TikTok influencer Alix Earle says skinny jeans are back — but are they really?
With 7.2 million followers and the influencer magic wand, she declared a skinny jean comeback. Thanks to The Alix, a jean collection created in collaboration with FRAME, a luxurious clothing brand, Earle has sparked renewed interest in the fashion trend.
Are skinny jeans — seemingly ditched in the late 2010s — driven by Earle’s influence and massive following, or are they truly making a return to the fashion scene?
Natalie Hosie, who’s involved in MasTERPiece, a University of Maryland club dedicated to exploring the fashion industry, sees Earle’s attempt to reinvent the tight-fitted pants as disingenuous.
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For Hosie, Earle is an influencer, but not necessarily within the fashion world. She questions how the skinny jean revival fits into our current fashion landscape, which she views as more open and diverse than the height of their popularity in the 2000s.
“Skinny jeans coming back is really interesting in this period of time,” the freshman economics and government and politics major said. “I feel like the fashion world is so much more body positive and a lot more open than it was back in the 2000s.”
Customers have posted photos of themselves on social media wearing The Alix collection, showing off how they styled the jeans. Most featured the jeans styled with tall boots, conveniently hiding its most defining and controversial feature: the tight-fitting ankle.
The change contrasts with popular styles such as the bootcut, flare and bell bottoms, all of which have faded in and out of fashion cycles, most recently as a replacement for skinny jeans. The new and improved skinny jean trend may only have staying power where the ankle shape is concealed.
Depending on the color, The Alix pants are either $128 or $148. The hefty price adds to the question of whether this collection is a result of a change in style or a baseless money grab.
“I don’t think [skinny jeans] really ever left [the fashion scene] especially with the body-con era and the BBL fashion era we hit over the past like decade or so,” Auri Walker, a sophomore computer science major who’s also involved in MasTERPiece said. “Anything that can give you some curvature is going to go on the body.”
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To Walker, the flared ends of bell bottoms are in, so pairing skinny jeans with tall boots isn’t particularly groundbreaking.
Uche Onwubalili, creative director of En’Rage Models, a modeling team at this university, agreed that slim-fit jeans worked in the 2000s, but fall flat in the current style cycle.
The sophomore civil engineering major added that she understands Earle’s attempt to bring them back, but doesn’t think now is the right time. When walking around campus, she said she still sees most people wearing baggy jeans.
“For a moment, it seemed like we started shifting towards 2000s, but there is another side of the coin,” Onwubalili said. “Right now, I feel like it’s baggy all the way.”
