Skinny jeans: Need back or leave in the past?

Skinny jeans are in, then out, then in, and then, of course, they’re out again. Fashion trends move faster than you can buy them sometimes and I’m here to report today on what skinny jeans should be doing in 2026. 

I’ve lived through every phase of the skinny jean revival during my Gen-Z upbringing, and now that my frontal lobe is finalising its development, I feel qualified to make a call.

I’m here to state that skinny jeans should remain firmly out at all times - unless on the off chance you can style it with a vintage knee-high boot that sits just below the knee and makes you look like prime WAG Victoria Beckham! No negotiations.

So, as we enter 2026, the question stands: are skinny jeans coming with us, or are they staying behind?

They did briefly attempt a comeback in 2025, but only under very specific conditions. A fantastic knee-high boot. A deliberate silhouette. A sense of irony. It seems that this is the only way skinny jeans are currently socially acceptable - and honestly, that says everything. 

To really emphasise my point I’ll share a personal anecdote for you. My 82 year old grandmother with no form of social media came over a few weeks ago dressed in presumably head to toe M&S. Skinny jeans, a long cardigan and knee-high boots, to which she said to me -

“I’ve been told I’ll be taken to fashion prison if I wear these jeans out in public.” (icon)

I of course replied, “Nona you are 82, no one is going to be offended by your style and the boots MAKE the outfit!” She really did look super stylish, especially with the layering and the boots, but how this news of skinny jeans being 'out' got to my grandmother I have no idea because it’s always been a kind of unspoken rule. 

Although technically we are entering the year 2026, spiritually we are living in 2016. Everyone has collectively agreed to ignore the ten-year advancement (myself included). To me - and seemingly the other 8 billion people on Earth  - the year is 2016. But why?

Because we’re yearning for the power of cringe and authenticity that was so common back then and is somehow frowned upon today. Where is the Rio de Janeiro filter on every single Instagram story? Where are the tiny crop tops paired with aggressively tight skinny jeans and platform Fila trainers? An awful combination, objectively - but I feel like I’ve never felt freer.

2016 lives in our hearts, and because of that, we have to ask: do skinny jeans deserve to return with us, or should they remain a relic of the past?

As a model, I technically have to own a pair of skinny jeans - it may as well be written into the contract. However, I’ve never truly committed to them. Partly because they make my legs look like candlesticks, and partly because I’ve never found a pair that fits well. They’re either cutting off circulation or pooling awkwardly at the ankle. There’s no in-between.

Instead, I always opt for a bootcut.

The Power of the Bootcut

My all-time favourite jean shape is either a bootcut or a flare - flare if I’m feeling funky, bootcut if I’m playing it safe. To me, the bootcut is the ultimate middle ground between a skinny jean and a flare, which is exactly why it works so well.

It gives structure without suffocation. Shape without restriction. It elongates the leg, balances proportions, and feels timeless rather than trend-dependent.

A good bootcut can be worn time and time again and with endless combinations and it will exist effortlessly and elegantly every time. It’s the epitome of wearable which is why it will never go out of style. 

So… When Are Skinny Jeans “In”?

Under some circumstances every single item of clothing on planet earth can be considered fashionable. You just have to give it the right condition, event, or moment and for skinny jeans that now (for me anyway) has to be narrowed down to the below: 

• With a knee-high boot

• With a wedge

• Styled with a model-off-duty energy

• If you cheat slightly and count a subtle bootcut as a skinny jean - oops. 

On the other hand skinny jeans should be considered “out”:

• With trainers (especially platforms!)

• Worn with no styling intention, completely alone - yuck

• Paired with an equally tight top (it’s giving 10 years old)

• When they’re so tight they look surgically attached

• When they feature excessive knee rips that serve no purpose or style. 

Skinny jeans aren’t inherently bad - they’re just incredibly easy to get wrong. And in a time where fashion is about intention, silhouette, and ease, the margin for error is simply too high. Many people try and many people fail so for those who have no eye for fashion it’s probably best to stop trying at all. 

So no, I don’t think we need skinny jeans back. I think we need to let them exist quietly, selectively, and with restraint. Bring them out when the boots demand it - otherwise, let the bootcut's lead the way.

Some things are better left in 2016. And that’s okay. We can still feel it in our hearts, I know I will!

With love, 

Mimi x