Light washes and lighter shades of indigo have found it difficult to achieve the same level of interest as their darker cousins and have not stood the "being loved for long" test. Things have now changed. We no longer just use bleach to lighten we have many more tricks to create edgy pale hued denim jeans.
The shade starts dark so with chemicals and tints we carve out exciting new lighter shades leaving 3D highs and lows at the seams and focus areas; we use sulphur tints to change the cast of the shade; we heavily wear out areas of interest in the garment as well as ripping and repairing to add dimension; with paler shades we naturally have the impression of wearing an "old friend" so ripping with no repairing even leaving giant holes looks real. All of this is laundry work but the start denim must be substantial enough to withstand the artificial wear and tear as well as be made in 100% indigo shade such that the result is clean, clear, almost pretty.
Composite Image ©TheDenimEye L:©Diesel
Scraped and spayed pretty blues for the garment body leaving 3D high/low effects at the edges and seams; false tacked up hems which, when let down after spray, create decorative effects to further add dimension to the worn in effect. Myriad levels of light indigo achieve varying levels of interest in different textured denims - pre-shrunk; STF ( Levi) shrink to fit effect; flat finished smooth effect as well as with different textured constructions from crunchy plain weaves and dobbies to smooth sateens and twills.
Composite Image ©TheDenimEye Top Left: ©Amelia Lindquist ©UMagazine
Texture and differentiated indigo shades offer opportunities for design intrigue, fabric combing and clever cutting. The crackled texture of pre-shrunk or STF denim finishing cut and combined in new wider shapes take paler denim to a classier level of denim fashion. Whilst pretty green casted indigos and sulphur aqua blues are edgy and cool.
Composite image ©TheDenimEye L: ©Faustine Steinmetz
Splash and sponged bleached out pattern effects are summer camouflage with crush and creased effects in lightweights. Start with dark indigo and bleach out to white with tie dye technique or sponge effects. Or start with white undyed denim and work in with dark indigos or sulphur dyes.
l-r ©zara, ©framedenim
Combine light with dark; clever cut the jeans for super creative effect; play with shade, texture and the use of high low 3D finish effects at waist and hem.