The most popular denim trend the year you were born (2024)

• Jeans have been around since the 1800s and they've undergone a lot of changes.
• In the '90s, big and baggy jeans were a popular trend.
• In the 2000s, skinny jeans and colorful jeans began gaining popularity.

Fashion trends come and go, but denim jeans are one item of clothing that will always be a staple in everyones closet. Its the particular style of denim that changes year after year, some decades seeing a rise in baggy jeans, others full of tight, low-rise moments. The trends are so specific that you can probably figure out what year a photo was taken just by looking at the style of jeans being worn.

Back in the 1800s, when jeans were first invented , they were mainly popular with miners and workers who needed to wear something sturdy and reliable. It wasnt until the 1930s that jeans became more mainstream when they entered the Hollywood scene in popular Westerns. Back then, jeans were associated with cowboys and the movie stars who played them. It took about another twenty years before jeans became a casual staple worn by both men and women on a regular basis.

Below is a glimpse at what jeans looked like the year you were born. Most of these styles have come and gone throughout the years, meaning youre sure to see a resurgence of all of these trends at some point if you havent already.

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Hulton Archive

In the very early 1950s, jeans were just starting to become more of a fashion trend thanks to actors like Marlon Brando and James Dean wearing them on a pretty regular basis. Still, even as they became more "cool," they had a Western vibe to them and were primarily worn by men. It wasnt until 1952 when Marilyn Monroe wore a pair in her film River of No Return that they became a staple for women as well.

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Getty/Ron Case

Throughout most of the 1950s, jeans had a boxy look to them they werent fitted or particularly baggy, they just looked more stiff. They were also almost always worn rolled up.

Sydney O'Meara

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Today, jeans and a white tee are a classic. This started back in 1957 when Brigitte Bardot became one of the first women photographed in cropped, less boxy jeans with a white t-shirt, according to Elle.

AP/Kemp

In the very early 1960s, jeans were still boxy and cuffed, but as the years went on, they became more casual, more fitted, and more hippie-inspired . They became more mainstream and less Western-inspired.

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AP/Jean Jacques Levy

The mid-1960s were all about flared jeans. Celebrities like Sonny and Cher, Twiggy, Mick Jagger, and Jimi Hendrix made the style even more popular .

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Getty/ed West

Flares might have been a defining denim moment in the 60s, but they werent the only trend. Bootcut jeans were also very popular during this time, especially after Brigitte Bardot was photographed wearing them in 1966.

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Flickr

In 1968, Levis ads showed that lighter jeans were coming into style rather than just darker washes.

AP

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Bootcut may have taken over for a few years, but by 1969, flared jeans were back in business. Jeans were also becoming a little more low-rise.

AP

An article in the New York Times about denim trends in the early 70s said that patched jeans, frayed cuffs, and lightweight jeans were becoming more and more popular.

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Getty/Jack Kay

While flares and bootcuts were still on trend, jeans had become much more fitted at the waist. They werent quite so boxy anymore.

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Getty/Central Press

Flares seemed tame compared to the bell bottoms that became super popular in 1972. Jeans were more fitted at the waistband and got wider as they went down the leg.

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Flared jeans and bell bottoms were still very trendy in 1973 and usually came with frayed hems that made it seem like someone had cut off a sliver of fabric.

Getty/David Ashdown

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Bell bottoms got even more dramatic in 1975 with the introduction of elephant bells, which were basically just extremely wide-leg jeans that got even more flared around the calves.

Getty/Aubrey Hart

In the late 1970s, jeans started to become more slim-fitting, with straighter legs rather than flares. The Levis 505 jeans were particularly popular, especially in the music scene. You can tell by getting a glimpse of the Ramones 1976 self-titled album, where they are all wearing 505s.

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AP

The punk-inspired look from 77 stuck around as jeans became darker. They also became tighter. Sasson jeans , which were known for being very tight, were incredibly popular in the late 70s.

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Gene Trindl

In 1979, Catherine Bach wore very short denim cut-offs in "The Dukes of Hazzard" TV series, and they immediately became extremely trendy.

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AP/Ron Frehm

In the 1980s, the rise of hip-hop changed the way denim was worn . Jeans became very baggy and oversized.

AP/Pete Kramer

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It was 1981 when Calvin Klein released their ad featuring Brooke Shields that is still talked about today. The 14-year-old model infamously said, You know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing. It wasnt the first time jeans had sex appeal, but it was definitely a big moment.

Getty/Charley Galley

Jordache jeans , with their stiff looking fabric and embroidered back pockets, were one of the most popular brands at this time.

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In the early 80s, jeans were high waisted, cuffed, and slightly baggy. This was when "mom jeans" really became a thing.

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Getty/Jo Hale

Baggy, cuffed mom jeans soon became cropped, slightly tapered mom jeans , a trend that stuck around for a very long time.

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As the months went by, denim became a bit tighter instead of baggy or boxy. However, that slightly cropped ankle-length look stuck around the better to show off your thick white socks with.

