Leather jacket, ripped tee, slim jeans. What was considered a fashion crime a few years ago is on its way to becoming an it-piece again. The latest shows of the big fashion houses show us where things are heading – in womenswear as well as menswear. Even though this movement has been creeping in for a while, it still feels abrupt to some. Over the past year there was a clear shift from baggy jeans to loose flared denim and on to a tighter version of it. Now the classic slim fit is likely to slowly make its comeback, and in future surely the good old skinny jeans as well. But where does this come from, and are baggy jeans uncool now?
A disclaimer up front: nothing is uncool just because it isn’t trendy. If you feel comfortable in your clothes, it shows – and that’s exactly what comes across as more authentic and, in the end, cooler. Trends can be a good help for trying new things and maybe adding them to your own wardrobe, but they’re definitely not a law. Accordingly, baggy jeans will never be uncool either – which would make little sense anyway, since they’re firmly rooted in all kinds of subcultures. In certain looks, baggy jeans will always fit better than their tighter relative.
Since fashion is currently moving in endless cycles of trend recycling, it shouldn’t be a surprise that silhouettes come and go. Even pieces believed dead, like skinny jeans, are just waiting to get back into the front row. What stands out, though, is that the cycles are getting shorter and shorter. Looks from the 80s had to wait decades for a comeback, while the last hype around tighter trousers was less than ten years ago. And exactly these looks are now increasingly being recreated by fashion houses, but also by independent stylists. The 2010s are catching up with us again – in a modified form, of course, adapted to the current zeitgeist. Still, the original interpretation is clearly recognisable. That the gaps keep getting shorter can probably best be traced back to how fast-moving our society is, which social media amplifies even further. The flood of trends and access to thousands of sources of inspiration quickly lead to saturation – and to the craving for something new.
If you look around Grailed, Vestiaire or other online second-hand platforms right now, you’ll probably come across lots of old D&G or Dior slim jeans, Saint Laurent leather jackets and elegant boots. Since the newer collections of the leading fashion houses are also betting on these tighter, almost rock-star-like silhouettes again, it’s only a matter of time before this reaches the mainstream too. If you don’t want to wait any longer, you can still pick up vintage pieces at halfway affordable prices now – before they cost a fortune in the hype.
Since we’re in a cycle, it isn’t worth chasing trends 100% and swapping out entire wardrobes. It probably makes more sense to see these movements as a chance to include individual pieces rather than exclude others. So don’t throw away your baggy jeans!