Last Updated on September 19, 2023
Hold up, are skinny jeans out of style? According to TikTok, yes, and Gen Z has drawn a line in the sand with the side part hairstyle, the excessive use of the laughing face emoji, and your beloved skinny jeans are canceled. So if you are presently wearing said skinny jeans with a side part, which is clearly not the superior hairstyle, this post is for you — and be sure to check out my trending jeans for fall post and my trendy mom outfit.
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9 Alternatives To Replace Your Skinny Jeans In 2023
Fashion trends come and go, and while skinny jeans were a revelation in the mid-2000s, I’m here to tell you skinny jeans are out of style and officially dead. If you’re over 30, you lived through the rise and fall of baggy jeans and the departure of extra low-rise jeans…which rumor has it, have been threatening to make a comeback. Dear Sweet Baby Jesus, please, for the love of all the fashion gods, never bring back whale tails and jeans. Not even Britney Spears can rock those anymore.
If you’re feeling out of the loop, you may be asking yourself, if skinny jeans are out, what’s in? Don’t worry; I’m here to keep you cool.
If Skinny Jeans Are Out, What’s In?
1. Wide-Leg Jeans
My prayers have been heard. Personally, I’ve always been a fan of wide-leg jeans. The cut of the wide-leg can be high rise, mid-rise, crop, or full, and they are straight through the hip and thigh. I pair mine with a cropped sweater or slim-fit white tee and almost always a belt.
- Low Rise Stride Jeans with Washwell
- Limited-edition Point Sur sailor patch-pocket jean in Marina wash
- Meg High Rise Fab Ab Wide Leg, Exclusive (Descriptive Wash) – Kut From The Kloth has a lot of stretch
- 3×1 Kat Tinted Jeans – this brand is on the pricier side, but they last forever!
- 3×1 Flip Crop Charter Jeans
- Superwide-Leg Jeans in Parson Wash
- Côte Wide-Leg Jean
- AGOLDE Dagna Pleated Baggy Jeans
- The Way-Wide Crop Jean
- MOTHER The Spinner Skimp High Waist Wide Leg Jeans
- Sienna High Rise Wide Leg
2. Baggy Loose Fit 90’s Jeans
Yes, you read that right, those loose-fit 90’s jeans are back! All this gal needs is a flannel shirt, Doc Martens, and some Pearl Jam…then all would be right in the world.
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3. Tapered Leg Jeans
If you’re not quite ready to burn your skinny jeans (which I’m not saying you should), try on the tapered leg jeans. They gradually narrow towards the ankle and have that same inverted shape. It’s kind of a skinny jean and straight-leg two in one.
- The Baggy Jean
- Low Rise 90s Baggy Jean
- Pilcro The Joey High-Rise Relaxed Jeans
- Closed Braden Jeans – these are giving Girbaud vibes
- Khaite Preen Jeans – pricey but so cute!
- Free People We the Free Tinsley High Waist Baggy Jeans
- Moxie Pull-On Barrel Jeans
- Baggy Tapered Jeans in Dressler Wash
- The Cheeky 90’s Jeans
- AGOLDE ’90s Fit Loose Fit Jeans
- SLVRLAKE London Jeans – this brand always run small for me
3. Barrel Leg Jeans
For me to get on board with these, I think I will have to try them in-store. I have big enough hips from having babies that I’m unsure if I want to accentuate that part of my body even more. A barrel cut will be more fitted at the waist but roomy in the hip and thigh with a tapered leg. I’m eyeing these high-rise barrel jeans because they have almost a boyfriend fit to them.
- Long Barrel Leg Jeans
- Levi Barrel Women’s Jeans
- Extra High-Waisted Non-Stretch Balloon Jeans for Women
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5. Bootcut Jeans
Yes, bootcut jeans are trending, but that does not mean you can dig your old hip-huggers out. The bootcut jeans of 2021 have a higher waistline (again, thank you, Sweet Baby Jesus), a slimmer cut, and less of a flared ankle. Bootcut is definitely a trending denim style you’re gonna see a lot of this year. They look super chic paired with a boot.
6. Flare Leg
These are not your 70s-style flare. Slim fit through the thigh with a slight flare at the knee.
- Mavi Women’s Marcia Bootcut in Deep SuperSoft – no one talks enough about Mavi Jeans
- Levi’s Women’s Mid-Rise Bootcut Jeans – totally affordable option coming in at a whopping $29
- Kick Out Crop Jeans in Cherryville Wash: Raw-Hem Edition – raw hem means these will fray, and after washing, you’ll have to trim the longer strands.
