VIBE June.16.2014 | Page 7

The present skinny jean

Introduced in the 50s, skinny jeans were first worn by famous stars such as Marilyn Munro, Roy Rogers, Lone Ranger, Cisco Kid, Zorro and Sandra Dee. Known best for their thigh-hugging, form fitting-silhouette, skinny jeans tapper at the ankle and well recognized by its slim cut that voices sex appeal to others. When it got to the 60s, women starting pushing the gender roles by adopting the slim cut denim and many other male dominated fashion statements. Skinny jeans epitomized both sexuality and sex appeal when Elvis, the king of rock n’ roll, began wearing them during his performances in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. During the 1970’s, skinny jeans became synonymous with a ‘bad boy’ rock n’ roll image and served as a uniform staple for fashion-forward rockers in the alternative music industry.

With the advancement of hip hop and grunge music, the skinny jeans trend had descended greatly. Both grunge and hip hop dictated a uniform consisting of baggy jeans, flannel shirts and oversized outerwear- starkly contrasting the fashion trends of the 70’s and 80’s. However in the 2000, the skinny jeans had made their comeback, thanks to the fashion icon, Kate Moss, who once dated photographer Peter Doherty of The Libertines, had photo shoots taken of her dressed in skinny jeans and boots- letting fashionistas around the world know that wearing skinny jeans was once again appropriate for daily attire. To this day, the appeal of skinny jeans has reached other industries that have little to do with fashion and music. While many people believe skinny jeans are to be restricting, professional skate boarders and BMX riders said that they even prefer to wear the skinny jeans, over their “baggy pants”, due to their stretchy material that accommodates movement and flexibility.

The Evolution of the Skinny Jean

Rock band legends like Mick Jagger from The Rolling Stones and The Beatles also helped paved the way for the skinny jean phenomenon through fusing fashion with performance/entertainment.

The Rolling Stones

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