Farewell to my Skinny Jeans
8 years ago by
I feel like I’ve been in skinny jeans forever.
I’ve certainly own them in every color since as long as I can remember and I know I’m not the only one. The “skinny” fit has become a denim staple for both men and women under the influence of major skinny jeans experts like Emmanuelle Alt.
And there’s nothing wrong with that…denim is certainly not a trend that will ever go out of style. But there is room for improvement and change. Last year my fashion professor actually told me that the denim industry had become stagnated because of the high popularity of the skinny jeans. She said that it was working on pushing different styles to move people away from buying the same style over and over. And I think its working!
Brands like Vetements and Marques Almeida are designing jeans with new flared and straight fits that are both modern and artful. Mix in inspiration from Brie’s extensive pants collection and a visit to Tokio 7’s sale section and I think I’m on the right track. Farewell black skinny jeans! (But not forever though…)
Anyone else ready to change up their denim game? Any tips or brands to check out?
– By Nicole, Intern at the Studio
it was time! :)
http://littleaesthete.com/
When skinny jeans first appeared I admit I was freaked out. I do not have the shape for skinny jeans. But as my flared and wide legs disappeared in a sea of skinnys I figured I would try them. And some worked and some didn’t. I loved I could wear the same pair with flats or heels or boots and there was so struggle. This is my issue with my flares. But I never loved them. Then I got tired of seeing everyone I knew in skinny jeans. Nothing else. Only skinny.
I went to JCrew and tried their Matchstick style. Not skinny, not wide. Just straight. I love them. Flats, heels and most boots they work and they are just a bit different. My black pair is my favorite and I am tempted to buy ten pairs to store. Because I feel amazingly French and chic in them with a tee or silk blouse.
I’m tempted to try this new cropped raw edge kick flare jean that shows all over the magazines…best of my flared world maybe? Too trendy? Jury is still out.
Agree, the Matchstick is perfect! And the J Crew Reid jeans finally got me to stop wearing yoga pants in public because they are actually MORE comfortable than leggings (soft fabric, not as tight, totally flattering).
I fondly remember wearing my first pair of skinny jeans during freshman year of high school. They flattered my body, and I felt cool. I’m 23 now, my body has changed, and I needed a denim change. So yesterday before class, I put on a pair of flared jeans handed down to me from my boyfriend’s mom, and I felt great! And my butt looked pretty good. I’m not giving up my skinnys, but I think I’ll embrace different styles just to mix it up and not get stuck in the skinny jeans uniform.
The denim industry “was working on pushing different styles” because it was “stagnated” — sounds like the problem really was not that people were buying the same jean styles over and over again, but that they were buying fewer (since their old ones still were fine). Really this is a dark side of the fashion industry; not discounting the creativity and artistry that is part of fashion, its profitability is also predicated on the ability to convince people to keep buying things, even if they don’t need them. This taxes the dwindling resources of our natural world, not to mention manipulating people into consumption they can’t afford.
I don’t know what the answer is; I try to buy long-lasting clothes in classic styles that I love, but also sometimes enjoy something new and eccentric. It is upsetting to see the deliberate calculation to push consumption like this, though.
I am glad you wrote this comment. I am rather sick of how we promote rampant consumerism.
Bravo!
Brava;)
Agree 100%. I feel like I just read another post on this site in the last few days talking about fashion being driven from the street up, not the executives down… as it should be :)
Right on, Julia!
Well said Julia. It’s been clear from the last few seasons that the industry and fashion magazines are trying to push different styles and maybe make skinnies ‘uncool’ so we’ll all rush out and buy more stuff we don’t need! I won’t be trading mine in any time soon.
Yesss! My thoughts exactly. I hate the words “stagnation” and “push”. If people are happy with skinnies because they are versatile and practical, that’s not stagnation! Same like it’s not stagnation if certain people high up in the fashion industry stick to a uniform.
Jeans take a lot of resources to manufacture, and I hate that the fashion industry is now pushing to make skinny jeans dated just that they can sell us some other styles. And you know what’s the “new” jean silhouette? It’s cropped flares. They are less flattering and less versatile than the skinnies, so they definitely won’t be in for long, they will soon be replaced by the next silhouette.
