“Dad” shoes have been one of the biggest trends in recent years. Dad shoes are chunky shoes, with thick soles. This trend reached the mainstream when on September 21 Balenciaga released the triple S. A shoe that retailed for just about $800 and also sold-out the same day. The hype for bigger, chunkier shoes was real and many top brands hopped on the train. Brands such as Gucci, Acne Studios, Maison Margiela, and Vetements to name a few. But these “Dad” like shoes have been done in high fashion for about six years now. Raf Simons a prolific menswear designer who has been the creative director for brands such as Jil Sander and Christian Dior, released his Ozweego 1 on June 30, 2013 through his own label in collaboration with adidas. Kanye West and A$AP Rocky both rappers and trend setters in their own way have been wearing these since that time. These shoes did not really kick off until he released the second variation of the Ozweego, which featured a sleeker design and more color ways. Over time these shoes gained more traction and more and more celebrities started to wear them, especially rappers. The shoes retailed for above $400 but would rarely sell for this price and would usually drop to under $250 in sale season. This lead to many people having access for this shoe. So as time went on more and more people wanted this shoes and in late 2016/early 2017 these shoes started to sell out for full retail and not even reaching sale prices. Balenciaga saw how sought after these type of shoes were and take the idea and took it to the next level.
Bell Bottoms was one of the hottest items in the 1970s. They are a pant usually denim, that become wider from the knee down and form a bell-shape. This trend is said to have started in London in February 1964, but the use of the pant dates much further. It is said that sailors in the war of 1812 wore bell bottom trousers. The trend did not hit America till the late 1970s due to Sonny and Cher wearing them on their TV show. Bell Bottoms lived a short live as in the 1980s trousers such as parachute pants and leggings started to gain more traction. In the 1990s bell bottoms were reinvented to boot cut jeans and flare legs. Both were much tighter at the bottom but still offered a lot of room, flare legs are loose throughout while boot cuts fit tighter from the knee up. Bell Bottoms were made for men and women. This was advantage in the 70s as disco was big. People could wear these and be able to move pretty well while still looking stylish. Hippies were another main group of people who wore bell bottoms. You would see these pants in many different patterns, from blue denim to cotton prints with vidid colors to a wax finish. Many brands still release their own version of bell bottoms but it is a rarity to actual see someone wearing bell bottoms in todays age.
Skinny jeans was king for about the past decade. They are still very popular but looser fitting jeans and trousers have started to take over the past few seasons. These slim fitting pants spread to mens fashion in about 2008. Skinny jeans are said to have originated within France under Louis XIII rule. They were worn mostly by the high class citizens. They came back in 1805 as tight trousers not jeans anymore. These were worn by working classes citizens and these pants were perfect for them. They ceased being popular in the 19th century and made another comeback in the 1950s. Skinny jeans have been reintroduced many times, they had minor stances in the 70s and 90s but did not gain major traction until the late 2000s. Skinny jeans are not just made for women as well. Brands such as Saint Laurent and Christian Dior made skinny jeans very popular within mens fashion. Kanye West was another person who popularized skinny jeans again. He had a collection in collaboration with APC which sold out instantly, a rarity for the time it happened. Many celebrities and musicians have worn skinny jeans and they seem to still be the most popular within the music community. Skinny jeans always seem to have a time of being really popular and then going out of style in a few years and then popping back up.
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