Style File: Blue jean baby

If it feels too early to get started on your summer wardrobe, denim is the perfect candidate for a between season update, writes Emma Akbareian

Navy top £185; Nouvelle jeans £200; mih-jeans.com

The first few months of the year are an awkward between-retail-seasons period. This is the time when unless you’re looking for an early-bird summer dress, there’s a lack of options in the stores to satisfy a shopping urge.

One staple of your wardrobe that doesn’t need to suffer from post-festive fatigue is your jeans. Now is the ideal moment to update denim with minimal seasonal conflict. The skinny jean has reigned victorious over other styles thanks largely to the influence of Kate Moss, who wore little else in the early Noughties. The rest of the world caught on that drainpipe-thin trousers are not an easy look to pull off for anyone blessed with less than supermodel-like proportions.

Levi’s, the denim stalwart, has been working tirelessly over the years to make skinnies a little more flattering and its latest innovation released last autumn is the Revel. The jeans use a liquid-shaping technology which is fused into the fabric to lift and define the silhouette. This works in conjunction with its much-celebrated Curve ID fit system, which delivers a specific fit according to the wearer’s shape.

For those fed up of squeezing into too-tight trews, there may be hope on the horizon in the form of flares. Forget notions of Saturday Night Fever; these bell-bottomed styles have come a long way since the dancing days of John Travolta.

The trick is to keep things sleek by pairing with a simple fitted shirt or tank top and a pair of heels for a classic look; anything floaty or patterned and you’re straying dangerously into boho-babe territory. MIH’s Marrakech style is great for those who want to go full-on flared, while Donna Ida’s Martha jeans are a more subtle step. And if you need any more persuasion, Kate Moss has been seen in a pair.