Topman's spray-on jeans – roadtested

http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/fashion-blog/2013/sep/24/topman-spray-on-jeans-roadtested

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Once upon a time, skinny jeans were only for the likes of rock kids at the back of a gig, worn with Converse and a band T-shirt. These days, that still applies – but they're increasingly being worn by everyone else as well.

They're a classic, up there with a white T-shirt or a pea coat. Which is all the more reason for brands to explore new ways of wearing them. Enter Topman's spray-on jean – a shape that takes the skinny and wrings out all the excess fat.

Spray-on is Topman's new shape for autumn, responding to the overwhelming demand for skinnies. Devoid of any obvious branding, the super-skinny shape is what sets them apart, and what should make them the cult choice this season.

To add to the potential, the men's brand is launching a savvy Twitter campaign – a bit like Burberry's Art of the Trench – encouraging wearers to share selfies of themselves in the jeans, tagging them #TopmanSprayOnJeans and offering Premium Spotify accounts to one sharer a day. Skinny jeans are such a street-style staple for the plugged-in generation, it makes a lot of sense.

So much, in fact, that we were intrigued. To see how the spray-ons played out on real blokes, we did a bit of road testing. The results are in and they're interesting. Thirtysomethings and upwards were reticent at first – possibly having lived through the first wave of super-skinnies. "I was a veteran of the skinny jeans era circa 2002-2006 so I was well aware of their work," says Guardian music writer Tim Jonze. "I have, in my wilder days, worn jeans almost as tight as these."

Some were more into them than others, then, but all liked the softness if the denim and the chic absence of branding. "I really like the lack of unnecessary detail," says Colin Chapman, fashion blogger behind Sharpened Lead. while DJ The Lovely Jonjo liked the "deep black" colour.

What our testers wore with the spray-ons gives us a clue to what you might see on Twitter over the next 30 days. Chapman takes a creative approach as you might expect, choosing to layer them up with "trainers and a pair of wide Nike running shorts I picked up in New York" while Jonjo recommends a "baggy print tee" to balance the skinny lower half. It's the shoes that are key though. Sneakers aren't right. The spray-on jeans look best with smart footwear, according to our panel. Jonjo wears his with "cream and blue brogues" while Simon Chilvers, men's style director of matchesfashion.com says "plain neat, black shoes".

Topman's spray-on jeans start at £36. To find out more about the reaction to the skinny's latest incarnation, log on to @topmanUK this week. Selfie optional.

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