I know that a LOT of PEOPLE were tired of skinny jeans. That is why vintage jeans have become so popular among the college and high school crowd. So, maybe the average person is perfectly happy to keep right on wearing their skinnies, but a very large minority of us are so tired of them, we could throw up…..I don’t mind a high rise skinny for tucking into boots. But in general, I really don’t feel like wearing them all the time. And as for the lower rise skinny, those are all at Goodwill. Seriously, the tons of Frame denim, Seven for all mankind, and various typical 00 skinny jeans that are being given to Goodwill is staggering. I understand your comment, but do realize that you are not speaking for all people. Before at least high rise skinnies came out, I was despairing, because I love jeans, and I realized how terribly unflattering a mid rise pipe cleaner shape really was.
Dwindling resources are not going to be fixed by denying the fashion industry, which many people depend on for a paycheck, and a way to feed their family. Dwindling resourses will only be solved by stopping human overpopulation, meaning that the women of this world who have more then two children need to be held accountable for ruining then world. Its especially funny when women have five kids, and think that not wearing fur, or being vegan somehow makes them on the right side of that equation. We are all free to do what we like, but it is sad that those that are messing up the planet hardly seem to be aware of their complicity.
Denim sales have fallen because of the rise of leggings and joggers as pants. They know that yet denim designers have been pushing flares and bell bottoms on us every couple of years but nobody wants them because only tall people look ok in them. Even the one pair of lonely boot cut jeans (from the 90s!) at the back of my closet never gets worn because I feel dumpy in them. Skinnies are here to stay. They work with all shoes too.
Warm weather is coming and I’m opting for wide leg, lightweight cottons. Love my go to skinny jeans but I have some parachute pants I wear in the summer and am ready to just go there.
http://www.pippihepburn.etsy.com
Ironically, Garance’s post on Skinny Jeans in partnership with the Gap took me to their site. I have since purchased the Real Straight and Flare and I love them! They are so flattering and fit me perfectly. Gap’s jeans are beautifully designed and a great value, you can afford to pick up a few pairs if you’re worried they will be a passing trend. I live in a northern climate requiring many coat types, need a business and casual wardrobe and can’t justify paying $200+++ for jeans. Thanks for reminding me of the Gap, I had forgotten how much I appreciate their denim!
I’m so tired of skinny jeans, I find few people really look good in them. I am loving the denim trends this season. I also just took the scissors to an old pair of straights which will be great this summer.
here’s my take… the reason everyone wears skinny jeans is because times have changed. it used to be if you were “interested” in fashion… you wanted to try different looks and not look like everyone else. if everyone was wearing skinny jeans, folks who were “fashion forward” would make a point not to do so… this is not the case anymore… especially with young people. they all look the same!
there’s my two cents!
Agree with you completely. I live in the East Village, NY and the conformity is now staggering. They may look great but all the same, so concerned with being hip that there is no question of being different. We used to have so many styles no matter the income bracket. This morning a beautiful girl in her early 20s walked by with a real Chanel bag, Fendi leather jacket, shorty boots and though she may of looked swell it was more bland and conformist than if she had taken the outfit out of the window of Forever 21. Not that money makes originality but step up the game kids. It is so rare to see the originals and the truly fabulous on the street anymore. Then again they can’t afford it here any more.
I was just jean shopping today, because I’ve reached the point where I too have to say good-bye to the skinnies. I’m loving the shredded trend for sure, but how long is that really going to last?
http://j.mp/DNAMAG
I personally cannot wait to invest in a straight leg jean! So refreshing finally
http://www.fashionablepeople.co.uk
No, no, no….
I cannot say farewell to my skinnies. maybe it’s just my own perception of me but I feel that other styles make me fat, square and do me no good overall.
Plus the skinnies are so comfy and go with everything… I’m not ready for any other denim styles. Yet… :))
https://sofaundermapletree.wordpress.com
I completely agree. I like the idea of boyfriend jeans, straight legged, etc., but the fashion set tends to wear all these cropped wide legged styles that don’t work very well for different body types. I gave up buying workpants from places like Jcrew because they only carry cropped styles that make me look weirdly short and square. If you take a bigger size in cropped pants, the cropped ankle looks like a pedal pusher and looks awful with most shoes.
That being said, I occasionally come across flattering wide leg jeans that have a retro vibe.
