Have We Reached Peak Big Pants?

Can I still wear this? This is a common question I get from friends and family who come to me with urgent concerns about their favorite skinny jeans or fitted blazers. My answer is always the same: Unless you’re a professional TikTokker, trends today matter less than ever before. Yes, pants are big now, but it’s still a good idea to have a pair of comfy skinny jeans in your closet. Wear what you like and buy what you think will make you feel good for years to come. But all that being said, there’s no shame in following the trends if they get you excited about getting dressed (not just today, but next year and the year after). Colorful Sambas are cute and delightful to style, no matter how many people have them, too. And a barn jacket is a perfect outer layer for late fall (and, as a bonus, easy to find secondhand). Sometimes it takes seeing a piece about 78 times on Instagram before you have the confidence to actually incorporate it into your wardrobe.

Not all trends, however, have the same kind of cultural dominance. (Remember “coastal-grandmother chic”? Me neither.) As we close out the year, we’re taking a look back at the silhouettes and accessories that transcended TikTok and defined mainstream fashion in 2024 — on social media and in real life, available from fast fashion to luxury and the resale market. And, we take a lighthearted stab at predicting which trends are most likely to stick around (we think big pants aren’t going anywhere anytime soon) or run out of steam (perhaps the boxer-shorts-as-outdoor-shorts moment has passed). But don’t stress if boxer shorts have become a favorite part of your summer style. Keep wearing them! When it comes to fashion, the real trend is figuring out your sense of style — regardless of whatever influencers or fashion people are wearing at the moment.

Photo: Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

Wide-legged jeans and trousers are far from new, but in 2024, even the most die-hard skinny jeans fanatics in my life tried voluminous pants. Big pants aren’t just for skinny influencers or teens. They’ve saturated mass retailers, from Gap to Uniqlo, and show no signs of fading away anytime soon. I once heard a retail analyst describe the shift that started in the early 2010s from long shirts/skinny jeans to tiny shirts/big pants as a once-in-a-generation silhouette shift. And so far, that’s proven to be true.
Longevity prediction: Still holding on strong

Photo: Stephanie Geddes

If you need further proof that big pants are sticking around, take a look at the recent rise of barrel-leg jeans, the comically large curved style that veers dangerously into clowncore territory. Barrel jeans are for big-pant trailblazers looking to push new limits of styling challenges. These pants are controversial — just check out the comments in response to our recent “how to wear barrel jeans” story. (You all need to interrogate your conception of “flattering,” I’m sorry!) But nothing cements a trend more than a polarizing reaction.
Longevity prediction: Not yet reached peak popularity.

Photo: Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

This year, the big short was the warm-weather cousin of big pants, popular in all formats, including denim, business-casual khakis, and linen. Refreshingly masculine and not always traditionally flattering, big shorts deliver a highly appealing mix of comfort and a little strangeness.
Longevity prediction: Still holding on strong.

I would have never expected to see so many people wearing menswear-style boxers outside the house this year, but I have to admit it makes fashion sense, given recent trends around loungewear and pajamas as formal attire. (I wouldn’t blink an eye to see someone in a silky pajama set at a dinner party, for example.) Boxer shorts also have a certain element of danger going for them, disrupting more polished looks like loafers and button-downs with some unexpected looseness. Still, since these shorts have had two summers of virality, we think they’ve already seen their peak. (At least for this trend cycle.)
Longevity prediction: Tapping out. 

Photo: Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images

For the past decade, midi-length hemlines dominated. Perhaps we needed a long recovery from the bandage dresses and micro denim skirts that defined the first decade of the 21st century. But time heals all fashion burnout. This year, miniskirts of all fabrics and styles began a mainstream comeback, perhaps boosted by Miu Miu’s signature micro-mini pleated skirts. We expect to see more kneecaps next year, too.
Longevity prediction: Not yet reached peak popularity.

Photo: Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

Much like hemlines that rise and fall, so, too, do heel heights and toe shapes. And right now, the most exciting shoes have either low, thin heels or ultrapointy toes — or both. In 2024, the mainstream elegant, witchy shape was everywhere, and we don’t expect that to change anytime soon.
Longevity prediction: Still holding on strong.

