HOW LOW CAN YOU GO? That seems to be the overriding question among glamour girls (and some boys) when picking out a simple pair of jeans.
Forget your standard, waist-hugging, comfy-fit Gaps. The new generation of denims is scooped so low that merely sitting down often reveals more than you might intend to.
Not surprisingly, these fabulously sexy jeans hail mostly from Los Angeles - the city where fashion is rarely predicated on modesty - and is all about a bit of daring. Add that to the clusters of celebrities - everyone from Madonna to Britney Spears - happy to bare their bellies and more, and you have a trend that has swept through not just the United States, but Europe and Asia.
Jeans are suddenly cool again in Hong Kong, largely owing to the super-sexy cuts that retailers are stocking. Brands like Frankie B for women (at ad:hoc), Henry Duarte for men (at Joyce) and Bella Dahl (at Lane Crawford) are barely on the shelves before enthusiasts whip them up.
Mark Prendergrast, the divisional manager for men's fashion and accessories at Joyce, says that names like Fever - designed by Los Angeles-based John Cherpas - and Henry Duarte are hotter than ever, and continue to gather steam.
'Fever is essentially young and funky, with low-waisted pants, many in this season's hot distressed washes,' says Prendergrast. 'And Henry Duarte's collection is based on the same concept as the women's, but in tougher leathers and more edgy denims. Lenny Kravitz, it appears, is a huge fan.'