The Finer Things: Mihlali Shows How to Make Denim Feel Expensive

Denim is usually treated as functional rather than aspirational. It is reliable, familiar, and often positioned as the easiest part of a wardrobe. What Mihlali Ndamase does differently is remove denim from that default role and place it firmly inside a conversation about intention, control, and taste.
Across recent appearances and fashion imagery, one detail keeps resurfacing: when Mihlali wears denim, it never looks incidental. It looks chosen. That effect is the result of measured decisions rather than surface-level tricks.

Mihlali Ndamase – Instagram

The look itself is simple and precise. A crisp white shirt, mid-wash jeans, white boots, minimal jewellery, and a compact quilted bag worn crossbody. None of these pieces depend on layering for impact. There is no visible effort to impress. Yet the outcome reads composed and assured.
The first decision is fit. The denim sits high on the waist and falls with structure rather than slouch. It neither clings nor collapses. This kind of cut does most of the work before anything else is considered. Poorly fitting denim cheapens an outfit quickly; here, proportion is carefully managed. The jeans define the body without distortion, which immediately shifts how they are perceived.

Mihlali Ndamase – Instagram

The white shirt reinforces that precision. It leaves little room for error, which is precisely why it sharpens the look. Cropped to align with the waistline of the jeans and worn cleanly, it avoids distraction. Sleeves hold their shape, buttons sit flat, and the fabric remains crisp. Denim gains authority through that level of control.
Accessories are kept deliberately small in scale. The bag remains understated, shifting the focus without altering the balance of the look. The boots follow the same logic. White, streamlined, and uninterrupted by unnecessary detail, they extend the line of the leg and ground the denim without softening it.

Mihlali Ndamase – Instagram

Colour choice plays a quiet but critical role. Blue denim paired with white is familiar, but here it is handled with clarity rather than familiarity. The colour combination allows texture and cut to do the talking. Gold jewellery adds warmth without pulling focus, acting as punctuation rather than decoration.
A defining feature of Mihlali’s approach to dress is her refusal to overcrowd a look. Denim becomes expensive when nothing around it tries to prove a point. There is no stacking of statements, no reliance on trend-led composition.

Equally important is how the clothes are worn. Mihlali approaches denim with the same assurance she brings to tailored or high-fashion pieces. That consistency matters. When casual clothing is worn without apology or exaggeration, it stops reading as casual. It becomes deliberate.
This is why her denim looks continue to resonate. They do not attempt to transform denim into something it is not. Instead, they treat it with the same seriousness given to more traditionally elevated fabrics. Good fit, controlled composition, thoughtful contrast, and clear judgement.
Denim does not need extra detail to feel expensive. It needs clarity. Refinement here is not something layered on top. It comes from what is deliberately left out.