We're in the midst of a denim reset, one you may have seen unfolding on TikTok, on the runway, or wherever jeans are sold. According to the NPD Group, a market research firm that tracks consumer trends like I track Bennifer updates, skinny jeans have fallen from their pedestal as the top-selling jean silhouette in the United States.
Straight-leg jeans are now the number-one sellers, but truly baggy styles are also on the rise. We're talking denim with loose legs and floor-grazing hems, helped along with runway endorsements from Peter Do, Molly Goddard, and Stella McCartney, among others. Taylor Tomasi Hill, creative and fashion director of The Yes, says the shift toward relaxed denim is an intuitive one. "Really, after two years of working from home in day dresses and athleisure, who wants to be flat on their back trying to tug up a super-skinny jean?" she tells BAZAAR.com. "Everything is cyclical, so it's not that tight jeans won't ever be back, but right now, with such a relaxed mood and the start of summer, beachy vibes and worn-in relaxed cuts reign supreme."
Wearing baggy jeans isn't too different from mastering the cargo pants resurgence. As Tomasi Hill puts it, it's all about opposites attracting. Slouchy, baggy jeans call for a fitted or cropped tee or cardigan on top. And, she adds, don't skimp on personality. Wear them with "a leopard-print cardi or a minimal leather sandal or a great belt. Accessories that are cool feel intentional, and intentionality never comes across as haphazard or sloppy," she suggests.
With that styling advice in mind, shop the 7 baggy jeans that will make you forget you were ever loyal to skinnies ahead.
Moussy's Odessa baggy jeans arrive with a lived-in fit and distressed details—so you can appear to have been ahead of the trend.
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Here's a baggy jean with a runway stamp of approval, plus tiny logo-print embroidery on the left pocket to telegraph your style expertise. Black denim is also inherently dressier, so you can wear this pair out for an evening with a strappy sandal.
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Take Agolde's signature pinch-waist jean and add a little more give to the waist and legs. There you have it: a baggy jean for the true denim connoisseur.
BAZAAR editors love a good '90s jean. This pair has a great throwback wash, baggy fit, and inclusive sizing (up to a 24).
Devotees of Madewell's perfect vintage jean will find its baggy straight jeans to be just as comfortable. I wear a size 10 (30 in Madewell jeans) and found the legs still achieved that unruffled, relaxed look without any gaping in the waistband.
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Boyish is one of BAZAAR editors' top brands for eco-minded denim, regardless of the fit. But if you're going for jeans so slouchy they feel like your most lived-in sweatpants, Boyish's Ziggy Jeans have your name on them. Right now, the style is available in 12 (12!) shades, up to size 32. You may end up buying a different pair for every day of the week—they're that comfortable.
French denim house Officine Géneralé specializes in pairs that will last beyond any fleeting trend cycle. Its dark-rinse Romy jean has a tapered high rise and generously relaxed leg, minus the '90s associations of a lighter wash. The end result? Baggy jeans that somehow have French Riviera energy.
A version of this article originally appeared in Harper's BAZAAR US