Trends come and go, but one thing surely remains constant: denim never truly goes away. The silhouettes or the rises may change (suddenly everyone is pro-low-rise now), but denim is that staple that will always have a place in the fashion conversation. With elegant normcore at the forefront of fall’s collections, especially now, denim is playing a huge role in reinforcing the wearability factor designers are so readily embracing.

But that’s not to say there hasn’t been a fair share of more out-there denim trends. For one, players like Y/Project, Blumarine, and Givenchy turned things up a notch with unexpected washes and off-beat and sometimes nostalgic details like brown-washed denim and big brass studs. The twist deviates from the uber-approachable trends like loose denim and straight leg cuts, that dare we consider them controversial (or at least edgy and whimsical). Other designers and brands have joined the fray, leading us to think that a spicier approach to denim will be the status quo for the seasons ahead. For a full report on the controversial denim trends buzzing about now, keep scrolling below.