HITTING the high street recently to find a pair of new jeans, it dawned on me. I am a 42 year old woman and I have no clue what style is on trend.
From mom jeans to bootcut, flared versions and boyfriend jeans or even baggy ones like I wore as a teenager in the Nineties, the options seem endless and overwhelming.
Sarah asking strangers in London Bridge how old they think she is with different pairs of jeans[/caption]
Supermodel Cara Delevingne, 33, posing in a pair of skinny jeans for Topshop[/caption]
Model Kendall Jenner steps out in a black tank top with a pair of skinnies[/caption]
But there are one pair of jeans that I know are out: Skinny jeans.
Well, at least I thought they were well and truly over.
Since around 2020, Gen Z have been on a mission to destroy any trace of the iconic denim, deeming it completely uncool.
One militant even took to TikTok, telling her half a million followers to light their pairs on fire and embrace baggier jeans.
Designers and retailers soon took the hint and by last year, sales of women’s wide-legged jeans had shot up by an astonishing 97 per cent, proving the huge influence of social media on what we wear.
But this year’s Autumn/Winter collections, including one from recently revived Noughties favourite TopShop, have left me utterly perplexed, showcasing skinnies once more.
Gen Z favourites like Charli XCX, Bella Hadid, Cara Delevingne and Kendall Jenner have all been spotted wearing the skintight denim. Confused? I am.
Now, I know that they say every fashion trend comes back around at some point. But haven’t skinny jeans only recently been put out to pasture?
It normally takes at least a couple of decades for fads to become en vogue all over again.
Case in point, last year’s Nineties fashion resurgence, which saw pedal pedal pushers and chokers make a comeback, or this year’s hot trend for Eighties-style shoulder pads.
If I’m honest, I’m loath to ditch my skinnies and the news that they are making a comeback makes me feel genuinely excited – have I finally been vindicated after all this time?
But having been told for the last five years that they are irredeemably uncool, I’ve found myself buying – and loving – a baggier fit.
Now, on the odd occasion I leave my toddler Sophie, three, and baby Marnie, six months, at home for a night out, I’ll still don my skinny jeans with a heel, as they genuinely make me feel sexier.
But the nursery run or a trip to Tesco? Get me back in my baggies.
I’m aware I’m not in my twenties like Bella, Kendall and co – but what if the resurrected trend only suits those types of lithe, long-legged baby supermodels?
At just over 5ft and a size 12 and with a good decade (plus) on the current crop of hot young celebs, can I still get away with skinnies in my forties? Or am I doing my figure a disservice hiding it in wide legged jeans?
As someone who is always reminiscing about the good old days, I do sometimes yearn to look and feel more youthful.
Fabulous fashion editor Abby McHale opens my eyes, advising me that skinnies can be ageing.
“The truth is, skinny jeans can date you by at least ten years. I used to adore mine, but anyone wearing them these days is typically over 40,” she says.
“It’s Millennials who seem to find it hardest to let them go, but they can make you look older for sure.”
Gen Z favourite Charli XCX spotted wearing the skintight denim[/caption]
With Abby’s expert words of wisdom ringing in my ears, I decide to do what any sane woman of a certain age would do and ask a series of random strangers exactly how old they think I am, all while wearing a classic pair of skintight skinnies.
Would showcasing my curves in a skin tight pair actually make me look like the middle aged mum I am?
As one who genuinely doesn’t care what people say about my looks or age, I’m not nervous about polling people of all ages and genders on the street to see which type of trusted jean they thought made me look younger.
Would showcasing my curves in a skin tight pair actually make me look like the middle aged mum I am?
Or would it elicit a burning desire amongst the bankers of London’s Borough Market, who saw me in the same league as 33 year-old Cara Delevingne?
Would the wide legged style give off a more ‘granny goes to bingo’ or ‘skater girl does kickflips’ vibe?
De-age yourself
There’s only one way to find out…
Sarah wearing her skinny jeans, £49 from River Island, was told by strangers she looks 40[/caption]
Parading my skinny jeans (£49, River Island) across London Bridge some feedback is surprisingly positive, though not in the way I would have thought.
Teacher Caroline Miles, 52, from Crawley, tells me, “You look sophisticated and therefore that makes me think you’re at least 40.” Not terrible, I suppose, but I’m clearly no Charli XCX.
But another gorgeous Gen Z model-type, dressed impeccably in – you guessed it – baggy jeans, winces when I ask her to tell me how old she thinks I am.
“I don’t want to hurt your feelings,” she says as I clench my teeth and brace myself. “Erm…43. Sorry.”
Given that’s only a year older than I actually am I should be thrilled, but in the heat of the moment I am silently raging.
“Why?” I ask her, the word coming out almost like a sob. “They’re just not what I would wear, that’s all,” she says. Adding, “I’m only 27 though.” Ouch.
Overall, a selection of 25 members of the general public guess that my age is between 37 and 43 while wearing my skinnies – that’s an average age of 40.
I’m certainly not upset about it, that’s still two years younger than I actually am.
Sarah in a pair of barrel jeans, £39.99 from New Look, was told she looks much younger with strangers giving her an average age of 28[/caption]
Next up, Abby offers me a pair of barrel jeans (£39.99, New Look) to try my luck and see if they’ll help me turn back the clock.
I’m skeptical. Can one item of clothing really make people think I’m younger than I am?
“You look like a child,” says Lizzie Milton, a 56-year-old retired nurse from Wandsworth, as I appear visibly gobsmacked.
“It’s something about the cut of the jeans, it’s youthful.”
One well-meaning cabbie, easily in his fifties, says: “You look young enough to be my daughter.”
I’ve always said London’s cab drivers are the salt of the earth.
I am stunned to hear one young woman tell me I look 25. That’s right – this baggy pair of casual jeans made me look a whopping 17 years younger. I could’ve bought her dinner.
Overall, 25 sensible people with impeccable eyesight give me an average age of 28 years old.
I’m pleased the people of London have shown me that I can still pass for a youngster
I can’t quite believe it, I never thought I could look like I was in my twenties again, my ego is undoubtedly through the roof.
Ironically, though, I’m now more confused than ever. I actually felt slim and sexy strutting around town in my skinnies, asking weary commuters to pin an age on me.
But the stats don’t lie – there’s no question Gen Z are right in thinking a wide leg style is probably a better option if you want to look younger.
In fact, there was a huge 18 years difference between the youngest age guessed while wearing my barrel leg jeans, and the oldest in my skinnies.
But if you’re not bothered about dressing to de-age yourself, and rather want to look and feel good on a big night out, I still maintain that skin tight trews are the best.
I like the fact they show off my legs, which I’ve always felt are my best feature, and I will forever argue they look cracking with a sexy heel.
I’m pleased the people of London have shown me that I can still pass for a youngster, even if it only is by wearing Gen Z’s fave outfit choice and I’ll keep on wearing my wide-legged option around the house.
But deep down the Millennial in me still sees Kate Moss, looking iconic in her shades and skinny jeans, and I realise I can’t let them go.
So it’s brilliant they’re making a comeback and regardless of how old they make me look, I’m off to TopShop to buy some more.
