What are barrel jeans, the “clown pants” that teenagers love?

It may be its exact opposite, but it’s about to become as controversial as skinny. We present to you barrel jeans, “barrel jeans” in French. His name may not be very appealing, but it has fascinated TikTok for several months. On the application, we can no longer count the videos in which the new generation has fun filming themselves from all angles with these jeans with their surprising cut. Tight at the waist, barrel jeans widen at the upper thighs, arcing down to the ankles, where they tighten. The main thing that comes out of this is: it is by far the most difficult cut to wear. Too wide, too fashionable, or maybe just “too much”?

In any case, it amuses many Internet users who criticize the “bowed legs” look offered by this denim. “Rodeo clown atmosphere”, “I just don’t understand this trend”, “Me and the jeans I’ve been wearing since 2012, we will continue to move beyond this trend”, several of them express themselves not without irony in the video comments.

Powered by Alaïa

Taking a look at celebrity looks in recent years, we realize that barrel jeans have been on the rise for a while now. Jennifer Lopez, for example, was spotted wearing this barrel denim on May 13 in Los Angeles. Just like the models Gigi Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski or the actress Blake Lively who have succumbed to the curves offered by these pants for quite some time. Highlight of the show: Sienna Miller can’t live without it, to the point of setting her sights on this piece during the last Cannes Film Festival. At the film photocall Horizon : An American Saga on May 19, the actress known for her bohemian style dares to “barrel» in a dark shade.

The spotlight really comes in 2022, when it begins to gain solid popularity. During its fall-winter 2023 fashion show, the Alaïa house unveils a collection that focuses on a fundamental of fashion, the structure of clothing. On the podium, the pieces presented are sculpted, the shape of the fabric remodeled. The shoulders and curves of the clothes are rounded, smoothed, completely redesigned. In the proposed wardrobe, we find ultra-desirable high-waisted barrel jeans with a defined waist, rounded legs and rolled-up ankles. In March 2024, Julianne Moore adopted this look from the fashion show during a trip to New York.

How to wear barrel jeans?

Problem: despite the phenomenon, these jeans do not suit everyone. This is what an Internet user on TikTok notes: “I was so excited when I saw these pants in the store. Then the fitting broke my heart.” In her video, the young woman films herself leaving a fitting room wearing barrel jeans. Indeed, the result is surprising, the upper part of his body appears very small compared to the lower part which becomes larger with the denim. One wonders if it is not just reserved for the bodies of models.

“In fact, it is not suitable for all body types since it changes the proportions of the body,” stylist Alexandra Osina confirms. But she reassures: “On the market, there are also barrel jeans with a less extreme cut, that is to say more straight than wide. These fit just about any body type.” Note also that such excessive proportions are out of the ordinary. Sometimes barrel jeans fit us perfectly – like the latest TikToker – but you just have to get used to the silhouette they give us.

To wear it well, two options are preferred according to the expert. “Either with a close-fitting top and a short jacket, if you want to make these jeans the main piece of your look. Otherwise, with a very long coat. You simply have to avoid blazers that stop at hip level, because it will blur all the proportions.” It must therefore be combined with either very long or very short, but never between the two. That’s the price you pay for being well dressed when wearing denim with such a radical cut.