Where does the name come from? Originally a twilled serge cloth manufactured in Nimes was known as serge de Nimes – which was a bit long so it was shorted to denim!

Denim is a hard wearing cotton twill textile, in which the weft passes under two or more warp fibers – does that sound too technical? It’s basically how the fabric is woven and what gives it a unique look.

One feature of denim is that colours fade over time and washing. This is generally a good thing and considered quite fashionable. It’s this that’s led designers to create wild patterns of distressed denim to create brilliant masterpieces. In the olden days you had to wear out the knees yourself and rip your own holes, but now you can buy them looking like you’ve had them many years.

Denim colours have changed with fashions, dark indigo was in and out of fashion at various times and during it’s low points light bleached denim was incredibly popular. Rock bands have popularised denim and it’s used not only for trousers, shorts, dungarees but also jackets. A denim jacket is the staple of many wardrobes and makes a great lightweight summer jacket. Black denim jeans have been a mainstay of goth and emo culture for some time now too.

There are many types of jeans – Baggy, Bootcut (designed so you can wear boots under them), boyfriend cut (for women but cut like blokes jeans), cropped jeans, flared jeans, high waisted jeans, straight leg, skinny and drain pipe jeans.

Dorothy Perkins also have some great dresses in that are going to go down a storm – Blue spot sweetheart dress is one of the prettiest dresses I’ve seen for ages! It’s very glam, with a touch of 50’s styling with a heart neckline and thin shoulder straps giving it real summer appeal.
It has a nice waistline that’s dropped slightly to be more flattering and a gathered bust detail, plus a fun bow at the back! It’s quite a summery dress and will look amazing with some nice shoes or sandals! It’s only £30 and as Dorothy Perkins offer free delivery on orders over £40 then you could look for a nice cardigan or shoes to go with it and really treat yourself.

The web site is easy to use and shows sizes available in each item in a very clear way. They also have a mega spring sale on at the moment so if you want to do some real bargain hunting you can find an amazing array of dresses and tops available. The dresses are from £10! They also have shoes and knitwear and many other items in their sale.

New brands at Dorothy Perkins include Fiorelli bafs, Uttam dresses and tops, Suzy Smith designer bags, and TFNC tunics and dresses. If you want to be at the cutting edge of fashion then Dorothy Perkins is well worth a look!