the flowers can be seen.”

For those more DIY-inclined you can, of course, get creative and decorate a pair yourself - they’re the perfect canvas.