The Icons - The Skinny Jean

In the past few years, skinny jeans have become one of the most polarizing fashion topics, next to the worth of The Hermès Birkin and the Miu Miu mini skirt set. The ultra-snug denim fit has been vehemently debated on TikTok between Gen Z and millennials, culminating with the idea that skinny jeans are dead. The wisest of us chose to refrain from entering the discourse on this one. Why? Because there is nothing more cyclical than denim trends. But more importantly, it’s your body, your choice and, frankly, consumers continue to flock to the form-fitting look, despite what your 19-year-old babysitter with 100k followers on TikTok might say. 

Although the style is often associated with the early aughts, skinnies go back as far as the 1800s, when Frenchmen turned to a tighter fit for both comfort and utility for activities like horseback riding. Audrey Hepburn made them a center piece of some of her signature gamine looks and later they became a staple for the ‘60s mod girl. As the decades rolled on, they attracted new PR buzz via The Strokes. Most recently, skinnies weaseled their way into the emo-mazing, indie sleaze aesthetic that’s currently undergoing a second life. 

The return of the controversial pant was predictable given the speed at which denim trends turnover, and while I don’t necessarily condone its comeback (I am a Diane Keaton kind of bottom girl), there is something safe about the return to early aughts culture. A simpler time! Avril Lavigne is back at the center of the zeitgeist. Paramore has a new album out. You can set an away status on Instagram. And, yes, skinny jeans are having a moment. 

In January 2023, Levi Strauss & Co’s Chief Executive Officer Chip Bergh addressed his staff during a company quarterly earnings call, claiming that ‘skinny jeans will never die.’ Arguably, a brave statement, but one he quickly backed up. “Half of our revenues on bottoms this past quarter came from the looser, baggier fits, but our top two women’s bottoms items were the 311 and the 721. So the skinny jean is not going anywhere, anytime soon,” he explained. The 311 is a classic skinny fit with a lower mid-rise, while the 721 style is a higher rise version. 

More recently, fresh off the fall/winter 2023 runway, a handful of houses including Celine, Prada, and even Saint Laurent, highlighted the narrower cut. Celine’s runway show at the Wiltern this past December was peppered with skinny jeans. Grunge-inspired looks were backed by Iggy Pop vocals, firmly cementing the return of the aesthetic. Listen, if you can’t trust me on this, you can trust skinny pant connoisseur Hedi Slimane.

Skinnies are still a closet staple to some of your favorite fashion mavens. Victoria Beckham wore a pair in a TikTok video of her with her notably fine husband, David Beckham. Emma Watson was recently seen sporting skinny jeans at Fashion Week. Hailey Bieber stuffed hers into a knee-high boot. They still form part of Cara Delevingne’s uniform. Honestly, you can always pluck out a pair or two in most celebrity paparazzi pics.

I won’t personally concede to the power of skinny jeans, but I am a truth-teller and the people deserve just that. You deserve to make an informed purchase that isn’t solely based on a viral opinion of a TikTok star. The skinny isn’t just back, it never really left.

What we really should be worrying about? The return of low-rise jeans. Levi’s Bergh also noted that sales in mid-rise jeans are going up, which means rises are coming down. “We’re not quite at hip-hugger territory yet, but the mid-rise jean is kind of the hottest item right now, and I think we’re going to continue to see the shift from high to mid, and maybe even mid to lower rises as we go forward.” Behind every divisive early aughts denim trend, is an even more divisive early aughts denim trend. Beware.