INDIGO BOOM
Malhia Kent x 7FAM
We’ve seen denim on the couture runways, and now denim brand 7 For All Mankind is bringing couture fabrics to a capsule collection of jeans. What started as a 7 For All Mankind inspiration trip to Paris turned into a visit to the famous Malhia Kent textile mill, which produces fabrics for the likes of Chanel, Proenza Schouler and Alexander McQueen. The designers were so enchanted, they tapped Malhia Kent to become the brand’s latest collaborator. Available in September, the limited edition Malhia Kent x 7FAM jeans and jacket were created by piecing panels of luxurious metallic tweeds and jacquards together with the denim brand’s new Slim Illusion Second Skin fabric, which has 100% elasticity, to mold and hold all the right places. The result: exquisite pieces with the comfort of jeggings. Malhia Kent x 7FAM collection, $395 to $650, available starting Sept. 1 at 7 For All Mankind stores nationwide and at 7ForAllMankind.com. -- Booth Moore
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McGuire Denim
On a trip to Nimes, France, said to be the birthplace of denim, Melissa McGuire was inspired to create a new denim line with a nod to the fabric’s workwear origins. The city’s symbol, a crocodile chained to a palm tree, appears on the buttons of her new McGuire Denim line, which launched last month. The aesthetic is a riff on workwear made relevant for an urban environment as shown in skinny carpenter jeans with engineered piping inspired by traditional railroad uniforms, exposed zippers, vintage washes and high- and mid-rise silhouettes. McGuire, who formerly worked for Joe’s Jeans and Gap, also offers a jean jacket, flared skirt, two chambray shirts and a quilted chambray fencing-style jacket. McGuire Denim, $158-$498 at Ron Herman in West Hollywood, (323) 651-4129; mcguiredenim.com. -- Ingrid Schmidt
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D-ID (Denim Identity)
Quilting from a leather menswear jacket inspired the distinctive diamond stitching that is the signature of D-ID, or Denim Identity, the new line designer Jimmy Taverniti debuted last month. The textural diamond stitching is applied to jeans with light and dark washes, waxed coating and one faux leather style, as well as classic jean and moto jackets, which top off the line. Originally from France, Taverniti’s designs have a European aesthetic, yet he has always been heavily influenced by American vintage style and developed new vintage washing effects. Crafted of Italian and Japanese fabrics, basics in the line are made in L.A., but complicated quilted styles are crafted in Asia. Bestsellers so far are the skinny ankle, biker and moto styles. D-ID, $148-278 at singer22.com, revolveclothing.com or d-idjeans.com. -- Ingrid Schmidt
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Frame Denim
“It is for the woman who wears the beautiful shoes, the beautiful bag, the beautiful jewelry. The jeans are the frame of the look ... to sort of pull the whole thing together,” says Joshua LeVine, chief executive of Los Angeles-based Frame Denim, which hit stores last November. LeVine’s partners are Jens Grede and Erik Torstensson of global fashion marketing, branding and advertising powerhouse the Saturday Group, “and the whole idea was to bring a European sensibility and aesthetic [to it], but base it in Los Angeles.” A local team produces the jeans, using stretch fabrics imported from Turkey. Frame Denim, $179-$269 at Nordstrom stores, Ron Herman in West Hollywood, (323 )651-4129; and Barneys New York in Beverly Hills, (310) 276-4400; frame-denim.com. -- Ingrid Schmidt
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Calvin Rucker
Calvin Rucker, launched last year by denim vets Joie Rucker, founder of Joie Jeans, and Caroline Calvin, formerly with Levi’s, is a “mix of casual and couture,” they say. The designers are all about thoughtful details -- hand treatments, hand-stitched cuffs, pick-stitch finishing. Styles like the “Heart-breaker,” a slim, cigarette silhouette that comes in a cool, crackly, black-painted “Nightrider” finish for fall, are made in L.A., with fabric from Europe and Japan. It’s rough but refined. Calvin Rucker, $240 to $960, available at Ron Herman in L.A., Gratus in Beverly Hills, Michael Nusskern in Newport Beach and other boutiques.CalvinRucker.com. -- Booth Moore
