I can’t keep up with denim trends anymore. Can we just embrace all styles? Except for low-rise—that was a collective human lapse in judgment.

I think we should have one pair of each leg style in our closets. Skinny, straight, boot, flare, wide leg, boyfriend, even barrel (not for me, but you do you). With social media accelerating trends, my denim collection grew out of control. A recent closet clean-out was eye-opening—how did I accumulate so much denim? I tossed anything pre-COVID for two reasons: I had a baby, and skinny jeans weren’t coming back anytime soon. Or so I thought.

I liked skinny jeans. They were comfortable. My go-to outfit for my first ad agency job was an oversized sweater, button-down, and a chunky boot. Weekends meant a white tee, with a blazer, and my Adidas Stan Smiths. In the warmer months, a ribbed tank, an oversized button-down shirt half tucked in, and my Arizona Birkenstocks. Then COVID hit, and fashion took a backseat to lockdown comfort for all of us, and for some of us like yours truly, motherhood. Style never fully left my brain, but many unnecessary fashion-related thoughts were evicted. Then one day, it happened—skinny jeans weren’t just fading out, they were done.

And every time I opened Instagram, there was a new denim cut. Raw hem, wide leg, straight leg, and my least favorite—barrel. Maybe it’s my artist’s eye, but the proportions just don’t make sense to me.

Whenever I invested in a new pair to accommodate my ever-fluctuating body, a new trend replaced it. I love fashion and playing with style, but keeping up was overwhelming. Meanwhile, my closet was in crisis—jeans fighting for space like The Hunger Games. I had to get ruthless. The clean-out was a bloodbath.

I made piles: donate, sell, archive, and ‘maybe someday.’ One of my uncles once told me: that when a trend returns, one of two things happens—you either don’t fit into it the same way, or you’re too old for it. No offense, but he was only half right. Bodies change, and that’s okay. And these days, you don’t age out of fashion.

The rapper performed a medley of hits including the Grammy-winning diss track “Not Like Us.”
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Then Kendrick Lamar performed at the Super Bowl, and suddenly, flares were back. I had one pair left—beautifully constructed Hudson jeans. I rescued them from the pile, only to realize… the rise was unforgivable.

That same week, I saw How to Style Your Skinny Jeans floating around. A precursor to their return? Probably. And yet, I wasn’t mad at my size—I made peace with that long ago. As long as I’m healthy and faster than my four-year-old son (I ran college track, so I still have a few years on him), I’m good. My frustration came from knowing I’d have to rebuy jeans I already owned. I love fashion, but I hate wasting money. And yet, purging my closet only to replace items later is just as painful.

So I had a realization. My remorse kicks in when I own multiple pairs of nearly identical jeans. The solution? A new rule: one pair per leg style, in blue, black, or white. If it fits and I love it, it stays. No more denim hoarding, no more chasing trends. And when the inevitable cycle repeats, I’ll be ready.

I’ve lived long enough (millennial here) to see every jean cut come and go—sometimes twice. Someone joked that, along with historical events, we’ve also witnessed the expansion and contraction of pant legs. They’re not wrong.

So, I’ll keep space in my heart and closet for most denim cuts. And if something’s “out,” I’ll either archive it or wear it anyway. If I love it and feel confident, that’s all that matters. Because trends fade, but well-styled outfits are timeless. Except for low-rise jeans. Those should stay dead and buried forever. Ask any millennial about that winter draft on their lower back tattoo.

Happy spring cleaning! May the odds ever be in your favor! xx