Low Rise Jeans – Predicted to Come Back in 2024

We, humans, have a tendency to romanticize the past, and the same concept is followed when it comes to fashion. In the world of fashion, everything is cyclic, and every day new trends are created, and some old ones come back to style. When you think about the late 90s and the early 2000s, one of the most prominent trends that comes to mind is low rise jeans.

The early 2000s brought us a lot of memorable and nostalgic trends, but one that even I was a big fan of was low-rise jeans. Like many other teenagers, my fashion idols were the likes of Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton and Christina Aguilera, and all of them wore low rise jeans a lot.

If you're a 90s kid like me, you most likely witnessed the rise and fall of low-rise jeans with your own eyes. In the early 2000s, these jeans were everywhere. They were showcased on almost every runway, and every girl had them in her wardrobe.

If you were thinking about who introduced this popular trend in the first place, then look no further. Low rise jeans were debuted on the runway by the famous British fashion designer Alexander McQueen. We got a first look at the trend as early as 1993 when they were called “bumsters”. Though the trend wasn't acclaimed as McQueen had hoped, over time, it started to gain momentum and exploded in the early 2000s.

The public opinion about this trend remained quite ambiguous. Some people considered the trend to be very stylish, but as the 2010s started to appear on the horizon, more people moved toward hating low rise jeans. People called them uncomfortable, inelegant and impractical.

When this style died, no one really thought that it could make a comeback, but to the surprise and dread of many, low-rise jeans are getting a revival in 2020. The trend started to reappear in runways back in 2018, and slowly but surely, low rise jeans made their way into the hearts of our fashion icons. Jenifer Lopez was first spotted wearing low rise jeans in 2018, but the recent showcase by the Hadid sisters reignited a fire of this trend.

However, that is enough about the history of this trend, so let's move toward some more current information. Therefore, here are the answers to some of the most common questions I get about the low-rise jeans trend.

What are low-rise jeans?

Low-rise jeans are characterized by a very low and hip bone exposing waist. They can be worn in many different ways, and they are also known by my many names – “low-cut jeans”, “lowriders” or “rap pants”, to name a few.

When worn with crop tops, these jeans allow you to show off your abs and your hip bones.

If you were a teenager back in the early 2000s, then you know that low-rise jeans are, but today's teenagers may not know much about the style.

Are low-rise jeans uncomfortable?

Comfort is essential for any kind of clothing, but when it comes to low rise pants, you will get a lot of mixed reviews. Some people may claim that these pants are the worst trend ever; they are uncomfortable and super impractical. In contrast, others claim that these pants are very free and more comfortable than high rise jeans because nothing is constricting your waist.

Well, the real thing is, that the comfort of jeans, or any other clothing for that matter, depends more upon the fit, material and the way they are worn, rather than the cut. Therefore, low rise jeans must be worn in the way that they were intended. If you try to pull low rise jeans high, they will be super uncomfortable.

However, it is quite understandable that low rise jeans were made for a specific body type, and such trends do have the tendency to be uncomfortable for body types, for which they were not designed. Still, as the trend makes its way back to our lives, we are more enlightened, and understanding of body positivity and the runways are also showcasing low rise jeans for plus size women. In fact, influential brands like JCPenney and Macy's have even launched complete collections of plus size low rise jeans.  Hence, no matter what your body type is, you will be able to find a fit.

What kind of low-rise jeans is going to be prominent this year?

Firstly, you need to understand that low rise jeans aren’t of a single type. I mean that any cut or style of jeans can be made with a low rise. For instance, you can get low-rise skinny jeans, low-rise straight leg jeans, or any other kind of jeans with a low rise. Moreover, these jeans can be made from various materials, but nothing competes with the classic blue denim. 

Anyways, let's get back to the question at hand. Which low rise jeans should be a part of your wardrobe this year? Well, during their first rise, low-rise jeans were found in the form of lace-up and bell-bottom jeans. Though bell bottoms are somewhat still in style, you should go for skinny or straight leg low rise jeans for a trendy look these days. 

Boyfriend, boot cut and slim fit jeans are some more styles that would look epic with a low rise. Therefore, add one of them to your wardrobe.

How to wear low-rise jeans?

Now, let's get real, low rise jeans were a difficult enough style to pull off back in the early 2000s and believe me it is even more challenging now, considering the fact that high rise jeans are perfect for almost every body type.

