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.