Are Baggy Jeans the Superior Style This Fall?
It seems we have finally gotten skinny jeans fully out of our system.
There was a time when having to jump to get into your jeans seemed like a normal part of a morning routine. We crammed all our belongings into nonexistant pockets and peeled our pants off at the end of the day. No more.
The youths have declared the end of skinny jeans, ushering in a new era of baggier, looser fitting denim. This shift has been framed as a Gen Z versus Millenial battle, but the truth is, we couldn't wear skinnies forever. It's been at least 10 years since the start of a denim cycle, with skinny jeans as the reigning champions of fit for far too long. Apart from the brief obsession with mom jeans, tight-fitting pants were the gold standard for anyone seeking denim.
While skinny jeans do show off curves and nice calves, they also present a whole host of issues. The style unquestionable favors the ultra-thin and ultra-curvy, leaving the majority of the population wading in the uncomfortable waters of unflattering muffin-tops and all out exposure.
Looser-fitting styles flatter a broader swath of the population, and allow for exploration of different aesthetics. '70s bellbottoms add retro flair while stovepipe pants offer cool-girl chic. Skinnies left us all in fear of being top heavy, but baggy jeans can be worn with the entire range of tops: cropped, tight, oversized, long, short.
Numerous reasons have been offered up for skinny jeans' demise. Did we all start prioritizing comfort during the pandemic? Do Gen Zers just feel the need to be controversial and different? Were skinny jeans ugly all along? The simple fact is that trends change with the seasons, and skinny jeans signed their death warrant the moment they became fashionable.
Skinny jeans, in their time, tended to stick to a few key offerings: black, blue, white, ultra-skinny, slim, or jegging. Baggy jeans, on the other hand, appear to be more versatile. Though the trend is still emerging, people are donning everything from straight fits to Jenco-style jeans. As we start to see the outcome of the body positivity movement, fashion has finally started prioritizing finding designs that flatter your unique form. No more one size fits all, seek out your perfect denim flair.
Baggy jeans are superior in my opinion, but then again, I'm a Gen Z rascal. If you want to talk truly controversial denim, what are we going to do about the return of low rise?
