Denim colours for jeans
Natalie asked this question in the group last week about finding jeans for her Autumn palette, so today I thought I’d chat about how to pick the right jean shade for your season.
Denim is often seen as a neutral in our wardrobes, making it one of the most versatile pieces you can own. While what you wear on your lower half isn’t as crucial for colour analysis as your top half (since it’s not reflecting back onto your face), the right denim shade can still help everything in your wardrobe mix and match seamlessly.
When I shop for jeans, I keep my colour season in mind, but I don’t stress over exact shades. Instead, I focus on finding colours that generally align with the tones and depth of my seasonal palette.
The image below gives you a breakdown of the colours and tones to look out for based on your season.
That said, the blues in the middle, in my opinion, work for every season—they’re really just a neutral!
Which Denim colour for my season?
Summers & Springs
They should look for soft and lighter washes avoiding anything too harsh or deep.
Springs look good in some of the brighter denim tones you sometimes see around, and summers should focus on the more muted tones (they can also wear a pale grey jean tone.)
Autumns & Winter
They would look for deeper and darker jean colours, Autumns looks great in a deep indigo denim and you sometimes see a brownish denim in the shops which would work as well. Winters can go for grey or black jeans as well as the darker denims.
I’ve categorised the jeans above by season, but there’s definitely some overlap—and honestly, you can’t really go wrong with a classic denim shade. I don’t get too caught up in whether it’s a ‘perfect’ match—if it works with my wardrobe and feels right, that’s what matters!
But one other thing I think is really important to consider when it comes to denim is your body shape.
✔ How the colour makes you feel – As a triangle shape, I tend to avoid light-wash jeans because I don’t love how they look on me. I break a lot of "triangle shape" rules, but this is the one that, when I do break it, makes my outfit feel off. Even if I were a Summer or Spring—where those tones naturally fit—I’d still lean towards deeper washes that feel more flattering and confidence-boosting.
✔ Casual vs. Polished – Lighter washes tend to feel more relaxed and casual, while darker washes give a more polished, dressier vibe. So even if your season leans towards lighter denim, you might prefer darker shades depending on the look you’re going for.
✔ Fading, whiskering & distressing – The placement of fading, whiskers (those little light streaks around the hips), or distressed patches can make a big difference in how jeans visually shape your body. Lighter areas create the illusion of more volume, while darker, even washes don’t. If you don’t want to draw attention to a specific area, avoid heavy whiskering or fading in that spot—where the lightest part of the denim is, the eye naturally follows! I tend to think for most of us a plainer jean is always the way forward.
✔ Washing & fading over time – One thing I’ve noticed in my wardrobe is that I’ll buy a mid-tone denim jean, only to have it lighten over time with multiple washes. This can be frustrating because they start to feel less like "me" and don’t work as well with my wardrobe. (I’m going to experiment with dyeing some of my denim to bring them back to life—will report back!)
✔ Time of year – When the weather warms up, you naturally start to see lighter washes of denim around—both in the shops and on people. And as the seasons cool down, darker washes tend to dominate. If you’ve ever felt like your usual go-to jeans suddenly don’t feel quite right, seasonal shifts in denim shades might be why, but I tend to stick to what feels good on me and i’m not too swayed by what’s in fashion or what everyone else is wearing. When my denim goes too light, my outfits always feel a bit off!