THE GREAT FASHION DEBATE SKINNY vs. FLARED JEANS
08-11-2005
SKINNY
Anyone who has ever seen Grease will know exactly what I am talking about. The scene when Sandy, the new girl who had a penchant for mumsy blouses and flicked up air, arrived at the High School Rally, wearing those trousers. She was the one that he wants and became my heroine (ok, I was only 5 when I saw it!). Move over Rizzo, Sandy’s the hot one now! (Look at me, I’m Sandra-dee) The cool frizzed up hair, deep red lipstick, off the shoulder top and yes, those skin-tight drainpipes. {mosimage}
Obviously, back in the day, my mother wouldn’t dream of letting me wear them so I had to wait a few years to indulge. I bought a pair of drainpipes from GAP a few years ago in
These boy friendly, skinny jeans are an established symbol of I-don’t-give-a-damn rock n roll school style, and for all the boys who hated the baggy jeans combo last season, will be jumping for joy for these skin tight versions. The style, taken from the rock chick era, is still going strong and have been worn by them for years. The look are cut slightly too long and perfectly ruche to make your legs look pin thin, like Debbie Harry back in 1978. Skinnies have been recreated by all designers around the world and have had followers relishing in the drainpipe. Lee’s brands fab cult style jeans, Norma are guaranteed to create a stir as they are based on the jeans Marilyn Monroe wore in the Misfits. Fans include curvy JLO and Scarlett Johansson.
As advocates like Scarlett and the Queen of skinny-jean phenomenon, Kate Moss prove, these jeans have something over their relatives – the boot cut, wide leg and flare. An element of youth culture, coolness and laid back appeal which screams I’m-too-cool-for-school and is the epitomy of style. They are never in danger of slipping into the Charlie Dimmock middle aged territory and will only be worn by fellow fashionistas. Whether you – and your legs can wear them is a choice you will have to make. If you pass the test as Sienna and Kate do with flying colours, you will become an instant icon of cool. You can wear them with ballet pumps, the new style and ever so cute, ankle boots, or with boots over them (without any denim spillage over the top). They are the new ‘minis’ of the winter period and up your cool points. Long live the
FLARED
Then there is the other side of the story – the flared jeans. The jeans who have taken you through many years of happiness and the jeans who have bailed you out when you had nothing to wear at the last minute. They always look great with heels or flats and always looked flattering. Some say that the truth is, skinny jeans can only be worn by skinny people. Yes, Kate and Sienna aren’t the glowing image of healthy curves and unless you look just like them, the more flattering alternative is the flared jeans. The skinny jean will probably be a passing fashion fad, so when they disappear, who you will you rely on? The flared of course! In theory, jeans have always been a woman’s comfortable and safe ally. Having a fat day but don’t want to wear your sweatpants? Want to look super slender but you can’t hid the muffin top? Solution: Stick on a pair of ultra tight skinny jeans! Erm, not quite. They can give you a sense of claustrophobia the flared never did and with the flare having the wide leg, it defines your waistline and the muffin top…what muffin top?! Disappears.
{mosimage}Like the bootleg, which has been known for its forgiving silhouette, flared jeans highlight your best curves and gloss over the best you’d rather not have seen. The best cut to opt for are the ones which have an extra wide leg and slightly higher waistline. This creates magic on the silhouette. Tight jeans that stop a the ankle, don’t do women of medium height or build any favours. The wider styles always run long in length and give the wearer the opportunity to wear heels, which give you an added extra in height, without looking tarty.
If you want to look current but classy, then the look you need is the flared jeans for leggy elegance. Leave the skinny jeans for the fashion victims.
So, there you have it – 2 different viewpoints of the skinny and the flared jeans. Will you chose the uber cool and very now skinnies, baring in mind that it may not suit all shapes and sizes? Or will you opt for the flared, which give elegance and leggyness to your look, but have been around for years? The choice is yours….
