Did boot cuts ever really go out of style? - YouLookFab Forum

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Did boot cuts ever really go out of style?

shoppingisfun

(website)

Veteran

I have been reading a lot about how boot cuts are "back." But I never saw them disappear in the first place. I've been wearing them (along with my skinnies) for many years. I never saw them leave the stores, and around here at least, kept seeing people wear them. Now, big flares are a different story, but...have I been "out of style" for years with my bootcuts and not known it?!

Dressing

24 replies

Latest reply was from jackiec

Tanya

Veteran

Ever since the skinnies burst on the scene, 7-8 years ago, bootcuts took a back seat. Maybe from 2007/8 or around that time. For a long while , 6-7 years, they were not the most current silhouette. Now, being trendy is not the same as being stylish, so I wouldn't say that they were "out if style", only not current/fresh. As for them still being in the stores at those times, Angie says that stores will sell whatever sells to the target customers of that store, even dated stuff.

shoppingisfun

(website)

Veteran

Interesting. It's not like I was shopping at old lady stores, either. I'm really small so, until very recently when my weight hit triple digits (!), I actually spent a lot if time in the juniors department! Maybe it's a regional thing?

shoppingisfun

(website)

Veteran

I did, however, stop wearing the more "flared" style of bootcuts around maybe 2009 (I never really wore actual flares, except for a brief time in the late 90s, but, you know, some bootcuts are more flared than others!) Imho they were looking pretty dated. But I never stopped wearing my more subtle bootcuts.

Marilyn

Veteran

Bootcuts never went away for me. I only started wearing skinnys a year ago. I admit my bootcuts have taken a back seat lately but I still find them to be flattering and I will be wearing them more when the snow is gone.

I know that Gap has discontinued their Curvy Bootcut and Sexy Boot.....lots of complaints about it in the review section.

Lisa

Veteran

I don't think bootcuts ever 'left' but I have found they are not as easy to shop for as before. I was looking for work trousers the other day and most of the styles for spring are cropped and skinny or straight legs. And I prefer bootcuts and flares for work trousers.

Suja

Veteran

I think we live in an era where there isn't a hard line between in-style and out-of-style. Bootcuts were not the most current but could still be stylish, especially if worn with other modern pieces. I used to wear exclusively bootcuts but realized that I loved skinnies more when they came on the scene. I have always had a few pairs of bootcuts for variety.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I still saw people wearing bootcut jeans out and about, for sure. Not so much bootcut trousers and those seem to be thin on the ground at retail right now too. Which IMO is too bad because I'll wear skinny jeans for casual but would prefer not to wear skinny pants for the office, and I can't be alone in that.

Aziraphale

Veteran

I don't think they actually went out of style, but for quite a while they weren't "the" jean silhouette. About five years ago, I remember friend of mine said her teenaged kids would mock her because of her wide pant hems. So in the eyes of teens at least, bootcuts were very unfashionable. (But of course the taste and style of most teenagers is highly questionable!).

K.M.

Veteran

I agree with everything that's been said (and I'm a bootcut/flare fan who's been both wearing and buying them despite the skinny craze). I did notice a smaller variety of options in bootcuts, as retailers made room for straight or tapered silhouettes, and now I'm seeing more flared options coming back.

This conversation made me think of my experience in the 80s and 90s. The late 80s (when I was a teen) were the age of tapered legs. We all had a big poison eye for straight or flared legs. But they still existed--maybe not the bell-bottoms of the 70s, but certainly the straight legs that naturally flared a little at the hems.

Then in the 90s there was the revolt against the taper, but some people continued to wear it--and well... they became known as Mom Jeans!

Which goes back to your question of whether we who still sported bootcuts have been unfashionable in the last several years. Now I'm a mom and I'm 40, and it occurred to me many times whether my bootcuts were the new version of a Mom Jeans. I still think no: because Mom Jeans were not only about an outdated cut, but also about a very unflattering fit. I could see how some of my flares might look frumpy--and I parted with those: the ones with very low waists, wider flares, etc. But I found that the more updated versions, with a mid-rise and a "baby bootcut", looked as lengthening as ever.

Or at least, that's my story and I'm sticking with it!

celia

Veteran

On my neck of the woods they have been absent for some time. You might see a pair once in a while but they are not the norm.
Although skinnies have a more difficult silhouette to balance, they are so easy to wear. You can put any shoes and are good for any weather conditions.
I do wear bootcut pants for work and some straight or skinnier leg pants and am willing to get back to my bootcut jeans when spring comes and take them for a spin.
But putting on some skinnies and just stuff you feet into something is just so easy....

