Let's Talk Denim

Can we talk for a few minutes about today's obsession with denim? Don't get me wrong: I love trends, fashion, and all things denim. But there are a couple current trends that have me in a state of puzzlement. 

First, let me tell you 5 things I LOVE about current trends:

• I love that in 2025/2026, it's trendy for your clothes to be oversized. Personally, I prefer my clothes to fit (probably bc I'm a Millennial raised by Baby Boomers). But I often think that my generation (and my mom's generation) would probably have had fewer body image issues if it was't for the Suzanne Sommers Thigh Master commercials, SnackWells flavor free cookies, Lean Cuisine microwave dinners and tight-fitting clothes that were on tread as we grew into adulthood. 

Remember this stuff??

• It's fantastic that makeup is minimal in Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Colors are more muted and it's much more acceptable to go completely bare-faced than it was when I was coming up. 
• Everything is minimal and focuses around comfort. Sweats at every occasion? SURE! Hair in a slickback with a braid? Yes ma'am!! UGG slippers that double as shoes. Absolutely!! (But never will you convince me that Crocs are cool. 🙅):

• I adore the cropped shirt trend. Your belly doesn't have to show, but having a cropped shirt that sits on top of your jeans gives you the one third, two thirds look that is especially flattering to ALL body types.

Let's let Reese Witherspoon teach us about the "Rule of Thirds:"

• The sneakers. ALL the sneakers!! Although I don't like every sneaker trend (platforms--eeeew), I am completely behind the fact that we can now wear sneakers with even the dressiest outfits. There's something so cute about a denim jacket, basic white tee, satin skirt and a pair of white sneakers!! 

See, so cute! Rule of thirds with the sneakers. Can't beat it:

Now let's circle back to my original statement. I love LOTS of the current trends. There are two trends, however, that I can NOT get behind. Specifically denim trends. Let's hash it out.

1. Barrel jeans

There's nothing quite like a good pair of jeans. A staple of any wardrobe, jeans are iconic. But shouldn't our wardrobe flatter our figure? Or at the very least, not be UNflattering? Sure, when you're intending to be in sweats running errands you aren't trying to look anything but comfortable, unflattering can be acceptable. Personally I feel like the barrel jeans trend happened because top designers needed to find a way to make jeans look "different" to boost sales. They decided throw in a few yards extra yards of fabric and put the result on the runway in Milan so people will catch the trend. (If this offends you, deepest apologies. If you like them, you do you!) I can't get on board with barrel jeans for my own personal style.

2. Denim Outfitting

What is this, you ask? This is when a person dresses themselves in denim from shoulder to ankle. Not EVEYTHING about this trend is bad. A denim romper or jean jacket paired with coordinating jeans CAN be cute. Today I'm wearing a denim jacket, cropped shirt, and faded black denim shorts. (Yes, shorts in December in Houston. It's 81*. Don't bring it up. We're all mad about it.)

The Kelsey Version of "Denim Outfitting:"

BUT Gen Z and Gen Alpha are making this a trend: oversized denim jacket and oversized jeans. Same color, jacket often buttoned up to their chin:

The only reason they can wear this trend is because they didn't grow up in the hay-day of 90s Hollywood with the iconic movies that came out of that era. Every time I see someone in the outfit pictured above, I see the prisoners of Shawshank Prison. "Get busy livin, or get busy dyin."

Ultimately, though, what I LOVE about fashion in 2025 is that there is an emphasis on people wearing what they love and what makes them comfortable, not just what they look good in. SO if you love jeans that are huge and comfy, do it. If you like looking like a 1940s era Andy Dufresne, by all means. We shouldn't be judged by anything but the content of our character, to quote MLK Jr. Wear what you love. 

Love,

An almost-43-year-old with a rockstar pixie cut that makes most people do triple take in the grocery store. You do you. 😘