By Hailey Bishop
Since its founding in 1853, Levi’s denim has been a favorite, a fashion staple for decades upon decades. First chosen by miners and other workers in the Old West for its rugged durability and in the mid-20th century by a range of people from hippies to construction workers, the all-American blue jean has been the go-to for many.
But blue jeans, like the business suit, dresses, high heels, and almost anything “tailored” have been less used over the course of the pandemic, when many people worked from home and often only seen by others by the waist up on a Zoom call. Now, with people starting to travel and work more outside of their homes, jeans have been making a comeback. But it might be a different style, more “fitting” for the times.
Recently, the fate of the iconic skinny jean trend has been called into question. Retro-trends are coming back and the ultra-skinny waistline is less in favor. This, too, might be a product of the pandemic, which brought a more sedentary lifestyle.
According to the business cable channel CNBC, the new fashion phrase for this year has been “Bye-bye skinny jeans, and hello to mom jeans.” This denim trend has been making waves in the fashion world/community for decades now, but “mom jeans” are making a huge comeback. The styles of jeans that are promoted by the industry tend to stick around for 10 years because of the difficulty in making the jeans and patterns. So, this phase could stay with us for a while.
As we come out of our pandemic malaise, sweatpants are out and style is back in. People are slowly learning how to get back into the fashion-game and returning to reality again. In the last decade denim is taking a new turn toward a new denim-cycle. The looser look is becoming well-loved compared to a skinny fit. Some fashion observers note that skinny jeans were never really a good choice for many body types. Others, like Refinery29, point to the taste of millennials.
In the last few weeks, the debate has raged on with NBC’s morning show “Today” weighing in that this isn’t a fashion discussion as much as a chance to pit the market influence of Gen Z against millennials. To view the piece, click here.
Specific fits are often associated with past ages and certain eras. Examples of these include flares, skinny Jeans, and bell bottoms just to name a few. All from different decades but remain the same. Today, decisions are dictated by our desires. Trends tend to change at a rapid rate with the ever-changing industry of fashion. With denim, it is important to choose the right style for you. Skinny, loose, bell-bottoms, or flair there is a style just right for you out there. You just have to find it.
Levi’s Jeans is offering various designs of their iconic jeans in these styles that have had peaks in performance over the pandemic. Levi’s Chief Executive Chip Bergh stated that he did not believe the iconic trend would disappear, but only re-appear in other forms such as these. Having multiple options in your closet collection allows for a multitude of possibilities to create a look for yourself that you truly love. Creating a look you will love will inspire others to love the looks they curate for themselves for their fashion futures.
