Baggy, carrot, flared or barrel

So which were the jeans of 2025?

- Chloe Mac Donnell

Never has there been a more fickle nor divisive piece of clothing. Jeans, the denim trousers that were created for workwear a century and a half ago, have the power to instantly make a wearer feel bang on-trend or desperately old-fashioned, depending on their cut, wash and length and, most importantly, timing. As we bid farewell to 2025, it's hard to decipher what has been the jean of the year.

In April, Vogue declared baggy white jeans a “spring staple”. By August, it was endorsing slim cigarette styles, while in December “straight-leg jeans - not baggy, not skinny, but that sweet spot in between”, were the new must-haves. In November, GQ hailed a pair of vintage slim-cut Levi’s 501s worn by Ben Whishaw in Peter Hujar’s Day as the “sexiest movie jeans of 2025”. Add to the mix bestselling carrot, horseshoe and stovepipe shapes and can anyone keep up?

Amy Leverton, the founder of Denim Dudes, a denim consultancy firm, said social media and a growth in competition had created greater choice. She added: “The late 90s and early 00s were simpler times, where jean fits moved slowly, acted like a kind of ‘universal uniform’ and stuck around much longer. The switch has flipped.”

She cited a Gap campaign released in August starring the K-pop inspired girl band Katseye as exemplifying the trend. In the advert, the band’s six members and dozens of backing dancers appear in different types of jeans, including extra-baggy and flared.