Are people really giving up skinny jeans? What are flattering alternatives?

[Duvetstay]

So everywhere I look online people are being told to ditch the skinnies. Dd10 assured me that NO ONE wears them now.

But everyone I see seems to? I have a pair of mom jeans and balloon leg but they are sooo unflattering. I'm a size 12, tall, hourglass shape and chunky of thigh. I'm sick of feeling enormous in these new shapes! Anyone found anything flattering that aren't skinny jeans? I look like an obese clown.

[Floisme]

I don't think there's any need to read quite so much into this. People just change their minds, that's all. You start off thinking 'What! Give up my skinnies?' (or flares - people said exactly the same thing then as well) 'Never, not me!' But then you see someone wearing them in a way you'd never thought of and you think 'Oh that doesn't look so bad', and then you see someone you know doing the same so you ask them about it and they tell you where they bought them and there you are.

[RubyFowler]

@salanda
I guess with skinnies they can be dressed down for day time (the ubiquitous look round here in the 2000s was skinnies, ballet pumps and a longline vest) and you could wear the same jeans dressed up to go for a drink (again a standard 2000s look was skinnies with heels and a ‘nice’ top). Now it’s looser jeans, trainers - and you can pretty much just wear that day or evening!

Yes you're right about a more casual look for nights out.
The above 'jeans, heels, nice tops' is a dated look for nights out, but I see a lot of women my age still opting for it.

[RubyFowler]

@wheresmymojo

Something like the 3rd pic is what I'm going for to go out to dinner tomorrow...

...if you imagine that I have a black vest top on rather than just a bra and that I've basically eaten that model so am twice the size

That's gorgeous. Enjoy your meal out you lucky thing!

[ChubbyLittleManInACampervan]

I love the jeans in that 3rd pic

[LoneWolf2021]

Who cares?

I don't understand why people get so worried about trends and what 'is hot and not'. These trends are generated by the fashion industry to get people to buy new wardrobes. Whatever is 'in' now will be out next year so people will buy whatever the new fashion is.

Just wear what you like and what suits you. Why wear something that looks hideous on you just because it's a 'trend'?

[PollyThePony]

@wheresmymojo . I hadn't considered this. I don't own any ripped jeans, but if I'm ever thinking of doing so, I will have this idea in my head until the end of time!

@Floisme is a wise one though. I think it's as she says.

HOWEVER, there are people like me and some other pps, who deliberately try to avoid following fashion for whatever reason that might be. In my case, I have a small / dare I say 'minimalist' wardrobe. So I try not to buy anything obviously trendy. So I go with straight leg jeans, which I find fairly classic / some would say bland. Skinnies, balloon shapes, mom jeans, flares, I would say are more 'extreme' shapes. So I avoid those in the same way I avoid very puffy sleeves or oversized collars etc. I don't want to have to change my clothes when the wind changes, so I try not to keep up with fashion. Although, minimalism does seem to be de rigueur at the moment, so maybe I'm a bit more trendy than I thought. But that is entirely accidental, as it is just something I believe in.

Also, sometimes, you do end up wearing What Everyone Else Does, without really noticing. I always thought of Breton as the only classic print. I don't have any other prints in my wardrobe at all, but I have one Breton tee, which I thought was a classic basic. But someone pointed out that it actually was a trend a while ago too? I didn't notice, but I probably was following fashion a bit there, by accident.

[Coffeepot72]

Reading with interest - I too look like a parsnip in skinny jeans, unless I wear a fairly long top, in which case it hides my stomach and is quite flattering. I also have to turn up skinny jeans once or twice at the bottom, to balance things out slightly. Then I can wear flats or heels quite happily.

I’ve been wearing slim jeans (usually with trainers and a parka/north face jacket) throughout the winter, but I’ve no idea how I would style these to look remotely smart? I’m thankful we’re coming into warmer weather when it’s easier to find other trousers, crops etc to wear.

[FindingMeno]

Leggings.
Which I know will horrify everyone on MN.
But same shape as skinnies and not subject to 'jeans rules'.

[RubyFowler]

@LoneWolf2021

Who cares?

I don't understand why people get so worried about trends and what 'is hot and not'. These trends are generated by the fashion industry to get people to buy new wardrobes. Whatever is 'in' now will be out next year so people will buy whatever the new fashion is.

Just wear what you like and what suits you. Why wear something that looks hideous on you just because it's a 'trend'?

I think for me, I want to look like I've got a clue what's going on whilst not looking like a tragic follower of fashion!
I don't know if it was on this thread or one of the others on skinny jeans, but another poster said its similar to those women who stuck to their blue eyeliner and big perms into the 90s. I don't want to look out of touch generally.
If I look like I haven't moved on style wise from a style of the last 20 years, I might also look like I am not up to date and current in my thinking on other things too!
So I guess its not just about fashion, I feel its important to keep up otherwise I might be left behind!
Make of that what you will!

