This business about skinny jeans being over?

[KeepthePower]

I keep hearing it but I can't see any evidence.

Earlier this week I travelled almost the whole length of the District Line, from East London, through the City and West End out to Wimbledon and back, over the course of about 10 hours.

I'd say at least 97% of women, of all ages, from very young to not so young at all, were wearing either skinny jeans or very slim leg trousers. I saw one group of young women all wearing wide leg, ripped jeans and a few wearing joggers. That it. This would be a mixture of tourists, Londoners going about their business, working people and people out for the evening.

I had coffee in the City, lunch in a West End restaurant, drank in a swanky West London pub, attended a sporting event. Honestly skinnies everywhere.

I looked because I'd worn a skirt rather than skinny jeans and it was raining, so wide leg ones are horrible. Didn't see many skirts either Certainly very little evidence that no one's wearing skinnies any more.

Lovely flares Traumatised

I had some flared stretchy trousers by about 1995 and at the end of the nineties I had a pair of flared jeans with block heels but they were close fitting on the thigh. Loved those.

@Tanfastic

I'm so glad they are going out. They just make me look carrot shaped. Totally unflattering on my figure and so bloody uncomfortable.

Then don’t wear them

Victoria Beckham has had an eating disorder since 1995.

I'm so glad they are going out. They just make me look carrot shaped. Totally unflattering on my figure and so bloody uncomfortable

I've seen a few posts like this. Do people actually wear things that don't suit them or aren't comfortable just because it's "fashionable"? I used to do that with shoes as a teenage but comfort & practicality are really important to me as well as how things look.

Do people actually wear things that don't suit them or aren't comfortable just because it's "fashionable"?

Yes - well never uncomfortable but I'm still interested in fashion, I like to look current and I care less and less about the notion of what looks flattering, largely because some of my funniest old photos are of me I wearing things I was convinced suited me at the time.

I've come to realise that what's 'flattering' is in itself subject to fashion, so now I'd rather just wear things that interest me, and newer fashions tend to look more interesting to me because my eye's less jaded.

@countrytown

I'm so glad they are going out. They just make me look carrot shaped. Totally unflattering on my figure and so bloody uncomfortable

I've seen a few posts like this. Do people actually wear things that don't suit them or aren't comfortable just because it's "fashionable"? I used to do that with shoes as a teenage but comfort & practicality are really important to me as well as how things look.

I think they do yes. I find it odd becayse there are so many things in fashion at any given time, anyone can find something that both suits them and is current.

The term fashion victim comes to mind and is very apt. Someone who wears something just because they perceive it to be fashionable, and not because they actually think they look good in it.

So they want things to go “ out of fashion” when they don’t suit them so they don’t feel compelled to wear them and look a fright.

I guess it’s the same with haircuts, home decor. An inability to make individual style choices and a desire to present as told.

Do people actually wear things that don't suit them or aren't comfortable just because it's "fashionable"?

I teach young adults. Back when crop tops were in, I came to the conclusion that a licensing system needed to be introduced. Some people will wear anything if is currently deemed to be fashionable, regardless of whether it suits their figure or not.

Crop tops were a 90s fashion item I swiftly decided was not for me!

@Floisme

Do people actually wear things that don't suit them or aren't comfortable just because it's "fashionable"?

Yes - well never uncomfortable but I'm still interested in fashion, I like to look current and I care less and less about the notion of what looks flattering, largely because some of my funniest old photos are of me I wearing things I was convinced suited me at the time.

I've come to realise that what's 'flattering' is in itself subject to fashion, so now I'd rather just wear things that interest me, and newer fashions tend to look more interesting to me because my eye's less jaded.

@Floisme yes! I’ve found it can be difficult to tell whether something looks good because its in fashion, because it’s what I’m used to, or because it actually suits me.

When you’re used to seeing the same sort of silhouette on most people for years and years (slim jeans or trousers and a baggier longer top) a change from that (say, wider jeans and a slim top) can just look ‘wrong’ initially. I find it hard to know whether it just looks wrong because it doesn’t suit my figure or because it’s just not what I’m used to.

I’m sure I’ve worn plenty of outfits which at the time I thought looked great - because they looked current/fashionable - but actually didn’t suit my figure. It’s part of the fun of fashion! It doesn’t really matter, does it?

When I’m thinking about what suits me I’m not thinking in a abyss where I’m not influenced by fashion and what I see around me at all - it’s hard to separate the different influences.

I also reckon it’s about looking at outfits as a whole and waiting for different elements to catch up - eg changing from skinny to wider jeans doesn’t always work in isolation as you might need to change footwear, what shape top you wear etc. Trying on wider leg jeans and not changing anything else probably won’t look quite right, which can make you think that wider leg jeans don’t suit. But gradually the jeans in the shops change, the tops available change, the footwear changes, what you see around you changes and then it becomes easily to put it all together and make it look good.

