Here’s some news that will strike fear into the hearts of Millennials everywhere: all of those stories claiming the return of skinny jeans? They’re accurate. The late 2000s to early 2010s style has made a comeback and they’re not going to fade out of favor any time soon — you only need to look to the fall 2026 runways, which showed earlier in the year, as proof.
Over at Dior, Jonathan Anderson showed men in slim denim paired with sparkly tanks. Meanwhile at Gucci’s coed show, Demna offered up painted on black trousers, slung low on the hips with unbuttoned shirts. But perhaps the most compelling argument comes from Seven For All Mankind, where newly minted creative director Nicola Brognano sent down looks that felt straight out of 2008, albeit remixed for modern day. From embellished studded options worn with sweaters to tight leather iterations teamed with sheer shirts, it was equal parts nostalgic and surprising.
For Brognano, the pivot back to slimmer silhouettes made sense. Known for single-handedly ushering in Y2K’s comeback at Blumarine, that time period’s aesthetics served as a strong basis for his creative evolution at the helm of the California denim brand.
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“Skinny jeans felt instinctive to me because they belong to a very specific visual memory that still feels relevant today. I kept thinking about the energy of the mid-2000s — Kate Moss, Mary-Kate Olsen — and the effortless way they wore them. It was never just about the pants, but about confidence, sensuality and attitude. For Seven For All Mankind, it also felt authentic historically. The brand helped define that silhouette in America,” he said.
Nostalgia for a more carefree era plays a role into this much maligned cut making a comeback but it’s also reactionary. Brognano believes it’s a backlash to the current wave of oversize silhouettes that are extremely popular.
“After years of oversize silhouettes, people are craving something sharper, more sensual and body-conscious again. There’s also a renewed desire for glamour and polish, and skinny jeans naturally create a stronger silhouette, especially with heels or tailoring,” he explained. In other words, once the public gets too accustomed to looking a certain way, it’s inevitable that iconoclasts gravitate toward the polar opposite.
If memories of skinny denim worn with stacked heel boots plague your memories, realize that the latest iteration is very different. Unlike the polished millennial work outfits of the past, Brognano likes a little mess. “I prefer contrast and tension be it with an oversize leather jacket slipping off the shoulder, extreme platforms, or romantic pieces mixed with something raw. It’s not about recreating the 2000s literally, but about translating the confidence and freedom of that era into today.”
