Are Skinny Jeans Actually Coming Back?
Or are bootcuts set to be the next big thing? We asked the experts…
It’s true what they say: fashion trends come in cycles and unfortunately for some, that means the return of skinny jeans could be imminent. It’s been a minute, and for the barrel-leg-lovers among us, it appears we’ve had plenty of time to enjoy the comfort that a loose, wide-leg brings and as a result, the time has come for it to end. Or has it?
While fashion trends occur whether we like them or not, they’re often pretty divisive and as a result, there are two sides to every trend. According to Nicolai Marciano, Chief New Business Development Officer at GUESS Jeans, “I think the market is feeling a little wide-leg fatigue right now.” As a result, he maintains that – whether you’re for or against – the fact is that we’re starting to see a shift towards slimmer silhouettes, noting “slim straight” and “boot-cuts” as two of the styles that are set to gain traction this year.
If Kendrick Lamar‘s show-stopping CELINE bootcuts at the Super Bowl were anything to go by, it’s safe to say that Marciano isn’t wrong. In fact, Diesel‘s recent collaboration with Lee included bootcut jeans, followed by Acne Studios, who also introduced a new bootcut silhouette as part of its Fall/Winter 2025 menswear collection just last month.
Similarly, according to the viral Instagram account databutmakeitfashion, the popularity of skinny jeans actually appears to be on a decline for the first time in years. Posted in December 2024, the account maintained that searches for baggy jeans were actually up by 296% last season, with bootcut jeans following closely behind.
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While many of us aren’t quite so keen on a full skinny jean revival, it’s clear that there is definitely more of an appetite for slimmer silhouettes. Recently sported by the likes of Dua Lipa and Bella Hadid, it does seem to signal that, for many of us, the wide-leg is starting to reach its sell-by date, for a few reasons.
Baggy jeans have long been synonymous with streetwear and at a time when formal silhouettes are becoming more desirable, slimmer fits just seem to make more sense. Coupled with the rise in popularity of loafers, and trends like the office siren and corpcore aesthetic, it feels like there’s more of a desire to look “put together” and smarter, in a way that baggy jeans just don’t seem to offer right now.
Stylist Alizé Demange is a firm believer in the baggy jeans supremacy, however. Known for her work with the likes of Mahalia and Maya Jama, Demange personally favors larger silhouettes over their skinny counterpart.
“I think now that we’re seeing a return to a slimmer aesthetic in beauty, I can see certain demographics being drawn to skinny jeans as a result — especially if you’re slimmer yourself,” Demange tells us, adding, “I can imagine the skinny jeans and ballet flat combination (a la Amy Winehouse) having a resurgence but I don’t think it’ll hit the mainstream. I think there’ll be a lot of people who are much happier to see the end of skinny jeans, especially the uncomfortable nature of them.”
That said, skinny jeans are slowly but surely beginning to infiltrate the fashion week runways, spotted last season at OFF-WHITE and this season at Rotate, Khaite and LUAR. A few weeks ago, denim brand Frame also dropped a skinny-jean-centric campaign, featuring TikTok star Alix Earle, who co-designed the brand’s new silhouette. Describing the skinny jean as “the silhouette that defined a halcyon era of style,” the new campaign launched “the ultimate skinny jean” dubbed The Alix.
As Demange suggests, the majority of the brands and models sporting these silhouettes do tend to be of a certain body type, so until that changes, it’s likely that the perception of the skinny jean won’t either.
Whichever way you look at it, searches for slimmer silhouettes are on the rise, but perhaps it’s accurate to admit that we’re not all quite ready for full-blown skinnies to return just yet. Until then – whether you’re for or against it – there’s a high chance you’ll see at least a bootcut in your future.