Getty/Ian Gavan

Acid-wash denim will always be one of the first things people think of when they think about the 1980s, and for good reason. Faded, super light acid-wash jeans were a huge trend .

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Getty/Jon Kopaloff

Eventually, faded acid-wash also became destroyed acid-wash, with light jeans full of holes and artfully arranged rips.

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Mark J. Terrill/AP

As acid-wash jeans became slightly less popular, denim-on-denim (AKA the Canadian Tuxedo) got more trendy. People were regularly photographed in slightly baggy, straight leg jeans with matching oversized jean jackets.

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Getty/Ben Gabbe

Similar to acid-wash jeans, stonewashed jeans were extremely popular. The worn-in, old look of brand new jeans was something everyone was wearing.

Flickr/Housing Works Thrift

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Button-fly jeans were first introduced in 1954, and they came back courtesy of Levis in 1990, when they became a trend once again.

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Its hard not to think of the 90s and picture overalls. Overalls were around before the 90s, but this decade is when they really gained steam.

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Getty/Michael Buckner

The jeans of the early 90s werent too crazy. The most popular style was straight leg, slightly stuff jeans in a medium wash. Denim also saw a slight decline in sales around this time.

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Getty/Evan Agostini

In 1994, low-rise jeans came back into style thanks to Alexander McQueen and then Madonna, who wore the butt-grazing jeans in a popular ad.

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AP/Mike Fiala

In the mid 90s, the bootcut style came back with a vengeance. They were straight, less baggy, and worn with everything.

Wikimedia Commons

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And then, suddenly, JNCO jeans were everywhere. This huge, extremely baggy jeans were incredibly popular, accounting for an impressive amount of denim sales.

Getty/Frazer Harrison

Once JNCO jeans started to lose steam, Tommy Hilfiger stepped in. The jeans, which were usually darker and always included the American flag logo, were seen on everyone.

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Getty/Brenda Chase

In 1999, Britney Spears helped popularize simple medium-wash jeans that had a tiny bit of flair at the end of the leg.

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Getty/Scott Gries

The early 2000s were a very weird time for jeans, where the trends got more and more intense with each passing year. It started with embellished jeans , with included lots of bling.

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Getty/George De Sota

Blinged out embellishments changed to lace-up embellishments as the months went on. One brand in particular, Mudd , made some popular options: jeans that laced up at the fly, down the sides of the legs, or even up the front.

Getty/George De Sota

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The early 2000s is known for one strange accessory: extremely wide belts . As a result, jeans had very large belt loops to accommodate the trend.

Getty/Chris Weeks

The early 2000s were somewhat reminiscent of the 70s thanks to the low-rise flared jeans that made a comeback. They were almost bell bottoms, but not quite.

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Getty/Chris Weeks

For a brief period of time in the early 00s, jeans lost their back pockets . In their place was a semi-circle that called more attention to your butt.

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Getty/Sean Gallup

Back in the 60s, cropped pants known as capris were in style. In the early 2000s, they came back in denim form, in all different kinds of washes.

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AP/William Sanjuan

One popular look was for jeans to have a lighter wash in the middle of the leg, then darker at the bottom, supposedly to make your legs look longer. It gave almost an ombr effect.

Getty

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By this point in the early 2000s, low-rise jeans were so popular that many forgot what high-waisted even meant.

Getty/Brendon Thorne

Instead of your typical medium-wash (or even light or dark), denim became colored. From gray to snake-skin to random patterns, jeans were anything but boring.

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Getty/D Dipasupil

It was only a matter of time before jeans decreased in popularity after having an epic few years, and around 2009, jeggings took their place. They were still technically jeans, but they were so stretchy that they could almost feel like leggings.

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Asos

Remember the boxy jeans from the 60s that were once in style? They sort of came back in the form of boyfriend jeans, which were loose-fitting, cuffed, and usually destroyed in some way.

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Warp + Weft

It was either loose boyfriend jeans or tight skinny jeans, preferably in a dark wash. This was especially true after Kate Middleton was spotted in a pair.

Getty/Evan Agostini

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It wasnt trendy enough to just wear skinny jeans you had to wear colorful skinny jeans. This year, almost any shade was good to go.

Flickr/Heather

In 2013, jeans got a little bit more creative. Cut-and-wash combos were popular, as were patchwork and embellishments.

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Getty/Carlos Alvarez /

For a short period of time, overalls became trendy yet again. Unlike the 90s, they were a little bit more fitted and cropped.

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Getty/Theo Wargo

As we moved further away from the low-rise jeans of the early 2000s, high-waisted jeans started to become more popular. In 2015, high-waisted skinny jeans became very popular.

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Getty/Emma McIntyre

The style from the 70s was making a comeback, which was obvious in a big denim trend: jeans that were both cropped and flared out.

SilverGirl.org/Pinterest

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In 2017, the frayed hems trend that was popular in the 1970s came back into style. Jeans were more undone than usual.

Stuart C. Wilson/Stringer/Getty Images

2018 was the year of viral jean trends. From 9-foot-long jeans to expensive layered jeans , the trend was all about taking risks and trying something new.

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