The pandemic has changed us. Deeply. One of the many things we have learned to reconsider includes our physical and mental health, smart working, and even our style.
In 2022, our tastes in jeans are also changing. Fashion is cyclical, and comfort has flooded our thoughts and desires. The slim and tapered fit no longer dominates the denim pants category.
The shift to working from home and the resulting cultural changes have led us to desire more comfortable and cozy clothing. The certainty of skinny jeans, which has maintained its grip for years, has now come to a halt. This phenomenon has become so prevalent that “many retailers are completely abandoning skinny jeans from their shelves,” in contrast to the 30% of skinny jeans.
*In the photo, from left: the straight models, with a straight leg, from the Spring/Summer 2022 collections of Louis Vuitton, Celine, and Icicle. *
Skinny jeans have been incredibly successful. Starting as a quiet trend, it has maintained its grip on consumers year after year, defying the repeated predictions of style experts that the trend had run its course.
In 2019, skinny jeans represented 41% of women’s jeans sales, according to NPD data. This was all pre-pandemic. Indeed, *Bof* continues, “it was the pandemic that consolidated the shift to baggier models.
For two years, consumers worked from home in pajamas, leggings, or sweatpants. However, many are still looking for an element of comfort. Add in the nostalgia for all the trends of the ’90s and 2000s, a period when baggy pants were the norm.”
Et voilà. *Three high-waisted 70s-style models from the Spring/Summer 2022 runway show of Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello. *
Companies confirm this, as Karen Riley-Grant, chief marketing officer of Levi’s, has confirmed.
So what styles will we be flaunting the most? But be cautious: we predict a return of skinny jeans in about a decade. Fashion is cyclical, so never eliminate a pair of jeans from your wardrobe.
You might regret it.