- AG Alexxis High Waist Bootcut Jeans
- The Rigid Bootcut Jean
- Mid-Rise Kicker Boot-Cut Jeans for Women
- High Rise ’70s Flare Jeans with Washwell
- Mid-Rise Wow Boot-Cut Jeans
- Natalie Bootcut, Exclusive (Sustantial Wash) – I’m also a fan of the Excel Wash
- Mavi Women’s Molly Mid Rise Bootcut in Indigo Supersoft
- Paige Manhattan High-Rise Bootcut Jeans
7. Boyfriend Jeans
Similar to the straight-leg jeans, but more relaxed through the hip and thigh. I love boyfriend jeans. They are soft, comfy, and the loose fit allows for movement, but buyers beware. Since they are slightly slouchy and oversized, you can quickly go from laid-back cool girl vibes to frumpy and ill-fitting.
- Crosby High Rise Jeans
- The Slouchy Boyjean in Rosewell Wash
- Cuffed Slouchy Boyfriend Jean
- Dre Low-Rise Boyfriend
- Juliet Slouchy Boyfriend Jeans
- The Niki High Waist Ripped Roll Hem Boyfriend Jeans
- Emerson Slim Fit Boyfriend Jeans
- Mid-Rise Slim Boyfriend Jeans With Washwell
- Limited Edition Point Sur Canyon Mid-Rise Boyfriend Jean
- Baggy Dad Women’s Jeans
8. Straight Leg Jeans
Fitted through the hip and thigh, with a straight leg down to the ankle. Straight-leg jeans hug you in all the right places and give off those old-school vibes. They’re a great basic that rarely goes out of style. In fact, I still have my favorite pair tucked away in the maybe they’ll fit again drawer. A pair of Chip & Pepper jeans…RIP…make my butt look so good. Because all the celebs wore them, hunting a pair down was a feat. They were harder to find than a Cabbage Patch Kid doll in the 80s. I’m on a quest to find a pair that fit as well, only for my post-baby body.
- Limited Edition Point Sur Vista Straight Jean
- Stovepipe Jeans in Leaside Wash
- Mv Brighton Wide Straight Jeans
- Insider Crop Step Fray Jeans
- Remi High-Rise Straight Ankle Jean
- Nico Mid-Rise Straight Ankle Jean
- Ultra High Rise 90s Straight Jean
- Mid Rise Split-Hem Vintage Slim Jeans
- Olivia High Rise Slim Jean
9. Cropped Jeans
It should be said that almost all of these skinny jeans alternatives can be worn in a cropped style. However, I’m going to throw another curveball at you. Try wearing your cropped jeans with socks and a pair of loafers. And no, I’m not talking about those no-show socks; I’m talking a pop of color or something with a bit of an ankle. Think back to the penny loafers of the late ’80s.
In short, skinny jeans are officially the new mom jeans. We hear you loud and clear Gen Z. Personally, I’ve never been a fan of skinny jeans, so when I discovered they had been declared old and uncool, my breakup with the skin-tight denim was swift and quick. It also might have been easier because I’ve been wearing sweatpants for the last 365 days. And now that I foresee a post-pandemic return to everyday life sans sweatpants, I promise to rotate a few of these different styles into my wardrobe. Will you?
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Chanel Van Zile
Hi KY-The one thing I just don’t get about this style is WWWWhhhhhyyyy are these new style jeans so dang short Sister????
Love Chanay
kyla
Chanel Van ZileBecause the fashion gods hate people who live in the snow LOL.
Jamie
Chanel Van ZileI TOTALLY agree! My entire life has been spent trying on pants in any fashion praying they would fit my body type & be LONG enough so I don’t end up looking like Earkle that dude who wears the “floods” (aka) too short in the leg…like a rock⭐️! I am 59” Gen z or x IDK I’m not even sure I always have to do a quick search online for the exact title. I’m not a kid anymore and this isn’t Kansas either! So anyway I personally don’t think this look will work on me. Trust me alive done the 40ish years of leg work! Lol pun intended & it worked! Ha ha yeah that’s a bit too much for me! The gross taste of anticipation of a potential trip back to the future does nothing for me. Any suggestions??