Anonymous

They most definitely aren't the norm. None of my DDs will wear bootcuts; they're aged 32, 23, 21 and 16.

Deborah

Veteran

Skinnies have definitely been the stars in recent years, but bootcuts have never actually disappeared in my neck of the woods.

Marilyn

Veteran

Bettycrocker.....My 28 year old hasn't worn anything but skinnies in years either. She says no one wears anything but.

AM

Veteran

Thanks for the education. I really had no idea that skinnies had such an impact (for some ages, in some areas). I didn't shop often enough over the last 10 years to make these distinctions and I don't by fashion magazines. I'm feeling like I must have enjoyed life under my little rock.

shoppingisfun

(website)

Veteran

I am only 35! I like my bootcuts and my skinnies. At least around here they have been stocked in "younger" stores forever as far as I've seen...like Aeropostale, American Eagle, Delia's Express, etc, as well as Gap, Banana Republic, and more mid-age stores. Honestly I am getting kinda tired of the skinnies with boots look, even though I do like (and wear) the look... but it is sort of silly around here. Our winters here are pretty short. For instance, this week it is in the high 60s and sunny--there are blossoms on the trees and wildflowers blooming everywhere-- but people are still in their knee high boots. It looks odd to me. I do love boots and skinnies in rainy/cold weather though.

Aziraphale

Veteran

I'm tired of the skinnies with boots look too, although it is an extremely useful thing in inclement weather! But there are other ways to wear skinnies besides with tall boots. Around here, I see women wearing them with ankle boots as often as with tall boots. Also, I see them with ballet flats, Converse, and high heels.

shoppingisfun

(website)

Veteran

I am not a fan of skinnies with flats or sneakers, unless they're on someone with long legs or rolled to ankle length. On me, skinnies with flats just make me look....stumpy. Ankle boots are the same. My legs are average length for my height, I think, but my thighs are sooo much bigger than my calves. Not flattering. I do like skinnies with heels though.

Beth Ann

Veteran

Interesting thread --- here in the suburbs of Chicago, there is definitely a resurgence of flares among the teenagers, although skinnies are still strong.

Me? I just like having more than one silhouette to choose from. Skinnies are king in the winter, of course, but I like bootcuts or dark straights for dressier jean looks, and BF jeans for really casual looks, or warmer days. I accommodate my shape by changing the choice of tops and footwear.

Aziraphale

Veteran

PA, What about ankle boots with a 2.5" stacked heel? I have a friend with curvy thighs who wears dark skinnies that way, and it works really well on her. She's probably about 5'2".

Claudia

Veteran

I recall Angie saying that bootcuts are a classic, and while they may or may not be currently trending at any given moment, they are never out of style.

shoppingisfun

(website)

Veteran

Aziraphale, I like the look of ankle boots on other people. But to me the rolled up skinnies paired with ankle boots seems like a trend that won't last long, so I am reluctant to join in. More importantly, at only 5 feet tall, I feel like ankle boots "cut me off" and make me look shorter. Slim boots with high heels make me look tall (well, average...or almost average!) and thin.

K.M.

Veteran

petitesanonymous, I just posted on another thread about overcoming my issues with skinnies. I am also petite (5'3") and short legged, and like you, my muscular thighs are much wider than my very thin calves (with a big poky bony knee in between). I hated the cone effect of skinnies with flats or ankle booties. But I tried dark denim skinnies with black suede ankle booties, and because it was all a column of dark, it didn't make me feel stumpy. I also tried (in summer) light beige skinnies with a pair of bicolor flats that's half nude and half black; it's low-vamped so shows a lot of my foot skin. The column of light color (nude/skin/beige) also made me feel not stumpy.

Marilyn

Veteran

I'm 5' tall as well. And yes, the trick with skinnies and ankle boots is column of colour. It makes all the difference. Dark skinnies with black boots looks great. Contrasting colours....not so great. I also look for booties with a low shaft. No rolling of hems for me. If I need to I will roll the hem of my jeans under so the jean and bootie flow into each other.

jackiec

Veteran

Nah. I think they've been around, just not the favoured style as most others have mentioned. I have one old pair of kicking around jeans in a bootcut style. I've been pulling them out and loving them these days. Ok maybe because they are sized up and it's birthday cake season in my family....but i digress...