In his youth, my husband had absolutely no idea about fashion, so used to buy complete outfits based on what the mannequins in Next’s window were wearing.

Yes - well never uncomfortable but I'm still interested in fashion, I like to look current and I care less and less about the notion of what looks flattering, largely because some of my funniest old photos are of me I wearing things I was convinced suited me at the time.

I agree re flattering thing but I don't think that's the same as suiting you. For example it would be way more flattering for me to wear nude court heels than clumpy sandals but I think my clumpy sandals suit me far better if that makes sense.

In his youth, my husband had absolutely no idea about fashion, so used to buy complete outfits based on what the mannequins in Next’s window were wearing.

Ha, I used to dress Topshop mannequin & people would just buy the outfit. If something wasn't selling you put it on the mannequin.

As a teenager & young adult I definitely suffered for fashion. I had a favourite dress that I couldn't lift my arms up in so someone else would have to zip/unzip me & so many uncomfortable shoes 😆. Since my late 20s I just couldn't face being uncomfortable. I love fashion & spent most of my career in it but some trends I'm happy to ignore.

I think I behaved far more like a victim when I was young and didn't wear things I genuinely liked because I was afraid they might not suit me or that someone might point and laugh. Sometimes I bought things and never even wore them for fear of being called a 'fashion victim'. Now that, I think, really was sad.

I was thinking of this thread at an event yesterday - mostly families, mildly trendy event in outer London.

I'd say of those women not wearing dresses, it was about 50/50 skinny and slim leg jeans/trousers. One sports legging and one boot cut jean.

Of the older children, all the girls were in leggings or shorts.

I wore slim leg khaki trousers with a turn up. I do still like a skinny leg despite being far from skinny myself but I could see that the skinny jeans did look more dated now.

Ha, I used to dress Topshop mannequin & people would just buy the outfit. If something wasn't selling you put it on the mannequin.

That explains some of the more outlandish outfits I have seen in photos.

😆

In fact one of the items I bought and never wore (see my previous post) were some bootcut trousers in the early noughties I was staying with a fashion forward friend and thought they looked really good so bought some. Then I came home and no-one, but no-one round here was wearing them and suddenly they looked weird on me so they sat in the wardrobe for several years. I ended up sending them to a charity shop (still unworn) because I'd written them off as a high fashion trend that was never going to catch on. Hopefully someone braver than me spotted them and got a bargain because of course a couple of years later they were everywhere.

I tell that story partly to demonstrate the folly of worrying too much about whether something suits you and what people might think, and partly because it reminds me of how it also took bootcuts and flares several years to travel from early showing to mainstream fashion. I don't see what's happening now as much different.

I agree. The first flared trousers I (without any forward thinking fashion trend knowledge) bought in the 90s were NOT fashionable among my much more trendy friends and they took the piss out of me deservedly, as did my and their parents.

I still loved them though. So comfy. Wish I still had them!

Flared trousers were something I loved and initially hated the move to skinny, until I realised the advantage they had in not soaking up all the rain in our wet climate. Nothing worst than wet denim flapping around your ankles and the mom jeans are only really suitable for summer.

I just have disputed the fact no one is wearing them & buying them

I wasn’t saying no-one was selling them or buying them, I was saying their popularity is waning. Some people are not fast adopters of new trends - no doubt waiting to see the longevity. I’m just happy there is now a wider choice where previously there has been hardly any.

I don’t however understand the comment that mom jeans are a summer item. I can see a cropped wide leg is tricky with boots but an ankle grazing ‘mom’ or ‘boyfriend’ is easy with ankle boots. ( or straight leg with turn ups if you have VB “ eating disorder “ proportions or don’t mind the leg shortening effect )

I was, until recently, a merchandiser in online fashion and it is absolutely incorrect to say they just leave stuff online to sell. If they did that there'd be reams of products with only the smallest and largest sizes left. Online sites are tidied up regularly in order to avoid cluttering up searches. The stuff goes back online in sales.

Agreed OP, it’s utter nonsense yet I keep seeing people saying it on here. I’m 34 and see every day women of all ages wearing skinny jeans. There might be other cuts that are more on trend but they are certainly not over and a fashion faux pas!

@Floisme

Do people actually wear things that don't suit them or aren't comfortable just because it's "fashionable"?

Yes - well never uncomfortable but I'm still interested in fashion, I like to look current and I care less and less about the notion of what looks flattering, largely because some of my funniest old photos are of me I wearing things I was convinced suited me at the time.

I've come to realise that what's 'flattering' is in itself subject to fashion, so now I'd rather just wear things that interest me, and newer fashions tend to look more interesting to me because my eye's less jaded.

I totally agree with flo’s last paragraph - what we think is flattering on us, is what we are used to seeing, ie what’s in fashion at the time. What we think is flattering is largely (not always but very often) dictated by fashion.