No longer a mainstream fashion, tight jeans could still be found as part of the music scene.

The Rolling Stones were still touring and underground punk with it’s Goth cousin were entrenched in tight skinny jeans (anti fashion once again).

Ever wonder why “Rock n Roll” is so often mentioned in reference to jeans? For mainstream America the skinny jean had taken a disturbing turn, evolving into tapered leg styles and even the horrors of faux denim leggings.

Some people just have trouble moving on!
.
.


Here we are again, but skinny jeans didn’t just pop up over night.

In Fall of 2002 cutting edge designers were showing skinny jeans scrunched over high heels and tucked into boots.

Stella McCartney, Versus (Versace), and Rock and Republic all have the skinny jeans look.

By 2003 the trend becomes even more prevalent on the runways and the premium denim brands are on board.

You have to admit, it looks great on those runway models.
.
.


Designers are still pushing the skinny, and the trend catches on in London. Visitors to the high street feel totally out of date in their trusty boot cut jeans.

JBrand jeans is launched in LA, producing straight and skinny jeans in dark washes with minimal detailing.

Celebrities such as Kate Moss, Angelina Jolie and Sienna Miller embrace the new trend and look fabulous in it.

We started to see them in our office in 2005, but mainstream America was slow to catch on. Lucky Brand jeans introduces skinnies to their customers only to watch them languish on the store shelves.
.
.

It’s here, it’s there, it’s everywhere! Suddenly Americans are seeing Skinnies in every store. Almost all denim brands offer at least one version of a skinny, cigarette or super straight.

There are other jeans out there, but these are the ones that are on top of everyone’s shopping list. Stores are pushing the new look , and everyone from fashion editors to bloggers are writing about this new trend.

Early in the year news reports are varied predicting this is a style that just won’t catch on. By the fall season you could get your skinny fix everywhere from the trendiest boutiques to the local discount store.

The skinny was at the peak of it’s popularity.
.

Four years later the skinny is still as popular as ever. Bloggers keep writing and the jeans keep selling.

That’s 60 years of skinny jeans – still going strong!

James Dean, Marlon Brando and Elvis wore their jeans straight and slim. Although women in the 50′s didn’t often wear jeans, Audrey Hepburn, Sandra Dee and Marilyn Monroe wore slim, close fitting pants that had the same sexy silhouette as today’s skinnies.

By the 1960′s women’s jeans were more common (even though the zipper was in the back) and they continued to have that skinny silhouette.

The look could be super sweet like the girl next door, or sexy and rebellious like those greaser chics in the musical and movie.

Rock and Roll was coming of age and tight jeans were the uniform.

.

We think of elephant bells and groovy flare jeans but dig a little deeper and you’ll find the beginning of the punk movement and the skinniest jeans in history.

Tight from the waist to the ankle, safety pins were often used to keep them snug around the body and increase that bondage appeal.

Think of the Sex Pistols and The Ramones as prime examples. Vivian Westwood had her own shop selling this “anti-fashion” to the ultra hip crowd.

.

Tight jeans were definitely in for women and men. Tight and stone washed (still no stretch in denim), this is where tapered legs jeans really made their mark, and the style lasted well into the early 90′s.

Remember those oversized sweatshirts and the colorful leg warmers? Pat Benetar, Chrissie Hynde and the rolling Stones, all the serious rockers wore their denim tight – without leg warmers, of course.

.

Check out part 2 where we cover the story up till today!