[lindyloo57]

@RubyFowler you got it spot on,

[ArseInTheCoOpWindow]

Fashion trends reflect societal trends. Everyone follows them to some extent as it’s about changes in society, and fashion is just a symbol or code for these.

People saying they don’t care about fashion maybe think that is true. And to some extent it is. But cuts and silhouettes change, and when replacement clothes are purchased they will be slightly different. And where to people who don’t follow fashion buy their clothes? Every single shop has a design team....

For those that don’t follow fashion, what are you wearing? 1960’s dresses? 1980’s power suits.

Even the non fashion look of jeans, walking fleece and t shirt is affected by trends.

[ArseInTheCoOpWindow]

And is as much if a statement as someone dressed in the latest Insta style

[Floisme]

One thing I've noticed this time around is how much resistance there is from younger people. (It's probably always the case, just never struck me before.) But when I think about it, it's a much bigger deal if you're young because you may have only ever worn skinnies your entire life and you've no idea how it's going to pan out. Plus you remember taking the piss out of your mum for wearing those jeans that are now supposed to be back in fashion and she'll never let you hear the end of it if you switch.

No wonder they dig their heels in. Whereas if you're middle aged, you've been round this particular block 2 or 3 times and you know the drill: firstly, as has been said, everything else changes too so the new jeans will be far more wearable than they might seem. And secondly, that this isn't a come-and-go trend like frilly sleeves and that it's going to take ages. I mean how long have we been talking about it on here - 4 years?

[ArseInTheCoOpWindow]

Leggings and skinny jeans will probably disappear around the same time. They are both essentially the same thing.

I wore leggings in the 80’s and 90’s. Then gradually they just disappeared. You couldn’t even buy them.

[PollyThePony]

People have been saying skinny jeans are 'out' on here for years, definitely. Bootcut were 'back' at least a couple of years ago, but I think it's only really happening now.

[Floisme]

Yes that's right, it takes years from the first catwalk showing to them becoming mainstream.

[TedMullins]

I genuinely feel like my tastes have evolved organically rather than wanting to follow fashion, but of course I recognise I’ll be subconsciously influenced by fashion marketing. My tastes have changed though, I look back at some stuff I wore in the past with absolute horror!

[Pinkclarko]

Love mom jeans on others but I’m high waisted so they’d finish under my boobs and give me the longest looking bum ever. I just threw out my last pair of skinnies and now I have no jeans for the first time ever.

[mynameiscalypso]

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

Fashion trends reflect societal trends. Everyone follows them to some extent as it’s about changes in society, and fashion is just a symbol or code for these.

People saying they don’t care about fashion maybe think that is true. And to some extent it is. But cuts and silhouettes change, and when replacement clothes are purchased they will be slightly different. And where to people who don’t follow fashion buy their clothes? Every single shop has a design team....

For those that don’t follow fashion, what are you wearing? 1960’s dresses? 1980’s power suits.

Even the non fashion look of jeans, walking fleece and t shirt is affected by trends.

Absolutely this. Plus I find it's very hard to separate what I think I look good in from some of the pictures I see in magazines / interesting outfits I see. For years, it was skinny jeans and a jumper and boots. I thought I looked good in that but, in reality, I just looked like 90% of the other people that I saw and it was the 'norm'. Now my perception of what looks good on me has changed - partly changing body shape, partly changing life circumstances but predominantly because of what I see other people wearing.

[ChubbyLittleManInACampervan]

I always want to show this clip to people who angrily say they don’t follow fashion and just “wear what they like”

[fizbosshoes]

DD(14) has mom jeans and "paper-bag" style jeans.
Im early 40s and in my opinion skinnies are more flattering for my figure, than either of those styles and choose what suits me over what's currently trendy
I'm not renown for being stylish (most of my jeans are from Dorothy Perkins...because the petite range fits me well - I'll really miss it!) so I just wear what I like!

[StellaLeonte]

I wear slim fit - the thought of wearing jeans that add lots of bulk isn’t appealing so slim ones that are ankle grazers have been the answer!

[ArseInTheCoOpWindow]

I’m not sure the do add more bulk. It’s because you’re used to seeing yourself in skinny jeans that you think that.

[Iamthewombat]

Just wear what you like and what suits you. Why wear something that looks hideous on you just because it's a 'trend'?

Because most trends are not hideous? I don’t think many people would knowingly wear something that looked terrible on them just because it was a trend!

Because of this, from a PP? (who is spot on):

similar to those women who stuck to their blue eyeliner and big perms into the 90s. I don't want to look out of touch generally.
If I look like I haven't moved on style wise from a style of the last 20 years, I might also look like I am not up to date and current in my thinking on other things too!

[DrCoconut]

If that Whistles model is a size 26 then I'm Marie Antoinette. I think all these baggy jeans that have appeared are hideous especially the cropped ones. I'm short and they'd just look like they'd been full length and taken up too enthusiastically on me. Flares just swamp me and make me look short and dumpy. I sound like my mother now but half of the current styles look ready for the rag bag. I will be sticking with skinny.