Baggy, carrot, flared or barrel – which were the jeans of 2025?

The Gen Z actor Sydney Sweeney wore baggy and flared styles for American Eagle’s headline-grabbing campaign in the summer Photograph: PR IMAGE

Never has there been a more fickle or divisive piece of clothing.

Jeans, patented 152 years ago as workwear, have the power to make a wearer feel either on-trend or old fashioned, depending on their cut, wash and length and, most importantly, timing. As we bid farewell to 2025, it’s hard to decipher what exactly the jean of the year has been.