The Dated Denim Trend Everyone Is Swapping Their Skinnies For

published 13 February 2025

Skinny jeans are officially in their underrated-classic era, but the latest denim revival is proving that nothing in fashion stays forgotten for long—especially when it comes with a celebrity cosign. Enter flared jeans. Yes, you read that right. The ultra-nostalgic, slightly polarizing, and once-dismissed Y2K silhouette is creeping its way back onto the scene, and Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX performance just might be the tipping point.

In case you missed it, Lamar took the halftime stage in a custom Martine Rose jacket, and while the jacket and leather gloves were on point, it was the Celine light-wash flare jeans that set off a collective internet reaction.

Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl LIX wearing Celine flare jeans

Let’s zoom out for a second. The past few years have been a wild ride for denim. The Great Skinny-Jean Debate of the early 2020s sparked an industry-wide shift toward looser, baggier fits, with Gen Z declaring the reign of skinnies officially over. But then, a plot twist: Suddenly, legacy styles like dark skinny jeans and high-rise skinnies started resurfacing in certain corners of the fashion sphere.

Now, just when we thought we’d settled into a wide-leg groove, flares—arguably one of the most divisive cuts in denim history—are creeping back into the conversation. Lamar’s Super Bowl look felt like a sign of the times: a major artist choosing a hyper-specific, once-dated trend at the biggest event in the world. And it’s not just him. Celine has been pushing '70s-leaning denim for seasons, Saint Laurent's latest collections have flirted with sleek bootcut styles, and brands like Stella McCartney and Mother have quietly been nudging flares back onto the fashion agenda.

So what's driving this renewed craving for old-school denim? It’s part nostalgia, part cyclical fashion logic. Skinny jeans are having their second life, and now, flares—once dismissed as too retro or too 2006—are getting their moment in the spotlight. There's also the undeniable appeal of something different in a sea of straight-leg sameness. If the past few years were all about rejecting the skinny-jean look, maybe this is the industry's way of slowly inching back in that direction, just with a little more volume.

Will flares fully dethrone baggy jeans? Probably not. But with Kendrick Lamar giving them a primetime cosign, don’t be surprised if this so-called “dated” silhouette starts popping up in all the right places. You’ve been warned.

See how the fashion set is already wearing the style, and shop our favorite flare jeans at the end.