Millennial Style: 6 New Denim Trends to Try
I am the first to tell you that I am very behind the times when it comes to trends. Even though I blog about style, I don’t follow trends all that closely, and because I live in Idaho, I don’t really see people on the streets here wearing trends that you’d find on the streets in New York or LA… We’re all a little behind the times and it takes a year or so for things to make an impact here (if at all).
I’m also a millennial…and a stubborn one at that. Pretty sure I’ve said out loud and wrote on the blog that “you can pry my skinny jeans out of my cold, dead hands” multiple times, LOL. I remember when skinny jeans first came on the scene when I was in high school. One of my classmates told me I’d look good in skinny jeans, and I brushed her off. There was no way I’d ever wear skinny jeans, or so I thought. Just a few short years later, skinny jeans were all I wore. When I started my blog a decade ago, I wore skinny jeans—the only denim silhouette I wore for years!
I’ve since branched out to other denim styles, and to my utter shock and surprise, I’ve actually been enjoying wearing styles other than skinny jeans! If you’re also a stubborn millennial like me but interested in freshening up your denim collection, I rounded up a few new denim trends to try! Let me know what your favorite is in the comments!
Millennial Style: 6 New Denim Trends to Try
Straight leg jeans
If you’re looking to branch out from skinny jeans but are still nervous to go straight to wide leg jeans, try straight leg jeans! They’re the perfect gateway jean. Like the name suggests, straight leg jeans feature a slim silhouette that closely follows the leg line, but they don’t taper in at the ankles like skinny jeans do. Straight leg jeans pair perfectly with heels and with sock boots that have a slim shaft that hugs your leg. I love straight leg jeans that hit just above the ankle bone, the same spot that I like skinny jeans to hit.
Kick crop jeans
Another great “gateway” jean if you’re a stubborn millennial wanting to expand your denim horizons is the kick crop jean (which is very similar to the demi-boot jean). These jeans are like muted flare jeans—they have the slim silhouette along the leg but they flare slightly at the hem to create a muted bell shape. (Flare jeans are also back in style and are a more exaggerated version if you’re into that kind of look! I personally have too many negative experiences walking through puddles in flare jeans to ever want to wear them again, haha.) I love how versatile kick crop jeans are; they can sub into any outfit you currently wear with skinny jeans and work with any shoe option. Flats and sneakers are my go-to shoes; they’re perfect with kick crop jeans!
Mom jeans
Some of you may cringe when you read or hear the phrase “mom jeans”—I know I do! (Korri is also not a fan of this style of jean, haha.) Mom jeans are characterized by a high rise (often a super high rise) and relaxed fit through the leg that tapers toward the ankle. They tended to make your butt appear longer and flatter. Mom jeans are in style again, though the recent updates make them slightly more flattering around the tush. You may also see them called 90s jeans. I personally haven’t really had the interest to wear mom jeans again (as a child of the 90s, I saw too many mom jeans in the wild to want to wear them myself), BUT I did just buy a pair of Madewell perfect vintage jeans…and I think those qualify?!
Wide leg jeans
One style of jean I did NOT think I would like but tried anyway is the wide leg jean. Wide leg jeans are fitted at the waist (and usually have high rises), hug the hips, and stay wide through the length of the leg. It can be a shock to the system to wear these jeans after years of skinny jeans! Even though I did have a gateway jean (the demi-boot/kick crop jean mentioned earlier in the post), going from skinny jean to wide leg jean seemed preposterous to me at the time. It actually took a while for wide leg jeans to not “look weird” on me. I was SO USED to seeing my legs in jeans that not seeing my legs at all was shocking. It might be that way for you too, and that’s okay! If you’re not sure if you’ll like them, try a less expensive pair first. I honestly wear my wide leg jeans more than skinny jeans now! It’s crazy to say that.
Relaxed jeans
Relaxed jeans are just what they sound like: loose through the seat and leg. Most of them are coming back in style with a LOW rise, which is alarming to me personally and not something I plan to wear again lol. That said, there are some mid- to high-rise relaxed denim styles out there if you dig enough. You’ll also see baggy jeans—those fit even looser than relaxed jeans do. They often puddle around the feet. (These are another style of jean you do not want to wear if it’s wet outside, ha!)
Colored jeans
Jeans in a rainbow of colors seem to be coming back! I’m seeing more and more when I browse online shops (and actually just purchased a pair of dark green wide leg jeans to try). I tend to gravitate towards the neutral, more versatile colors (dark green or olive, burgundy, etc.) but there are lots of fun options out there if you love adding color to your wardrobe. You’ll find them available in an assortment of different denim styles, so you can try a new style and wear a fun color at the same time!