Skinny jeans - how did they stay ‘in’ for so long?

[TheOGCCL]

Whether you like it or not, baggier jean shapes are more fashionable at the moment. There are plenty of skinnies in the shops but these are not what the high fashionistas are wearing and a glance down Oxford Street last night showed many more (youngish) people in looser clothing. It struck me that the real talking point is how skinny jeans managed to stay ‘in’ for so long.

They are so eminently practical for everything and everywhere you would have thought the fashion industry would have allowed them for a season or two maximum. Instead it feels like they were actually in for about 15 years, and that it took a pandemic, driving a new desire for relaxed shapes, to dislodge them, finally.

And that actually they haven’t really been completely dislodged, so many people have taken them to their heart, even where they don’t even suit their body shape particularly. Has people power kept them in fashion?

....chunky thighs accentuated. Plus they were the height of discomfort.
Now I've lost some weight so they really flatter me.
They're still the height of discomfort though. Not sure I can even be bothered with them for a night out. There are better options out there.

I'm 52 - I think I was last 'trendy' somewhere round 2001

'Mum' jeans are an abomination, I've never seen anyone wearing them look remotely good in them.

I can see that they are practical, but it’s weird how many people think they actually suit them - is it just years of them being the norm? They create a weird parsnip siloette, and I include myself in that - only really flattering for the tall and slim. However I am all for people not giving a shit and wearing what they are comfortable in regardless.

Honestly I feel like I did the baggy jeans, and the huge kick flares the first time around, bootleg just remove me of the nineties and are pregnant good if you're a pear shape. I'm pretty straight up and down without much of a bum so straight or skinny jeans suit me and I don't care if they're in fashion or not

Got rid of mine except for one pair - so so bored with them, AND I'm someone they suit.

So glad to experiment with new silhouette, and find that slightly wider bottom and more fitted top does actually suit me too.

People poo-pooing what's in fashion etc need to remember this is the Style and Beauty board.

I've almost given up seeking advice on this board because it's no longer S&B, it's people saying wear what's comfy, and recommending Seasalt and supermarket clothing.

I'm 5'9 with a 32 inside leg

Really? I think this looks fantastic.
www.asos.com/topshop/topshop-mom-jeans-in-bleach/prd/201397454

since when did fashion always equate with style?

Most people don't give a toss about "high fashionistas" or what anyone on Oxford Street thinks (Oxford Street!!!! really... I know little about London or fashion but would have thought Bond St or Hackney Wick would be a better barometer than Oxford St).
Most people wear what they like, what suits their lifestyle, what is available to them and what's within their budget.
I've worn skinnies for years. I also wear wide legs and boyfriend shapes. The wider shapes aren't great for winter- too draughty-- skinnies are nice and snug and don't dangle in puddles so I'll get mine out when the weather turns.

I've almost given up seeking advice on this board because it's no longer S&B, it's people saying wear what's comfy, and recommending Seasalt and supermarket clothing.

It gets tiresome.

Young, skinny, flat stomach and even then the baggy extra material round the crotch does not look great.

I try to wear all different styles of jeans - it really depends what top I want to wear. I do think you can adapt most styles to suit most shapes, but you've really got to want to, as the going out and trying on loads of jeans is soul destroying, especially with the limiting garment rules in changing rooms.

I wear a size 12 skinny (Molly RI), a size 14 slim (Lily M & S), a size 16 boyfriend (Boyfriend ankle grazer M & S), a size 12 wide leg crop with stretch (Freemans) - I have not found a Mom jean to suit me yet, but I'll keep trying and who knows what size they'll be!

Also colour makes a big difference, light denim really doesn't suit me anymore, very dark denim makes me feel too Mary Berry ( I think she's fab btw but I'm not 80) - I need a good mid denim with sensible markings and no rips.

I was a very late adopter of the skinny jean. I carry all my weight on my hips so felt they didn't suit me. A wideleg shape is much more flattering for me.

However once they became ubiquitous and all shapes and sizes were wearing them, that feeling went.

Now, I love my wide leg jeans but still return to skinnies if it's wet. Also, I have no idea what to wear on my feet in wet or cold weather with more "interesting" jeans.

Its only on mumsnet people say about them not being in fashion , where i am loads of people still wear and buy them

@SizzlerFizzler in your opinion
Only 5% suit them
But many many people actually wear what they feel good or comfortable in and actually don't care that Susan down the road thinks

I'm transitioning to focus on dresses because of the jeans debate... I have spent the last 3 or 4 years trying to find something to replace my skinnies and they all look awful. I'm a size 8 and 5ft 10 so in theory I should be able to wear anything....but I can't. I look my absolute best in black skinnies

I don't expect anyone to alter their fashion tastes because of what I think. I'm just stating my opinion that very few people look good in skinny jeans. That's allowed.

Surprised that there haven't been any 'from my cold dead hands' comments. They usually abound on skinny jeans threads.

Blimey- I can't even see any extra material around the crotch 😂

I agree that they lend themselves very well to looser, longer tops so are ideal for people who want to hide their stomach area. They also pull you in firmly round the midde so you don't feel as jiggly.

Looser jeans only really look good with short or tucked in tops and I struggle to make that work for me.

I would say many people enjoy wearing clothes that are somewhat fashionable. It's unusual for most people I see ti just wear anything regardless of trends even if they follow trends only loosely. I don't see many men wearing 1970s style flared suits or women wearing knickerbockers these days. Anyone who buys clothes for any degree of pleasure or care what they look like will definitely be choosing with fashion in mind whether they think they are or not

Because:

• I don't care so much about what's "in"
• I think that adding width to make people look sturdier (legs are meant to get narrower lower down, and only the very willowy of thigh can pull off the inverse)
• as I also wear leggings, my other clothes look right with that silhouette
• I'm not rich enough to keep chopping and changing
• I want to avoid excess consumption for the sake of the planet
• I have lovely boots, which don't need replacing, and they'd not work at all with wider shapes
• I think clothes which follow the form of the body look better
• I'm after my style, not ever-changing fashion
• It's the shape i think I look best in

The reason they're the dominant shape is because people like them and keep buying and wearing them. That's why they endure. Classics do

Even if the high street stopped selling them in the hope we'll then all buy something different, there's still a plethora of online options that will be more than happy to provide. Just as there is for any shape anyone prefers.

I'm really not interested in what's 'in' and what's not, I wear whatever I like that suits me and I feel comfortable in. I will still be wearing my skinnies when the colder weather comes. Like someone else said, I also like wearing loose fitting tops so baggy jeans and a loose top is just a huge no for me. I do have some 'mom jeans' but I very rarely wear them and they're at the bottom of my pile.

People poo-pooing what's in fashion etc need to remember this is the Style and Beauty board

Style isn't a synonym for fashion