“She is always pulled together in a gracefully laid-back yet kooky way,” stated Mirabelle Marden in Vogue last fall about her Rivington Arms gallery partner, Melissa Bent. “I would agree with that,” says Bent, dressed in a deconstructed Veronique Branquinho sundress and brown leather Rondini sandals. “You can only get them in St. Tropez,” she points out, shoveling chopsticks full of Kelley & Ping pad thai into her mouth.

Bent, 28, admits her style hasn’t changed much over the years (“It’s always been sort of fancy lass”). That is, except for the recent addition of denim to her wardrobe: “I didn’t wear jeans for years. All throughout college I was into black pants -- fancy black pants.” It wasn’t until she purchased a pair of long, lean, dark blue Daryl K jeans that she realized what she’d been missing. “They’re a disaster zone now.  I’ve worn them out. There are actual openings in the creases behind the knee.” Filling the void are skinny low-rise Topshops and a pair of straight-legged, frayed Dolce & Gabbana jeans which she likes to wear with vintage ‘80s-style Maud Frizon shoes, Dries Van Noten blouses, and a slashed Gaultier top. “But what I really want,” Bent told us, “is a pair of skinny, high-waisted jeans.”

Here, she road-tests just that: dark, slim, high-rise jeans from Deener, a new L.A-based line created by the founding designer of Yanuk.

So, what do you think?
“They’re terrific! The denim is really nice and they totally fit well. They’re long, which is good [Bent is 5’10”]. When I find something this length, I usually buy three. They’re skinny, but not too snug – there’s a bit of stretch in the denim. I like that. I also like the button details above the pockets. I think it’s nice. And the color is perfect.” 

Tell us about the outfit, which you assembled in 5 minutes flat.
“It’s an Isabel Marant blouse which Mirabelle brought back for me from Paris, Charles Jourdan shoes, and a McQueen scarf. I like the idea of wearing cropped blouses – like those from Miu Miu –with high-waisted jeans. And always heels.”

Where are you planning on wearing them? 
“I can’t wear anything but dresses right now. It’s too hot outside. But as soon as the weather cools down, everywhere.”

Get Them:

Deener high-waisted cigarette jean, $189, at Otte in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, (718) 302-3007; and American Rag in L.A., (323) 935-3154; deenerdenim.com

Go There:

Rivington Arms, 4 E. 2nd St., NYC; (646) 654-3213; rivingtonarms.com.

See the current show, Mathew Cerletty’s Fallingwater, before it closes June 30th.