So we thought we reached peak bad denim in 2017 with $597 mud-splattered jeans, clear-knee ‘mom’ jeans and totally see-through jeans.

But it seems the trend is continuing this year, with high-end labels and celebrities alike interpreting the fashion staple in their own special way.

The jeans du jour for US clothing site Fashion Nova are lace-up. Specifically, they’re what is called “Wild Thang Lace Up Pants”.

The pants lace from hip to ankle and feature a spandex cotton denim patch in the right places. Just saying, the front side is more generous than the back side. Bottom line: For $66, you get a whole lot of laces and not much cotton and spandex high-rise denim.

Your next Saturday night look? The Wild Thang Lace Up Pant. Photo: Fashion Nova

Right now, most people would be thinking, ‘Sexy as hell’. They would be right. The look is so desirable the product has now sold out.

All is not lost, though. If you want to get your wild thang on, you can acquire an identical style in black pleather or pink camo.

Clearly frustrated by the sheer volume of jean in jeans, the designers at Los Angeles-based Carmar Denim came up with an extreme interpretation of the tried and tested classic, the “extreme cut-out jean”.

For those times a regular jean is just too much. Photo: Carmar Denim

The $220 carcass of a pant is described as having a “relaxed fit” and “large statement cut-outs”. You think?

With their focus on bare skin, the jeans were reminiscent of New York high-end designer Opening Ceremony’s $425 interpretation of an old classic: the convertible jort.

Two for the price of one: the Convertible Jort. Photo: Opening Ceremony

A detachable cut-out front jean, the jorts are a pant that conveniently turns into a short for – as expressed by San Francisco website SF Gate – those times you “long to cast off the shackles of full-length pants and run free in a pair of denim underpants”.

And let’s face it, there are plenty of those times.

Designer Ben Traverniti’s Unravel Project pared back the denim content of denim items even further with a $405 belt earlier this year.

For anyone wanting to make a bold fashion statement, the ‘belt’ was sold on exclusive fashion site Net-A-Porter and came with a glowing rap.

The denim belt may be one accessory you don’t have yet. Photo: Net-A-Porter

The product’s description reads: “Designed to appear like it’s been sliced from the top of your favourite jeans, this faded blue version has frayed edges and exposed pockets.”

On the off chance anyone would be confused about how to style it, Net-A-Porter offered advice: “It looks even cooler with a slim leather strap over the top.”

Wanting to get around the Next Big Thing trend, fashion retailer ASOS came up with a denim bustier. The model was thrilled to wear it.

Apparently a white T-shirt isn’t cool enough by itself. Photo: ASOS

The extreme denim looks have stars jumping on board, eager to be ahead of the curve.

Rihanna went for a double-denim look, complete with skirt as top and ripped and rolled jeans.

Rihanna gets the blues. Photo: Instagram

Beyoncé’s idea of cool was a dropped cropped jean which meshed with her overall billionaire hobo look on the day.

Beyoncé goes anti-aspirational. Photo: Facebook

And model Kendall Jenner opted to tuck an oversized boyfriend jean into bedazzled boots to run some errands. As you do.

Kendall Jenner hits the streets. Photo: Facebook

Kim Kardashian and Gigi and Bella Hadid are other celebrities not happy to just stick with basic denim.

It all poses the question about where to from here. Fingers crossed for jazzy denim boots.