“Did you pay for those rips?” said every relative who grew up prior to the 1970s.
For a long time, ripped jeans were mainly associated with the less fortunate. The lower end of the working class could not afford to part with their denim.
Ripped jeans became fashionable in the late ’80s during the rock/heavy metal era and the trend continued on through the ’90s and 2000s.
Ripped jeans went away for a little over 10 years, making a comeback stronger than ever in the late 2010s.
Mom jeans have been much more common in the last three to four years than they had been since the ’90s. During the 2000s, low-rise bootcut jeans became all the rage, with less rips than the grunge ’90s look.
In the beginning of the 2010s, colored skinny jeans reentered the game for the first time since the ’80s. For the first half of the 2010s, colored skinny jeans, mid-rise skinny jeans, and patchwork skinny jeans were trendy. Until late 2016, when suddenly people started to buy more ’80s and 9’0s style clothing, including mom jeans.
“I find that mom jeans are flattering on all body types, and super comfortable while also being easy to style,” said Meg Andrade, a senior at Warde.
Jeans often change with each decade, they even can change within the same decade. An example of this is in 2010; the popular jean style for girls was mid-rise skinny jeans, then in 2020 the popular jeans girls would wear were high-rise, 90s style, mom jeans.
Popular styles of jeans are different based on many factors, like the weather. For the past four years, ripped skinny and mom jeans are more common in the warmer seasons like spring and summer. One’s location is another considered element. It’s less common but not impossible for you to see someone in New England wearing boot-cut jeans whereas in southern states this style of jeans are more common.
Ten Warde senior girls were surveyed and asked to choose out of the following jean styles: Mom jeans, skinny, bootcut, flare, or jeggings. 5 out of the 10 prefered skinny jeans over any other type of jeans; the other half said they appreciate mom jeans.
The wash, or colors, of the denim also plays into what type of jeans are considered fashionable. There are so many different shades companies can make the denim. The most common washes are white, light wash, medium wash, dark wash, and black. There are many variations of each of these shades.
A manufacturer can also do a popular wash called acid wash. The acid wash can be imitated at home with bleach. This was a common activity for people to do during the first serious wave of the COVID-19 pandemic last spring. This trend of DIY jean patterns was inspired by a viral TikTok of a girl bleaching her jeans and creating designs with the bleach.
For many, comfort is a major factor in choosing what jeans are the best to wear.
“Mom and skinny jeans are both my favorite jeans because they both are so comfortable and stylish,” said Julia Simoes, also a senior.
Senior Rachel Wolk feels the same way. Her favorite jeans are mom jeans because they are “really comfortable.”
Leggings are taking over. They have been a popular pant choice for females in the past few years. Leggings are convenient to wear on the days you plan on exercising. For example, for high school students, days that you have gym class. This eliminates the sometimes frustrating task of changing for class.
“I prefer wearing leggings over jeans,” said senior Anya Yaverski. ”Especially on the days I had practice for track, it’s much easier than changing right after school.”
Jeans have been around for decades, and yet it still makes it onto the runway. Denim is able to change each time into shorts, capris, or just regular jeans.
“I usually go off of what’s in style but sometimes the ones in style don’t look good on me,” senior Laney Manware shared. “I have to pick ones that may not be the most popular but look better on my body.”