It is quite obvious that low rise jeans promote a largely unattainable body standard. They are mostly meant to be worn with crop tops to show off your abs and hip bones, but, if you have a small muffin top, you might not feel confident in these jeans. Moreover, there isn't any of us who doesn't get some stomach rolls when we sit down, but the retouched and edited photos of supermodels and actresses send us chasing a body standard that isn't natural and virtually unattainable. Still, I believe that you should be confident in your body, and wear whatever you want. Therefore, here are some of the best and most stylish ways to incorporate low-rise jeans into your outfit. 

Pair your low-rise skinny jeans with a crop top or a bralette:

If you have an athletic figure, and you work hard to stay fit, then low rise jeans paired with a crop top is one of the best outfits for you. This pairing will give you the OG look of the early 2000s, but if you want your outfit to look more modern, you can ditch the crop top and go for a bralette.

You can wear a coat or jacket over the top to complete your outfit, and beat the weather as well. On the other hand, if you want to take the athletic look even further, why not pair your low-rise jeans with sports top in a neon colour, which are very trendy these days. If you want some inspiration for similar modern outfits, you should look at some of the recent outfits of Bella Hadid. She is largely responsible for bringing this trend back and pulls them off perfectly.

As far as the trim of the jeans is concerned, skinny or slim fit is the way to go for this epic outfit.

Pair your jeans with custom made t-shirts:

Jeans can be worn as a part of almost every outfit. That is the reason they are always going to be in style. Low-rise jeans can also be worn with virtually any kind of top and even a simple t-shirt. Though there is nothing wrong with the classic low-rise jeans and white t-shirt combo, you can make your outfit more unique and livelier with a little effort.

You should consider wearing a custom-made t-shirt with your low-rise skinny jeans, or you can even have a custom crop top made. Custom clothing elements allow you to express yourself, but more importantly, they give you an outfit that is entirely unique.

There are many online stores where you can order custom t-shirts from, however, if you are a fan of DIYs you should try t-shirt screen printing at home. You might need a couple of tries to get the hang of it, but once you do, making custom t-shirts will be super easy. Therefore, don't start printing on your expensive and new t-shirts right away, have a couple of practice runs of some old t-shirts so that you can get used to it.

Low rise jeans with an oversized sweater:

Low-rise jeans aren't only for the summer, though in the early 2000s, the jeans were worn mainly with small crop tops, like the ones worn by Keira Knightley, but in the revival of this trend, it has also evolved a little and is now worn with numerous kinds of tops.

You can also wear low-rise jeans in the winter with turtlenecks or oversized sweaters. This outfit will make for an excellent look but bear in mind that you have to wear skinny or at least slim-fit jeans if you are going for an oversized top; otherwise your entire outfit starts to look baggy.

Low rise straight leg jeans with a button-down shirt:

Another great way to wear low-rise jeans is to pair them with a button-down shirt or blouse. Preferably the shirt should be a little loose which makes for a better outfit. With this outfit, you can go for two different looks; if you are confident in your physique, you can go for the street casual style of Bella Hadid, and tie the lapels of the shirt in the front to show off your hip bones and belly

On the other hand, you can take inspiration from the fashion icon Victoria Beckham, and tuck the shirt in your pants. This outfit gives you the illusion of a taller height, and it will also hide some of those stomach rolls when you are sitting down. Moreover, this outfit is suitable for multiple occasions. You can go casual by simply untucking the shirt, or you can even make it business casual or a daily work outfit.

Low rise jeans with a turtleneck:

Low rise jeans are trendy, and so are turtle necks, so why not combine these two styles that have a lot of haters. In combination, they can give you a classy and elegant look. Combine a black turtleneck with a pair of khaki low-rise jeans, and you have the perfect outfit.

Though you can go for skinny jeans, in my opinion, straight fit jeans are much better done with this outfit. As it is evident from the turtleneck, this is more of a winter outfit. You can even throw a long leather coat, which is going to be very trendy this fall and winter.

To sum it all up, whether you are dreading it, or excited about it, there is no denying that low-rise jeans have made an epic comeback. Even though many people hated this trend when it went away, it does bring a feeling of nostalgia and remind us about the early 2000s. Moreover, the trend has also evolved as it is reborn, it is significantly more versatile in terms of pairings, and it is accommodating of all body types. Massive clothing brands like JCPenney, Abercrombie and Fitch, Gucci and Macy's have showcased low rise jeans on their runway, and fashion icons like Victoria Beckham, Bella Hadid and Lily-Rose Depp have been seen supporting the style. Therefore, if you want to have a fun and lively style and follow the latest trends, you need to add some low-rise jeans into your wardrobe. In today's post, we took a deep dive into the trend on low-rise jeans, and I have tried to answer some of the common questions that people have. I hope that you find this post helpful and entertaining.