THE JOURNAL
From the corduroy flares of the 1970s to the fertility-inhibiting skinny jeans of the 2000s, the size and silhouette of men’s trousers has been through myriad variations. The dominant style right now, though, is taking us back three decades. Ginormous, tree-trunk sized jeans worthy of a Walkman-carrying skater teen are everywhere.
Originally popularised by kids on the hip-hop and skate scenes in the 1990s, who wore the now iconic (and preposterously wide) JNCO jeans, baggy jeans have always felt intrinsically rebellious, a kind of overtly casual pushback against stuffiness. Plus, of course, they’re comfortable and considering we’ve spent the past couple of years getting more acquainted with our sweatpants, the fact that we want to wear big, comfy trousers shouldn’t be surprising.
Perhaps the main pioneer for the style is fashion’s most notable rebel, Mr Demna Gvasalia, a man who is something of an expert when it comes to riding the waves of nostalgia. The “anti-fashion” Balenciaga designer has single-handedly revived voluminous skater jeans over the past few years. They first appeared at his brand Vetements in 2015 and have seemingly proliferated across the whole fashion industry, from CELINE HOMME to Off-White.
Baggy trousers aren’t just on the runway, however. One look at Mr Harry Styles wearing Ms Molly Goddard’s baggy denim on his new album cover or Mr Justin Bieber in his impressive collection of gigantic skater jeans, not to mention A$AP Rocky’s penchant for wide denim jeans, shows that tastes in trousers have considerably, ahem, widened in recent years. Last year, TikTok even started a trend to cancel skinny jeans.
Thanks to their capacious size, there is plenty of room for experimentation. Jeans with one leg big enough for two people are out there, but so are less adventurous (and easier to wear) straight-legged options. How to style them is up to you, but here are five outfit ideas to inspire.
01.
The easy option
While the prospect of figuring out what to wear with big baggy jeans might seem tough, Acne Studios offers an easy-to-style starting point. Its appropriately named 1989 jeans are straighter legged, have a drop-crotch fit and are crafted from tough denim that will wear in over time. To keep the nostalgic theme going, pair them with some white canvas sneakers, such as these chunky retro ones from visvim, and a Mr Kurt Cobain-worthy (and crucially not too baggy) distressed sweater from Maison Margiela.
Wear them with
02.
Bright and grungy
The so-called dark lord of fashion, Mr Rick Owens, doesn’t design colourful clothes very often, but when he does you can bet he goes all the way. These mandarin Geth jeans are made from Japanese denim and their bright colour will look best when tempered with a grungy outfit – think a black T-shirt, a punkish leather jacket and a pair of suitably stompy Chelsea boots.
Wear them with
03.
Prints on prints
CELINE HOMME’s creative director Mr Hedi Slimane isn’t known for his prints, but perhaps he should be. The very baggy white jeans he’s designed for the brand this season are printed with scribbles of artwork and the dramatically big silhouette and bold print make for what your local menswear nerd would rightfully call a statement piece. Wear them with something equally commanding of attention, such as this fluffy cardigan that’s covered in tiny Dalmatian puppies.
Wear them with
04.
Student vibe
Mr Pharrell Williams’ ICECREAM label has an ethos based on skate and music culture, so you already know its skater-style jeans are going to be impressive. They have the brand’s characteristic ice cream drips on the back pockets. The classic faded denim will look great with an oversized cotton canvas T-shirt, or channel some all-American campus cool by wearing a varsity jacket and some low-top tennis sneakers.
Wear them with
05.
Cool and breezy
Japanese brand 11.11/eleven eleven is a master at working with high-quality, tactile fabrics, which is why these jeans look and feel as soft as tailored trousers. They have internal drawstrings to adjust and are pleated, too, which means they look smarter. They’ll make for a cornerstone of your wardrobe in the summer, thanks to their breezy feel. Wear them with an embroidered short-sleeved shirt, such as this one from BODE, and a pair of suede clogs.