What is "in" vs what people are actually wearing

[RampantIvy]

I often read on here that no-one wears heels, skinny jeans are dated and short bodycon dresses are out.

I went out in Leeds last night, and all the young girls (I am an old gimmer, so I am talking late teens, early 20s) were either wearing short bodycon dresses/skirts and tight tops with heels or skinny jeans and heels. I felt a little out of place in my jeans, jumper and trainers.

I think for the younger ones there are two schools of thought, either you go all out in Pretty Little Thing (and if not now, when) or you let your innate youth speak for itself and revel in wearing almost deliberately unflattering things (because they can). Generalising that is your Leeds/London divide. But there are plenty of young people who don't subscribe to any particular trends.

For thirties onwards, skinnies are so very practical. You can wear them with a puffa coat for the playground and dress them up for evenings out. If you're a bit overweight your legs are often slimmer so a good way to show them off. Not sure a garment has ever been so versatile. There are also plenty in the shops still.

When you don't wear skinnies, you kind of have to review your whole wardrobe (especially tops and shoes but also coats) so that's not necessarily that practical. Having said that a few small tweaks like wearing looser, shorter silhouettes on top and choosing black over blue can make them look more current.

We were talking about this at work yesterday. Maybe it's that I'm not as interested as I used to be, but I'm sure when I was young fashion was much more polarised. There'd be one or two items that "everyone" was wearing then usually just as I'd managed to buy it it would be all over and no one was wearing it anymore.

Now styles seem much more vairied and stay around for longer.

I'm in the same areas as you and see nothing but skinnies! Not particularly jeans, but cargos, leggings and skinny joggers.

I work on London although not especially trendy area. I recently saw a girl in a long skirt, sparkly black socks and what used to be known in our family as "vicars sandals" (brown leather buckled sandals - sort of enclosed at the front) it was quite an unusual look although I've no idea if it's fashionable

I work where there are a lot of fashion students and there seem to be 2 camps: one group are very glam and one very grungey. Both influenced by 90s/00s. Glam: little handbags, bling, skinny trousers. Grunge: wide leg/cargo trousers, DMs or trainers. The fashionable older folk like lecturers tend to be wearing wider trousers too but in a smart way like in a navy/twill with smarter shoes. There’s definitely a move to body positivity and not focussing on looking ‘good’ over comfort.

I enjoy wearing some of what’s on trend because I feel very ‘me’ in Scandi style. I wouldn’t wear something I don’t like or feel comfortable in because it’s on trend though. I wear flared jeans, straight jeans, (faux) leather pants, sleeveless jumpers over tops and midi dresses. I have just bought myself some chunky laced boots, having already got some with flatter soles from previous years. I won’t wear wide leg pants. I just don’t like them.

‘The poor are in skinnies’- what absolute nonsense. I work in an area of high deprivation- young women are absolutely NOT in skinnies. They are coping all the latest trends and are much more style conscious than my wealthy middle class peers.

Wow. There is a middle aged dog walker who dresses like that where I live. She accessorises it with sunglasses, a pink baseball cap and ear muffs (all year round - same 3 things).

I work in a uni and most female students wear baggy jeans, combats, chunky trainers, puffa jackets, denim jackets etc just like students did in the late 90s when I was at uni (I myself was still clinging to grunge)

They look comfy.

I'm down south.

What a patronising remark

I have a couple of pairs of skinnies because I keep my clothes a long time as I am aware of the environmental impact of fast fashion. I also have straight leg jeans and wide leg trousers.

For the record, DD (22) wears baggy jeans, baggy sweatshirts, DMs or chunky flats. On nights out she has some gorgeous and flattering crop tops and other little tops and smart wide leg trousers. She ditched the skinnies ages ago.

www.prettylittlething.com/plus-black-pocket-front-cargo-straight-leg-trousers.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google_shopping&utm_content=uk&utm_term=product_target&istCompanyId=3b233929-048d-4b79-a672-b37827e7282d&istFeedId=995a7449-4b91-4f81-8010-f9c5da786479&istItemId=plpqwaiwl&istBid=t&gbraid=0AAAAADhTMIdtJmn24NLPlG95BlRAAPpCf&gbraid=0AAAAADhTMIdtJmn24NLPlG95BlRAAPpCf&gclid=Cj0KCQiA7bucBhCeARIsAIOwr-_SFquZJw730moqVwc9uurhTb4XL1tdUMa7GHr4heOJYKXEFOqqhrUaAuHGEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

something like this I’m sure they mean. I see this trend very regularly. Skinny jeans less, but people not totally moved on yet. Up North too.

