So is now the time to hang up our skinny jeans? It seems a new style of jean is about to steal every fashionistas second skin's limelight. Liz Griffiths investigates…
Yes, the endless days of worrying about how ones thighs look with denim desperately clinging to your skin is over. The wide legged; flared jean is back with a vengeance.
It was inevitable the skinny was going to have its day especially now with our love of fast fashion. Skinny jeans have now been a long time favourite among the trend set. Of course, they only look at their most fabulous best worn by a size eight lithe girl with endless legs. They are unforgiving and any curves insight would be accentuated.
However skinny’s were here to stay, women learnt how to dress them. We looked at how the celebrities and models wore them, usually looking most flattering with tops that ended just below the widest part of the hip.
With volume also being a big trend the billowing smock tops were a nice contrast against the skinny jean. But the volume trend reached the trouser department this autumn/winter season. Always the first to get on board any new trend, Kate Moss was captured attending a Topshop function in her faded blue flared jeans.
As Kate Moss was the original crusader in her favourite Sass and Bide skinny’s it was a shock to see her in any other style of jean. But this meant one thing, if even Kate was moving on from the skinny’s it was definitely time for us too as well.
So are the consumers happy the tides are changing for the skinny jean?
“I’m very glad the skinny jean trend is coming to an end,” says Carolyn Smith, a hater of skinny jeans, a lover of the boot – cut. “However trendy they were, for anyone above a size eight they just looked ridiculous. The more flared look balances out my hips.” However for some it is a travesty.
“I own eight pairs of skinny jeans; they look sleek and sexy and up to the minute,” says Susan Moore, a skinny jean faithful (who may I say is a size eight). “The more flared look is dated and I don’t think the trend will catch on like the skinny trend did.”
The masculine look was a big trend running through the entire ready to wear autumn/winter shows.
Style icons such as Katherine Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich were a main source of inspiration. These women made wearing masculine tailoring look dominant yet sexy in the age where women were idolised for their beauty rather than their brains. The catwalks were awash with wide leg trousers teamed with sleek fitted blouses and tops to balance out the use of volume.
Masculine tailoring was particularly favoured by fashion houses such as Marni, Costume National and Marc Jacobs in the Autumn/Winter shows.
So yes, just as we mastered the art of the skinny jean in comes a new item of desire for us to master. The wide leg is a surprisingly hard item of clothing to master. As seen on Kate Moss the look to go for is faded blue denim which cannot come under the word flattering. The faded denim will only widen curvier hips but will look fantastic against an athletic frame. If you have a curvier figure, go for a darker wash of denim and a fitted/structured top.
On the high street there are all ready some fantastic wide leg jeans, this is no surprise as the high street catches onto catwalk trends so quickly and I’m sure Primark will have a £8 version hitting their stores soon.