It’s easy to dictate your opinion as bible these days: after all, Vogue wrongly predicted the death of cleavage in 2016, but GQ have put forward a convincing case by declaring that bootcut jeans are making a comeback. Here’s why they are wrong.
In womenswear, bootcut jeans have made a welcome return to stores in recent years, providing a decent alternative to the nearly exclusive skinny options available, as it’s more inclusive of the female body in all its forms. But menswear is an entirely different story.
Over the years, retailers have stopped producing bootcut styles with a laser focus on the slim and skinny leg, and while Ireland was a little slow to adapt, we have finally joined the ranks. At a recent new season press preview, a sales representative at a wide-spanning men’s store remarked to me that they had finally successfully banned the style, despite still receiving some requests around the country.
While Simon Cowell has been dutifully doing his part for the cause, wearing faded denim bootcuts at every opportunity since he burst onto the scene in 2002, but it’s important to remember that when you’re rich enough, you can wear anything and people will still want you.
For the rest of us, it has taken years of re-education as to what looks good in menswear and bootcut tailoring should remain in the past where it belongs, along with black ‘dress’ shoes and oversized pinstripe shirts.
GQ’s analysis is based on the re-introduction of the style in Balenciaga’s SS19 men’s lookbook, thanks to the brand’s new creative director Demna Gvasalia.
“It’s easy to see why Gvasalia might have picked this particular moment in fashion to resurrect boot-cut denim. This year has brought on a pants revolution within the world of menswear. Guys are opting for jazzed-up tan chinos, wavy pleated trousers, and contemporary cargo pants. Which is to say that men are stepping out of their comfort zone when it comes to pants,” the report in GQ says.
“But will the adventurous streak extend to boot-cut jeans? It’s a pretty tall order to get fashion-savvy men wearing flared-out denim again, but if anyone could do it, it’s Gvasalia. He is, after all, largely responsible for turning the bulky dad sneaker from fashion faux pas into certified banger.”
And, despite its headline’s suggestion, even they don’t believe Balenciaga has the punch needed to ensure a more mainstream return. But then again, that’s what we said about normcore and look where that got us.
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