But this is exactly what everyone said about skinnies back in the late 00s.

They weren’t going to ditch bootcuts for skinnies, just because they were fashionable, when bootcuts were so much more flattering.

People always think whatever’s in, and/or they wear regularly is ‘flattering’. It takes time to get used to a new shape.

In fact, skinnies - deemed to be universally flattering - really, really are not.

Skinny jeans have become "mum uniform" where I am.I see them at the school gate. Anybody under 30 is wearing wide jeans though.

I'm in London too and don't see anyone in skinny jeans really. Or anyone in high heels.

DD22 wears baggy cargo pants or flares with trainers, mid riff tops and big oversized jackets. Or a skimpy outfit for clubbing but always with chunky trainers and a big jacket.

My age - nearing 60 are in looser fit or flared jeans or trousers, big jumpers and chunky boots or trainers, with big jumpers mainly.

I miss skinnies, purely because it’s so much easier to hide my c-section pouch (and bit of extra) with skinnies and a longer top.

Wider legs need a shorter top to balance it out, which isn’t a good look on me. Annoying.

I am on the London tube in zone 1 right now, and every single woman I can see wearing jeans is in skinnies. The only wider leg trousers I can see are a black pair that very much look part of a work uniform.

I'm in central London most days and live in South West London and can confirm that absolutely loads of people of all ages ( by which I mean women) are still in skinnies. Plenty of wide leg baggy jeans on the students and wide leg black trousers with chunky trainers or boots.

Lots of people still wearing dresses with boots, they've just added tights.

That's because they are 20 year old's. I'd say the mode age of MN is circa 50 years old.

Isn't it about lifestyle as well as location? I've not worn skinnies for a few years but, if I were still hanging around playgrounds and football pitches or had a 45 minute walk to work most days then I'd have to think more about practicalities than I do now.

I also think that rather strange time when teenage girls were wearing much the same clothes as their mums seems to be well and truly over and generational differences are back. Not sure when that happened as we don't have teenagers coming round any more so I'm behind the curve but I saw very few teen girls going for the big frilly dress trend and, although gym wear's still popular so the silhouette is similar, I don't see many of them in skinny denim either. And, if my family Whatsapp pics are anything to go by, then going out in bodycon, bling and heels seems to be very much a thing again (and I have to warn you some of them are in London )

Depends on the area, but I would say heels have made a comeback everywhere lately (except maybe rural areas where they would be very unpractical).

My sister came down to the London area from Manchester / Cheshire recently and was shocked at how little make up and fake tan everyone wears here 🤣. She looked pretty fake tanned herself as it's just the done thing where she is and she feels she would stand out in a bad way without it.

I work with teenagers and they don't dress like their mothers but they also don't wear skinny jeans round here. It seems to be joggers and crop tops here. Bellies out seems to be the new skinny jeans for teenagers where I am

I’m 50 - and am still wearing my skinnies .. they are comfortable and I like them . I’m a grown up and have better things to spend money on than a whole new wardrobe just because someone tells me it’s ‘fashion’ .. and don’t even get me started on the environmental cost of throw away fashion

Teenagers here are all in wide leg trousers or cargo trousers (darkest Southwest).

Skinnies definitely out and my 14 year old dd wants new school trousers as her current ones (hand me downs fron oldest DD and roughly 4 years old) are "like skinny jeans which are... like.......no" 😁

Totally agree with you.

However, you can still follow fashion without getting rid of any clothes tbh. It usually comes back around pretty quickly ime.

I don't have any skinny jeans but I might buy some for under boots in wet, windy weather this winter! They are more practical when it's pouring with rain