Skinny jeans are back – here’s how to style them

There’s nothing more controversial among the generations than skinny jeans. They stir up a set of mixed emotions. For some, they represent the golden age of fashion, when a fool-proof style would go with any oversized Tee. For others, connotations of millennial drunken days and Catfish and the Bottlemen spring to mind.

Look for elastane-cotton blends

Once upon a time, skinny jeans were nothing but thick cotton denim, nicknamed “drainpipes” for a reason – they were fixedly rigid. However, times have changed, and elastane-cotton blends now mean you can move and breathe in your skinny jeans.

Celebrity stylist, Flick Bartlett says to “think slim, not skinny, and always do the sitting-down test!” The waistband should stay in the same place as when you’re standing.

TH Flex Como Mid Rise Skinny Jeans, £45, Tommy Hilfiger

1. Indie Sleaze

Nineties and Noughties fashion trends have been slowly creeping back into fashion. The return of Indie Sleaze has seen skinny jeans and ballet pumps make a return, influenced by the recent Amy Winehouse biopic.

Mint Velvet Black Mesh Ballet Pumps, £99

2. Prim and proper

Despite returning to the mainstream catwalks this year, skinny jeans have long been a favourite of the Princess of Wales. A staple silhouette in Kate’s wardrobe, fashion designer Amanda Wakeley OBE says you can pair your skinny jeans with a crisp white shirt and trainers.

Veja Campo Trainers White Natural Leather, £125, Office

3. Cool girl

Who said skinny jeans weren’t cool? Their return shows they’re not the millennial faux-pas they were once associated with.

Wakeley says you can take inspiration from the ultimate cool-girl muses like Kate Moss, “She wears a vintage band T-shirt, a mannish jacket and high ankle boots that elongate the legs.