I remember vividly my mother showing me her wide-legged jeans that she wore back in her college days. We did this often. My mother would show me her most cherished outfits that she had kept back from her younger days. When it comes to fashion trends, it’s one of the topics that my mother and I cannot stop confabulating about.
One thing that stuck with me from our conversations, which often made my mother laugh and reminisce, is how history has a knack of repeating itself, even when it comes to fashion. Bell-bottom or wide-legged pants, baggy jeans, puffed sleeves and even corsets, ALL have made a comeback!
Pair them with a petite crop top or a bodysuit or even an oversized t-shirt, wide-legged jeans go with everything. Extremely popular in the 60s as well as through the 70s, these pants have been styled as casual streetwear outfits or even for a cute date night look. However, these are just a few of the innumerable ways to style these dynamic pants. These jeans being sold at almost every store, especially the ones with larges patches of rips at the knees, have given skinny jeans a setback. Skinny jeans have defined the denim market for the past two decades. While interviewing for the Wall Street Journal, Andrew Chen, the co-owner of NYC denim brand 3sixteen, said, “with people being home a lot and wanting to be comfortable,” shoppers have shifted to a baggier jean that “isn’t always reminding you of its presence on your body.” Loose-fit or baggy jeans have gained more and more popularity with people realising the importance of being comfortable in their outfits rather than showing off skinny legs. Marking the resurgence of this trend is a photo of Ralph Lauren in 2005, which shows him wearing a pair of barrel-cut jeans. Social media has recently resurfaced this to celebrate the nostalgic look. After 15 long years when this photo was taken, this style is garnering immense attention once again. Fashion brands like Balenciaga and Bottega Veneta are selling their tube-legged jeans for $595 and $980, respectively.
The puffed sleeves and corsets have also been trending and are in high demand. Originally popular in the 90s, the puffed sleeves quickly went out of style before the 2000s hit. Seen typically in nicer blouses and modern garments such as bodysuits, the puffed sleeves can also be combined with the corset look. From the hourglass shape popular in the 19th century to the “S” shape in the 20th century, corsets helped shape a unique silhouette and now they’ve come roaring back into our fashion trends. The pairing possibilities with this top are countless as Kim Kardashian West and even Gigi Hadid don the gorgeous corset look, styling it with their own unique way. It can be worn over dresses, turtlenecks or even with loose-fit shirts. The corset tops, in particular, can be paired with baggy jeans, or dress pants to give off a more formal look.
Evidently, history does repeat itself as fashion trends keep recurring. While we do try and tweak these trends by adopting myriad styling methods, their origins will always be the same. It will never fail to give our parents and older relatives a good laugh and a fond sense of nostalgia.
