Skinny jeans are tight and (still) sexy

‘Vogue’ has declared that the vice-like grip of skinny jeans could be slackening in favour of a looser, slouchier silhouette. Rachel Marie Walsh disagrees

EARLIER this month, a friend sheepishly admitted to buying her first pair of skinny jeans. This fiercely intelligent, freakishly young financial news editor regarded her purchase as a moment of weakness, as though she’d been duped by a fad instead of finally following a near decade-long trend. I tried to lift her spirits by recalling another friend who’d blown her student grant on a single pair back in 2005, leaving her so little money for food that the jeans were soon too big. A thriftier classmate tapered her flares with ski-socks and boots through that spring. Those were true fashion victims (and I write that with sympathy) but she’d bought a wardrobe staple. These days, you can buy skinny jeans at any price point.

Skin-tight jeans are survivors at a time when trends rarely last beyond two seasons. They began their current reign back when Brad loved Jen, Lehman Brothers existed and George Bush was celebrating re-election. It was the best of times (the words “economic boom” didn’t make us leery), it was the worst of times (they probably should have). In 2004, the thong-flashing, pubic bone-baring flares that Alexander McQueen designed and Britney, Christina et al popularised looked horribly trashy next to this skinny silhouette the new boy at Dior Homme was working.