More than any other clothing item, jeans can define the look of an era. Think of the flare in the 70s, or the skater styles of the 90s. Or – right now – the oversized jean. The skinny jean was the cockroach of the denim world for a long time: it refused to die. But there are signs it finally has. Maybe that’s the effect of generational wars on social media, with gen Z roasting millennials’ love of the skinnies, or a post-pandemic need for comfort.
Either way, shapes are changing, and bigger is becoming the overriding choice. The online vintage retailer Depop reports that searches for baggy jeans have increased 66% since January, and style icons – Rihanna, Hailey Bieber, Billie Eilish, Dakota Johnson and more – are going for a the-baggier-the-better approach to denim. Gap’s Get Loose campaign with Troye Sivan perhaps cemented the look: it features the singer surrounded by dancers all wearing oversized jeans.
