Look of the Week: How Haim Brought Skinny Jeans Back Into the Spotlight
Once a staple of every cool-girl closet and later a fashion-world punchline, skinny jeans are inching back into relevance — and this week, the Haim sisters didn’t just embrace the revival. They led it.
On Tuesday, Este, Danielle, and Alana Haim — the genre-blurring pop-rock trio — stepped out in London for a BBC Radio One appearance wearing slim-cut pants that unapologetically referenced one of fashion’s most polarizing eras: the 2000s. Their outfits weren’t just styled — they were staged, deliberate, and dripping with nostalgia. And in doing so, the sisters signaled more than a simple wardrobe choice. They declared that the skinny jean, for better or worse, is back.
A Unified Throwback, Three Distinct Looks
Each sister interpreted the skinny silhouette through a distinct lens — a quiet study in how personal style can make even the most controversial garment feel current again.
- Este, the eldest, leaned into rocker glam with low-rise black leather skinnies, a lace-trimmed camisole, and glossy patent heels — an outfit that looked like it could’ve stepped straight out of a 2005 backstage pass.
- Alana, affectionately known as “baby Haim,” took a softer route: patchwork suede skinny jeans from Dolce & Gabbana, ballet flats, and a forest green leather jacket, channelling the earthy, boho spirit that defined mid-aughts cool.
- Danielle, the band’s lead vocalist, went for structure and edge: utilitarian zippered denim and a white military-style jacket cropped at the waist, trimmed with gold epaulets — a direct nod to the more tailored silhouettes of the early 2010s.
It was a masterclass in styling what many considered an outdated cut. But more than that, it was a calculated cultural message.
Why Skinny Jeans? Why Now?
From around 2007 to the late 2010s, skinny jeans were the dominant denim trend — omnipresent across class, genre, and geography. They were the great equalizer of the fashion world, worn by everyone from Kate Moss and Alexa Chung to Rihanna, Beyoncé, and Amy Winehouse. Even Kim Kardashian and Keira Knightley — rarely found in the same style lane — had their skinny jean moments.
But over the last several years, fashion moved away from the form-fitting. Loose, baggy silhouettes flooded runways and closets. From Gen Z TikToks to streetwear in Paris and Seoul, the consensus seemed clear: skinny jeans were out.
Still, fashion is cyclical. And quietly, steadily, the pendulum has started to swing back.
Signals from the Runway — and the Sidewalk
At the start of 2024, WGSN’s senior denim strategist Susie Draffan predicted a “slow-burn return” for skinny jeans — and the industry has responded. Major fashion houses like Alexander McQueen and Miu Miu incorporated vacuum-packed denim into their Fall/Winter collections, testing the waters with high-gloss, high-drama styles.
Meanwhile, style arbiters like Bella Hadid and Lila Moss have been spotted in fitted denim again. On Instagram, paparazzi-style posts featuring drainpipe jeans and platform boots are quietly gaining traction. Even in street interviews, the once-vilified style is being reconsidered — not embraced universally, but no longer universally rejected either.
Haim’s Full-Circle Y2K Revival
Haim’s skinny jeans moment isn’t a random fashion choice — it’s a piece of a larger narrative. The trio has been diving deep into early 2000s iconography to promote their upcoming album, I Quit. From music videos to staged promo images, the aesthetic is deliberate: gritty, raw, and saturated in turn-of-the-century nostalgia.
The visual artwork for singles like Relationships and Everybody’s Trying to Figure Me Out references famous paparazzi photos — like Nicole Kidman’s jubilant post-divorce strut in 2001, or Kate Moss lounging against a black SUV in 2000.
And in a striking promo for their latest single Take Me Back, the sisters pose in Manchester in ultra low-rise jeans and peek-a-boo lace underwear — a dead ringer for the now-legendary 2004 shot of Keira Knightley.
These aren’t just fashion choices. They’re storytelling tools, part of a concept album brought to life. Shot by Terence O’Connor, Haim’s paparazzi-inspired visuals blur the line between homage and performance art. Their fashion becomes part of the music — a kind of living album cover.
What It All Means
Haim isn’t just playing dress-up in skinny jeans — they’re participating in a larger cultural moment. Fashion is not just remembering Y2K style; it’s reassessing it. And the Haim sisters are among the first high-profile artists to fully embrace that shift, not just in what they wear but in how they tell their story.
In an era when style is constantly reframed through nostalgia and reinvention, their choice to spotlight skinny jeans feels bold — and maybe even ahead of the curve. They’re making the controversial cool again, in their own terms and on their own timeline.
Final Take
Skinny jeans might not be for everyone. But their reappearance — especially on high-style, music-savvy trendsetters like Haim — suggests they’re no longer a punchline. Whether you’re ready to dive back into skintight denim or not, one thing’s clear: fashion’s memory is long, and its cycles always return.
And right now, thanks to Haim, skinny jeans are humming a comeback tune — in three-part harmony.
Source: CNN – Look of the Week: Haim sisters make the case for the return of the skinny jean
