1983: Denim was high-waisted and cuffed. The high waist is key. In the early 1980s, jeans were high waisted, cuffed, and slightly baggy. This was when "mom jeans" really became a thing.
1983 featured a flashback to the 1940s with menswear influences like strong shoulder pads and oversized coats. The overall look of the year is accentuated by the power belt that minimizes the waist and emphasizes the hips. In summary, volume fashion was a hit.
In the 80s, the baggy, high-waisted jeans we know as mom jeans were just called jeans. They were worn by everyone from models to pop stars. But as they went out of style in the 90s, the baggy, blue, and belted high-rise jeans had become a staple in the wardrobe of suburban moms instead.
1950s: Cool Blue
Jeans became a symbol of "cool" in the 1950s. Pop culture bad boys like James Dean and Marlon Brando popularized cuffed, boxy styles of denim as they shook up the squares in their films. Unsurprisingly, rebellious teens took hold of this fashionable symbol against the status quo.
Skin-tight acid-washed jeans were also popular in the 1980s with most heavy metal bands, and in particular those in the thrash metal scene, such as Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica and Slayer. This was the trend for those who did not wear spandex, which was popular with the dominant heavy metal scene at the time.
They were largely an underground trend in the early 1990s, but took off in popularity in the mid-1990s. The baggy jeans were very popular along with baggy bondage pants during the nu metal era which lasted from the late 90s to the early-to-mid 2000s along with pop punk during the same time.
By the 1960s, Levi's and other jeans—once worn chiefly by American cowboys—had become popular worldwide. When the company went public in 1971, it was operating in 50 countries.
Yet, there are others who remain steadfast in their love for the 2010s skinny jean trend, asserting it came to an undeserved demise at the hands of the younger generation during the start of the 2020s. Then, skinny jeans were dubbed, at best, out of style.
Moms have been coming through with iconic looks since day one, and their late-80s penchant for comfortable, high-waisted jeans is no exception.
First gaining mainstream popularity in the 1980s–90s, baggy jeans always manage to find their way back into fashion. With everyone wearing baggy's nowadays, let's talk about where they came from and how they got so popular.
While it's often credited to the 90s, it was actually the 70s and 80s which saw a rise in the double denim trend. This style period was known for its sequins and glamour, and the iconic 1980s double denim look was often seen on celebs such as Blondie front-woman Debbie Harry and the Charlie's Angels.
Bleached and ripped jeans or black leather pants will bring back all those '80s vibes! To complete your outfit, throw on a tight t-shirt with ripped-off sleeves or a spandex tank top - then accessorize with a long-haired wig for that iconic hair metal style.
The decade, characterized by eye-straining fabric colors and patterns, acid wash jeans, shoulder pads, massive, dramatic earrings, pearls, and big hair, had people confidently expressing themselves with their Style. Big, vibrant, and brilliant certainly capture the essence of 1980s fashion.
Originally designed for miners, modern jeans were popularized as casual wear by Marlon Brando and James Dean in their 1950s films, particularly The Wild One and Rebel Without a Cause, leading to the fabric becoming a symbol of rebellion among teenagers, especially members of the greaser subculture.
We've thrown out numbers like 501 and 505, which, by now, you know are the Holy Grail of vintage Levi's jeans. The three most popular vintage styles are the 501, 505, and 517, Hillman confirms. You can find it stamped on the leather patch on the back or on the tag inside.
In 1991, Levi Strauss became implicated in a scandal involving pants made in the Northern Mariana Islands: some 3% of Levi's jeans sold annually with the "Made in the USA" label were shown to have been made by Chinese laborers under what the U.S. Department of Labor called slave-like conditions.
Low-rise jeans, also known as hip-huggers or low-cut jeans, first gained popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s, becoming a staple in many wardrobes. This style of jeans sits low on the hips, often exposing the wearer's midriff.
Rips and faded jeans became popular in the late sixties and early seventies. Hippies would embroider designs on their jeans and add decorative patches. Later, the grunge movement “was based on anti-fashion and the notion of not caring about what clothes you wore.
Baggy jeans are loose and relaxed throughout, while wide-leg jeans have a tailored fit at the waist and hips before flaring out.
Lovingly referred to as “mom jeans,” these high waisted jeans were fashionable in the 1980s among middle aged women as well as those who wanted a figure flattering cut that had a rock-n-roll feel. Bonus points if they were acid wash.
Women's apparel in the late 1980s included jackets (both cropped and long), coats (both cloth and fake fur), reversible inside-out coats (leather on one side, fake fur on the other), rugby sweatshirts, sweater dresses, taffeta and pouf dresses, baby doll dresses worn with capri leggings or bike shorts, slouch socks, ...
Mom jeans is an informal term for high-waisted women's jeans that were first fashionable in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In the late 1990s and 2000s they were mainly worn by adult American women and considered "old" by younger women.