In 2021 it’s safe to say that TikTok and Gen Z are practically running the show, which was all good and well until they started to come for millennials (aka me). It’s a running joke that our beloved skinny jeans are, in fact, on their way out, and baggy jeans are the new denim go-to. I have a few thoughts, and I’m ready to share them.
I’ve been wearing skinny jeans for nearly a decade now, so I’ve got some firsthand opinions for sure. As a millennial who found her love for skinny jeans in the form of colored denim, I have gone through many phases from rips, jeggings, and the high-rise. I truly love skinny jeans but I prefer them with loads of stretch because, as a thick-thighed girl, I need loads of room to roam around freely. Skinny jeans are flattering on the figure and help bring back any shapeliness that I have and want to embrace. I love the stretchy side of skinny jeans territory, and that’s that.
All fashion runs on a fashion life cycle. Blaming the decline in skinny jeans is easy to put off on Gen Z, but in reality, it’s the cycle of life. After the past year, it would be hard to believe that people would want to venture outside wearing stuffy jeans that don’t offer any other benefits of comfort and coziness that we’ve all come to know.
Sometimes it’s hard to ignore the opinions of society completely, so if you’re looking to venture into a different denim style then you’re in luck. Try a slim straight look—This style will give an updated look without being too baggy or too tight. If you’re like me and you love the flattering effect of skinny jeans, you’re likely to love the look of slim straight jeans just as much or possibly more. They’re fitted just enough while still being relaxed (but not too much) toward the ankle, where they taper outward slightly.
I love the straight-leg look and have already been adding mom-style jeans to my collection. I do have a hard time finding jeans that fit my thigh and waist ratio, but if you’re making your own, you’ll be in solid condition. If you’re playing with baggier bottom options, then try a more fitted top to keep your overall proportions intact and scale your bagginess to your liking.
For some varying trouser inspiration grab some denim, sewing supplies, and try some of our free sewing patterns:
As an endnote, wear whatever makes you feel confident, no matter what that means for you and your body. Don’t let any person or (generation) tell you otherwise. As for me, I’m experimenting with the new, holding onto some of the old, and keeping my high-rise bottoms and my side part. Rock the denim and styles that you love!
Let’s hear your skinny jeans comments below!
. As I am days away from 30, I find myself shifting away from my skinny and tight clothes faze to a more sophisticated, out of the box look like bell bottom, vintage wide leg pants and luxurious dresses. So I won’t be wearing them everyday but I also won’t get rid of them either.
I am smack dab in the middle of my 30s and have 4 kids. My teenage daughters are constant telling me to put off my denim skinnies but I am so dang short that anything else adds 30 lbs to my body. I don’t know if I will ever give up my skinnies and that is fine with me for now. Plus, I live in Texas, bellbottoms won’t tuck into my boots.
I’m only just thirty, and I started wearing skinny jeans a few years ago when they were already kind of ‘out’ because I finally found ones that weren’t miles too long for my legs or too tight around my stomach. Basic black skinny jeans (solid black, no fading, no rips, lots of stretch for comfort) are my sneaky way of being more comfortable in the office and not having to take a change of clothes with me everywhere; when riding a motorcycle, jeans/thick trousers/pants that won’t flap around and get caught in things are a necessity!
This dumb debate over jeans is just highlighting the need for us to follow our own stylistic choices for physical and personal comfort (and practicality when required) and an indicator that we need to try to pull away from our ingrained ageism against people from different generations. I saw someone make the point that the the skinny jeans debate is, in part, just a poorly thought-out distraction to get Millennials and Gen-Z arguing over petty crap in order to drive a wedge between two very close generations, and I think they might be right.