Call me biased, but I’m a firm believer that every balanced wardrobe starts with a great pair of jeans. Whether you swear by classic straight-leg styles or prefer something slightly more slouchy and baggy, denim has held the power to make (or break) an outfit for decades. So, imagine my surprise when diving into the ‘fun jeans for fall’ hashtag on social media, and finding myself confronted with the “dated” style I thought we’d left in the Y2K archives: lace-up jeans.
This risqué silhouette had parents clutching their pearls and teenagers rushing to their nearest Baby Phat long before “Y2K” became a TikTok and Pinterest search term, and like them or loathe them, lace-up jeans were doing what they did best: pushing the limits of how much (or little) denim could possibly count as clothing.
From Christina Aguilera’s Stripped era (which included that raunchy music video for “Dirrty”), to reigning queen of 2000s excess Paris Hilton, we hit peak It girl fashion when a playful pair was styled with a ubiquitous graphic T-shirt. And of course, bestie Britney Spears was never too far behind (both fashion-wise and spacially), with her now infamous fedora-and-denim combination becoming shorthand for the time, but it was the low-rise lace-ups that really made it oh so Britney. And, lest we forget about Destiny’s Child and Jennifer Lopez (when she was still Jenny from the Block), who used tied-up jeans as a styling language all of their own. Whether they were embroidered with floral details or finished with strategic cut-outs, these jeans were never just denim—they were a cultural reset.
Such was the magic of lace-up jeans. A grand departure from the subtle, sensible styles of the Calvin Klein ‘90s, these unapologetically sexy, slightly outrageous low-rise jeans were all about unabashed femininity. Which is exactly why, 20-plus years on, the style is so beloved today. Whilst summer maximalism was expressed through vivid shades of blue, psychedelic prints, and wacky accessories, turning the corner into autumn means expressing yourself in a slightly different way. With layering firmly at the forefront, this season is all about unexpected styling choices— and what, pray tell, says “I’m the party” louder than a pair of lace-front jeans?
With J.Lo once again sporting a pair, and Bella Hadid styling hers with a graphic tee and pointed boots, this year it’s clear that amongst the fashion set, 2001 is officially back.
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