By Valentine Fabre
What can come back, can also be improved. In the midst of vivid social change, low-rise jeans have had to find a new space to thrive within the fashion industry.
A trend from a time long past, the low-rise has emerged back after two decades of glamorous sleep. Some of us hoped it would never be seen again, but out of nowhere, catching us by surprise, it's made its comeback. Blessing or curse? Who can tell. What we know is that barely 5 years ago, low-rise jeans were in nobody's shopping baskets, and yet, without anyone’s permission they came back into our wardrobes, stronger than ever.
Trend forecasters had called it before the pandemic. In 2018, already, The Cut released an article titled “The Countdown to Low-Rise Jeans Has Begun”, but as a sort of global denial, during which none of us were ready to admit its return, we collectively decided that this would not happen (the same way most of us are currently refusing the return of balletcore despite Simone Rocha’s many predictions). But as celebrities such as Kendall Jenner, Dua Lipa, and Bella Hadid started swapping highs with lows, as well as Julia Fox’s - infamous - low-rise denim look that went viral, it's safe to say that they are firmly back in action. Seemingly, the trend has made the gap between millennials and Gen-Z significantly bigger. The latter happily took on the trend, immediately ditching their - now - 'cheugy' high rise for dangerously low bootcut jeans and even capri-pants. On the other hand, millennials drew back to pictures of their tween/young adult lives, ironising on the absurdity of seeing what used to be their life 20 years ago, as the current, ultimate fashion trend.
Meanwhile, high fashion eagerly took over the trend. and fast forward to one of 2022 most iconic fashion moments: Miu Miu’s viral mini low-rise skirt, making the statement that low was back! Following the Spring/Summer RTW shows, DIY 'Miu Miu' mini skirts would multiply, dupes would be made accessible and cheaper at ASOS, Zara, and Fashion Nova, and no one would stop talking about it as THE hit look of the year. Alongside Miu Miu; Blumarine, Coperni, MSGM, and many others ended up following the same path asserting the rebirth of the trend.
Dramatic effects aside, it does not come as this big of a surprise that low-rise jeans (and bottoms in general) would come back. As collateral damage to the return of the Y2k aesthetic, the reappearance of our belly buttons, was, in itself, unavoidable. But as fashion is cyclical, social contexts not so much. Re-integrating the low-rise into the context of the 2020s, where the questions of body inclusivity are polar opposites to that of the 2000s, raised many concerns in regard to the state of inclusivity and the body-positive movement in general.
Thinness was an inherent part of the low-rise cut at its peak in the early 2000s. Sitting tightly around the hips, the idea that some skin could slightly overlap above the pants’ belt made most women so obsessed with their self-image (along with the reign of Victoria’s Secret models) that eating disorders seemed to have been at an all-time high between 2000 and 2009. As explained by Jess Sims in a 2021 article for Harper’s Bazaar, “Y2k fashion trends—with their emphasis on low-rise jeans; exposed thongs; and baby tees—were understood to celebrate a very specific body type, one generally found in teenaged girls.” Hand-in-hand, the cult of thinness and patriarchal beauty standards associated with youth, made this overall trend highly dangerous and detrimental for many girls and women throughout the decade.
But nothing is ever set in stone. Dig up your vintage low-rise pants or cut out all the belts from your current high-rise, and let’s collectively re-write the connotation between the trend. Everybody deserves a second chance, and the low-rise is no exception.
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