I despise skinny jeans.
I can’t pinpoint exactly when my deep loathing took effect, but it was sometime between getting my first pair of ripped jeans (also questionable) and discovering that wider leg jeans exist – and are so much more comfortable.
Maybe it’s the teenage angst I so heavily associate with the skin-tight garment that makes me cringe at the thought of them. Between the ages of 10 to 20, I was obsessed. They took up my entire wardrobe and were the only form of pants I’d wear. I was obsessed.
Naturally, wide leg jeans crept in and took their place. After I quit my part-time job at Woolworths, my worn-to-death Riders by Lee Super High Rise Skinny Jeans no longer had a place in my denim pile. The trend cycle had moved on, and so did I.
These days, I wouldn’t consider myself an avid trend follower. As I’ve matured, my personal style has developed, and I’d like to think I have a pretty solid understanding of my taste in fashion. I’m not one to actively follow trends, but if one piques my interest, I’ll integrate it into my wardrobe with my own unique spin.
When I heard whispers of skinny jeans coming back into fashion, with model sisters Gigi and Bella Hadid being papped in them, I wasn’t affected too greatly. While my whole body wasn’t overcome with a sense of dread – after all, just because it’s trending doesn’t mean you need to participate – I did sigh and roll my eyes to my co-worker: “Does every trend need to be cyclical? Can’t we keep the skinny jeans in the 2010’s?”
So, why am I writing an entire article about styling skinny jeans for a week if I’ve just stated I don’t participate in trends for the sake of keeping up-to-date with the trend cycle? I’ve been suffering from some major outfit fatigue. My passion for self-expression and getting creative with my wardrobe has dwindled due to the nine-to-five grind, replaced with a ‘you-have-15-minutes-to-get-ready-before-you-need-to-leave-for-the-office’. I’ve been defaulting to basic trousers and a baby tee on the daily, and that needs to change. The other pieces in my wardrobe are screaming for my attention. And what better way to spark some styling creativity than by styling the trend I despise the most out of all trends?
Not only did I want to fall back in love with styling, I wanted to see if giving skinny jeans another chance—through the lens of my current style—might soften my hatred and give me a newfound appreciation. However there was one issue: I don’t own a single pair.
I didn’t intend on buying skinny jeans for the sake of my experiment, so I paid a visit to my mum’s house. She took me to her wardrobe and started rummaging through, tossing piled on piles of her most-worn treasures on the bed. Then, lying in the deepest, darkest corner of the cupboard, she found them: her forgotten stash. I grimaced as she passed me four pairs which all smelled musty, like they’d been left in the washing machine for too long. I guess being abandoned in the back of a wardrobe for a decade has the same effect.
Questioning whether this experiment would be a complete waste of time, I took them back home and waited for Monday to roll around.
Monday
I started off the week at the office, so I needed to piece together an outfit that was comfortable yet corporate. I slept past my alarm – as usual – leaving myself only 20 minutes to get ready, so I opted for a basic white T-shirt, brown pinstripe blazer and black Michael Kors heels. Did this outfit wow me? No, but I didn’t hate it. I didn’t feel like myself, which was throwing me off, but I could’ve looked worse.
Tuesday
While Tuesday was a work from home day, I was going to a Hans Zimmer concert afterwards, which meant I had to dress the skinny jeans up for the occasion. Since the previous day’s outfit wasn’t very creative, I wanted to challenge myself. What’s the one thing I hate more than skinny jeans? Skinny jeans and knee high boots – so that’s exactly what I styled. Paired with my Ventura Shirt from JXS the Label and black sunglasses, I felt like a Saddle-Club-member-turned-MI5-spy – and I loved it. It was classy yet edgy, with a flattering silhouette to boot. This, I would absolutely wear again.
Wednesday
I was back in the office on Wednesday, and after a late night sobbing to Hans Zimmer’s discography, slept through my alarm once again. In a rush to get ready for work, I emulated my outfit’s silhouette from the night before, since I was really confident in it. However, my Kookai vest with dark-wash Levi’s skinny jeans and white heels was nowhere near as fun. Instead, it evoked boring, corporate vibes. Sure, it looked fine, but it didn’t feel like an outfit – just a nice top paired with some skinny jeans. I didn’t feel like my bright, colourful self.
Thursday
By Thursday, I realised I’d spent the entire week dressing up skinny jeans, but hadn’t attempted an everyday, casual outfit. So, I got my favourite pink knitted jumper and matched it with some pink platform Converse, and pulled on one of my least favourite pairs mum had given me: white skinny jeans. The result? Horrible. You’d think that wearing my favourite knit would make me like this more, but I cringed every time I passed a mirror in this outfit. If it were wide leg jeans, this would be cute. But the colour and crop of the jeans paired with high top Converse was diabolical. Thank God I didn’t have to leave the house.
Friday
I had some redeeming to do. And luckily, since I had two events to go to this night, I could dress up the denim once more. By this point, I had found what I preferred: a button-up shirt that could enhance the silhouette, and heels so my legs weren’t awkwardly cut off. I pulled the black jeans back out and styled them with silver Therapy heels and my Scarlet & Sam scrunch shirt. And while I still felt corporate, it was a definite improvement from the day before.
Saturday
The weekend provided more of an opportunity to mess around with outfits and get a little more creative, since I wasn’t confined to my desk at home or in the office. I wanted to piece together a cute-yet-casual outfit for a busy errand day, so I layered a cream cardigan over a white baby tee and wore black flats with my Levi’s. It sounded good in theory – effortless, French-girl inspired – but in practice, it was giving absolutely nothing. The proportions felt completely off, the silhouette did nothing for me, and I ended up changing the second I got home.
Sunday
They say save the best ‘til last, right? Well, I did the complete opposite, mustering a sigh as I lifted the pale blue wash skinny jeans out of the pile on the floor of my wardrobe. How on earth am I supposed to make these look good? I thought to myself. After a lot of ‘umming’ and ‘ahhing’, I decided to just have fun with it. I wasn’t going anywhere and could do whatever I wanted – so why not go all out?
Aside from Tuesday’s look, this has got to be my favourite outfit. The faux fur jacket balanced the tightness of the jeans, some much-needed volume and drama to an otherwise basic outfit. It was the most ‘me’ I had felt all week.
My Final thoughts
I struggled a lot more than I expected to put together stylish outfits—especially as the week went on. And while a few looks did grow on me, I realised it was only because I’d styled the skinny jeans in a way that masked their flaws and elevated them to their absolute best. I found myself drawn to looser tops to balance out the skin-tight bottoms, and straying from that formula left me feeling out of proportion. Compared to wide leg jeans, which I can effortlessly dress up or down for just about any occasion, skinny jeans just don’t offer the same versatility.
The burning question remains: do I still hate skinny jeans? No. I’m not in love with them, but I won’t be avoiding them like the plague anymore—especially now that I know I can style them (with maximum effort). That said, I doubt I’ll be rushing to add them back into my regular rotation. Still, this experiment has inspired me to take elements from each outfit I wore and weave them into my personal style—which is, after all, what trends are really about.
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