Chante Brown
Sorry, but I hate every one of these styles. Is there some reason why we can no longer be individuals and enjoy wearing whatever we choose, instead of being dictated to by some Generation Whatever who decides to impose their dictates and dislikes on everyone else? I’m 95 lbs and a size 000 and don’t want to wear “mom” jeans, baggy wide legs, or anything else. If you like them, great. I like my skinny jeans and could care less what some entitled toddler thinks. Guess what, Gen Z? You’ll be older too one day and someone will laugh at YOUR fashion sense.
Nadja
Chante BrownJust do whatever. I’ve happily worn UGG’s for 20something years. Summer, fall, winter and spring. If you want to follow trends, do so. If not – don’t For some of us, it’s a free world.
Jayden
Chante Brownplease why are u so mad
Chante Brown
JaydenNot “mad”. Just tired of being dictated to by an entire generation who thinks they invented the fashion wheel and wants to impose their will on EVERYONE. Guess what? Some of did it first and don’t want to do it again, don’t like these styles and don’t look good in them. If you do, great. But stop telling everyone else what they must do and let people choose for themselves. My choices are no one else’s business. At a size 000 and 95 lbs., these styles are hideous and look terrible on me. I’ll keep my skinny jeans, thank you.
Marie
Chante BrownAMEN to that!!!!! I am a size 5/7 and I look damn great in well-fitting jeans and pants. Why do I want to look like a walking dressed balloon?
Roxanne
Chante BrownI’m as mad as Chante and I’m not going to take it anymore! I was young when jncos and flares were a thing and I’m not doing it again. I work hard for my figure and I’m not hiding it under 10 yards of ugly denim just to feel like I’m young again (I’m not). Wide leg jeans dragging on the ground getting filthy and lowrise ugly pants you constantly have to pull up are gross and annoying and you will never change my mind. What happened to “we all wear timeless capsule wardrobes because of the planet or some garment workers in Pakistan we pretend to care about”? Guessing that was as fake as everything else bleeding hearts do. I’m wearing yoga pants for the next 3 years.
Celine
Biden better cut me another check so I can boost the economy just to replace my skinny jeans what about leggings is that out to I live in leggings.
kyla
CelineAccording to Gen Z, leggings are perfectly acceptable
Nadja
Enjoyed reading it all.
Thank you.
Thank God I live in the countryside with my horses. Skinny jeans makes it so much easier to just put on a pair of boots when I go out the door 20 times a day, and the horses don’t care if I’m “hip” or not as long as I come bearing hay.
Still I like to read about it, so my teenager doesn’t make fun of me when we go out. (You know in early 2020 before the virus)
TLane
I’m not taking any fashion advice from Gen Z who thought doing tide pod challenge was cool. Ill happily rock my skinny jeans!
Connie E. Casarez
Hi KYLA, thanks for sharing such a detailed article about jeans keep up the good work!
Sophia
This is fan behavior lol
Joshua Watkins
I think that if the kids wanna wear them then that’s great. But the real reason why we did this as kids was to stick it to the man screw all politics we knew then that’s politics were terrible. And the ones we wore didn’t look like floods.either do and represent or do it your guys way and look like your abandoned ship lol
Glen Nicholson
I find this whole topic hilarious. I’ve been buying (from London)and wearing wide leg, crops, denim boiler suits, boot cut AND skinnies for more than five years. This suggests these children are a bit behind the trend. I will also add that I’m in no way going to listen to ANY advice about anything from a “generation” with the attention span if a knats, and like everything else in their lives, claim authority of opinion while doing nothing to have earned qualification.
What Is Cheugy Home Decor - House Of Hipsters -
[…] Z is at it again. They declared skinny jeans out of style, and now they’re calling out our cheugy home decor. Wait, are you speaking English? How do I […]
Karen
Got it. Bring out my 80s and 90s jeans.
Kyla Herbes
KarenYes you do!!!!
Dawn
Kyla HerbesExactly! I don’t need to go shopping!
Jeon Jungkook
Skinny jean look best on women and men. Period. These other jeans give off the “granny” vibe.
Elle
Jeon JungkookThe straight leg Jean is universally flattering. Periodt.
Elle
I love the wide crop style, bootcut, straight and boyfriend. Skinny jeans are good for wearing with tall boots. Those barrel and tapered ugh. No thanks.
Kyla Herbes
ElleSo, I was skeptical of the barrel leg until I tried it on. I was shocked by how much I love them.