I have to admit, I still like skinny jeans. Not the super super skinny jegging type, but one that allows me to breathe. But I was overly excited when flared jeans became available again on the high street about a year ago. I really missed them and now they feel a bit more sophisticated than in the early 00s (I’m 25 for reference). Last weekend I shortened two pairs of more-ore-less skinny jeans that weren’t skinny enough to work in ankle boots or with sneakers, but they end just above the ankle and feel so modern! It’s quite nice to have three different styles of denim in my closet again.
Is fashion! All comes ’round again and again. When I was younger skinny jeans were drainpipes. Wear what works well and favors your body type and have fun with it. Life is too short for such other concerns.
Beautiful photo! ;)
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PERSONAL STYLE BLOG
http://evdaily.blogspot.com
I think everybody should find the styles that fits the best and reflects the personal style.
Most of us have too much, me included, because every second there is a new shape and a new colour we definitely must try and buy. Today I cleaned up my closet and found a pair of jeans I have never worn before, but it fits great and I love my “new” skinnies. That´s a shame (to find a jeans that was never worn before) and an inspiration to buy less stuff with more thinking about it first.
By the way: I love the photo! Very nice!
Love
Claudine
http://www.claudinesroom.com
I, for one, am ready to bid the skinny jean adieu! I’ve never been able to embrace this trend because of my short, muscular legs. (Okay, the calves are muscular, the upper thighs are just fat!) I therefore never met a skinny I liked. I agree with Claudine above that we should wear the fit that best flatters our shape, regardless of trends. That’s why I never stopped wearing good ole’ relaxed fit, and my most beloved of all, the “sailor” jean — the 1940s-inspired high-rise denim with the wide, stovepipe leg that was popular during the 70s. Makes even me look “leggy”!
Love the picture! Particularly the sweater… Who is it by?
When skinny jeans came into my life I rejoiced! My legs are pretty skinny in proportion to my waist and I’ve always gotten comments that I should show them off more. The stretch gets me a better fit. Flares remind me of all the bad jeans I wore in the 90’s. I agree with the others you should wear whatever style best compliments you. If you wear something you’re not confident in it comes across.
Skinnies are a bit of a pain to put on. And downright exasperating when a gorgeous man is passionately undressing you and they get stuck on your ankles for a minute or two that feels like forever. You: “Just tug really hard!” He: “WHY do girls wear these things?” Cheers to diversifying styles (;
At long last! I used to love straight, slim denim from Wrangler and Lee before skinnies took over the fashion universe and there was literally nothing else n the market. I bought my Wranglers in Poland for a long time until I gave in and socked up on skinnies. I’m so bored of them. I recently bought a a wide leg denim from Zara, and couple of pairs of Levis, which I hacked over the ankle. I’m so ready for a breath of fresh air!
Ana
http://www.champagnegirlsabouttown.co.uk
Skinny jeans are great because they emphasize the smallest part of a woman’s body – her ankles. And if they don’t flatter the mid-section or behind, then it’s easy to cover up with a tunic or long top. Skinnies look good on everyone, as long as they are paired with the right top. Straight and flared jeans don’t work on everyone. If you’re petite or overweight, then flares make you look short and stumpy. And straight just aren’t flattering. God, I hope people continue to make skinny jeans.
The dress code at my work doesn’t allow jeans. I’m not required to dress smart though, smart casual is OK. I’ve been struggling with choosing my clothes lately, could you maybe address different types of dress codes on the blog? I feel like all that I see lately is jeans and it’s not that hard to style jeans, especially for private situations. What about anything but jeans?
YES!
Check out https://www.instagram.com/kingsofindigo/ –
they are environmentally conscious, but super stylish and have fantastic cuts. E.g. the Kimberly is an updated (and let’s be honest far more flattering) levis 501 cut I basically live in these days.
LOVE them.
I’ve stockpiled black skinny jeans, for this very reason! I’m scared to death ‘they’ will stop making them and I’ll never be able to get them again. I refuse to be dictated by the fashion industry what to wear. My body my style my choice. Skinnies look fantastic on everyone. Everything else looks dumpy in my opinion. I’ll be rocking skinnies as long as I have my supply!
I adopted the skinny jean trend very early on and I will always rely on the skinny style denim that I have purchased from my most trusted brands. However, I think it’s refreshing seeing a bit more varierty on the market!