Who’s afraid of the skinny(-er?) jean? Not Kendall Jenner, anyway.
For some months, it’s been easy to ignore the slow, deliberate narrowing of denim. Low riding skinny jeans made a quick appearance on Miu Miu’s fall 2024 runway, but by fall 2025, slimmer shapes were shimmying in from Acne Studios to Burberry and Isabel Marant. To quell any of your milennial anxieties, though, this is the new and improved skinny jean: they have less of the Saran wrap feel of the early ’00s styles, hugging the leg in a less constricting way, in a chic selection of shades and washes—not a ripped knee in sight, either.
It’s a silhouette that makes sense too, with the return of the Gen-X era boot tuck and the continued popularity of the ballet flat. Of course, we’ve plumbed the depths of Y2K fashion, and slim-fit jeans might just be the last bastion we’re not fully there yet with. But the celebrity set look to be all in: Bella Hadid has been on the skinny jean revival for a while—whether off-duty in New York or on horseback in Texas—and now, Kendall Jenner has offered her own take on the slim denim.
Photographed earlier this week out and about in Los Angeles, Jenner wore a pair of blue, close-fitting denim jeans. She styled them simply, with a bateau neck, black jersey vest top, a slouchy black shoulder bag, and a pair of bright red, backless Mila satin flats by The Row. The shoes, of course by Jenner’s favorite brand, gave the look a fresh, 2025 update with the pop of color and sly exposed toe. While they’re a slim variation, there’s still a bit of space and give around the knee and ankle.
Jenner’s current style formula leans into closer fitting silhouettes and casual ensembles: capri pants and thong heels, a sheer polka dot mini dress from London cool girl label Susamusa to frolic in the surf in Saint-Tropez, a clingy charcoal midi dress and sandals for shopping in Brandy Melville with Hailey Bieber, an outfit to keep tomato girl summer going strong. With all of that, always, comes handbags and shoes by The Row.
While Bella Hadid’s skinnier jean sensibility—sometimes super close to the leg, sometimes with a little flare—looks more to westerncore or the early aughts, Kendall Jenner’s feels akin to Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina. See: there’s more sartorial possibilities for slim-fit jeans than you might first think. And breathe.
