By Bella Stryker
So… skinny jeans. Let’s talk about them.
Love them or hate them, they were a childhood staple. The ultimate cool-girl uniform for every teenage style icon on TV. Think Serena Van Der Woodsen (Gossip Girl), Elena Gilbert (The Vampire Diaries), Marissa Cooper (The O.C.), Spencer Hastings (Pretty Little Liars), and Tori Vega (Victorious). The list goes on.
Off-screen, they dominated real-life wardrobes, too. Any throwback TMZ shot from the 2000s featuring Britney Spears, Kim Kardashian, Lindsay Lohan, or Paris Hilton? You bet they had on skinny jeans.
And now, the trend cycle has already brought them back.
Fashion trends used to take about 30 years to resurface, but today, the cycle moves much faster—around 12 years, according to fashion analyst Molly (@StyleAnalytics on Substack). She recently broke down how trends from 2012 are making a comeback in 2024 (read the article here), and skinny jeans are a prime example.
In some ways, they never fully went out of style. The last time they were outrageously popular was in the King Kylie era (2015), but their dominance slowly faded alongside Adidas Superstars and thigh high boots. By 2021, the decline became official. That year, a Business of Fashion report cited market research from NPD Group showing that sales of skinny jeans had finally fallen behind straight-leg styles. However, they still made up 30% of denim sales in the U.S., proving they never truly disappeared.
The first sign of their revival? Maybe it was the return of Adidas Sambas—the sleeker, sportier replacement for Superstars.
While Alix Earle’s slam dunk collab with FRAME certainly made waves, but it wasn’t actually the moment skinny jeans came back. Their re-emergence started a little earlier— in fact, Who What Wear reported on their comeback as early as January 2023.
This past year, skinny jeans have seamlessly fit into model-off-duty, Y2K, and Scandi-core aesthetics. Their return was inevitable—trend analysts saw it coming long ago.
But there’s a catch. Skinny jeans are back… with new rules.
This time around, they’re strictly for boots or close-toed heels—sneakers are off-limits. TikTok’s most-followed style influencers, Lauren Wolfe (@Laurenwolfe, video here) and Kim Mann (@kimmmann_, video here), have all confirmed the verdict. Brigette Pheloung (@Acquiredstyle) loves the look so much, she was seen sporting them in her Toyota ad back in December (watch here).
So, are skinny jeans really back? The numbers, the influencers, and the trend cycle all point to yes. The only question left: Are you ready to wear them again?