Photo: Jeremy Moeller/Getty Images

Sorry, Nike: Adidas won sneaker of the year with its suede and leather Sambas in nearly every color combination. After years of chunky sneaker styles, the classic Sambas are simpler and slimmer than previous viral sneakers, making them easy to pair with just about anything. Still, given their status as most dominant “It” sneaker in recent years, we think Sambas are cooling off. (I write this as I contemplate buying a classic black-and-white pair, so Sambas fans, don’t yell at me.)
Longevity prediction: Tapping out.

Photo: Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images

After years of sneaker dominance, several ladylike shoe styles have come back in recent years, none more powerfully than ballet flats in 2024. I bought a red pair and have no regrets, even after TikTok served me a video of an influencer saying nothing could be trendier (derogatory) than red ballet flats. These shoes are just so practical and, in their revival, much more comfortable than they were circa 2006.
Longevity prediction: Still holding on strong.

Photo: Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

Leather jackets are almost always in style, but what changes is the cut or shape. This year, minimalist, oversize, and masculine leather jackets were everywhere, while moto jackets remained stuck in the back of closets. Given their versatility and price point, we see this trend sticking around for many years to come.
Longevity prediction: Still holding on strong.

Photo: Christian Vierig/Getty Images

Good-bye, fleeces; hello, barn jackets. Was it Jonathan Anderson’s version at Loewe three years ago that kicked it all off? Or Prada’s take the following season? Whatever the origin or reason, barn jackets were absolutely everywhere this fall; even fast-fashion retailer Mango has its own version. The folks at Barbour must be thanking the fashion gods for this stroke of good luck, though the 2024 version of the jacket isn’t necessarily made from waxed cotton (the heritage brand’s signature style). We’re seeing versions in corduroy, fleece, quilted nylon, and even patent leather. Posh with a twist.
Longevity prediction: Not yet reached peak popularity.

Photo: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images

We are living through dire times for interesting tops. In that vacuum entered the vest: quirky but classic, often fitted but not overtly feminine. You could wear it over a T-shirt or nothing, just loose or cinched. And in 2024, it seemed like everyone did. The vest also benefited by hitting on several larger trends: minimalist but slightly dressed up (young people love to dress sexy business casual). But because vests are a choice, we feel they won’t have the same ubiquity next year.
Longevity prediction: Tapping out.

Photo: Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

There is something positively delightful about wearing mountains of oversize layers with a dainty little bag that fits right under your shoulder (if you can get the handle over all those layers). Perhaps that’s part of what’s fueled the polished-shoulder-bag trend that dominated luxury to fast fashion in recent years. The shape will remain a staple, but we think it reached its maximum popularity (for now) in 2024, as we’re already seeing a shift toward larger, softer bags. (The Row Margaux, anyone?)
Longevity prediction: Tapping out.

Photo: Jeremy Moeller/Getty Images

To evaluate scrunchies, one of the standout accessories of 2024, I consulted the Cut’s resident scrunchy expert, Brooke LaMantia. She is the sole reason why I own not one but two giant Good Squish silk styles. (I love them, despite their $50 price tag. Don’t judge me.) Brooke says scrunchies exist on a spectrum of constant evolution. A few years ago, they were small, demure even. Now they’re supersize. “They’ve evolved into being big statement pieces, and I think they will be for a few years, then, who knows,” she said.
Longevity prediction: Still holding on strong.

Photo: Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

Back when we wore chunky sneakers, our jewelry was tiny and delicate. The move was to wear a thousand tiny earrings on a heavily pierced “ear stack.” But in recent years, the defining jewelry trends shifted to puffy and sculptural, especially in earrings and bracelets. (In necklaces, the trend has manifested in the form of thick chains and charms, but more on that later.) When I think of 2024’s earrings, I think of thick, shiny hoops. But they’ve become so standard that we are betting we’ll see less of that style next year.
Longevity prediction: Tapping out.

Photo: Christian Vierig/Getty Images

A subsection of the chunky-jewelry trend that still has legs is made up of trinkets and charms, primarily in the form of necklaces and bracelets, but also seen frequently hooked onto handbags. Consider them an updated version of the statement necklaces that reigned in the early 2000s, revived with a vintage-inspired and delicate twist.
Longevity prediction: Not yet reached peak popularity.

Photo: Mauricio Santana/Getty Images

It’s not just the pants that got big. Whether you shop high end or on Amazon, oversize, minimalist silhouettes reigned in 2024. We’re talking giant coats, billowing button-down shirts, oversize sweaters in neutral, solid colors. The cocooning layers popularized by everyone’s holy-grail brand, The Row, were unavoidable in 2024, usually copied at lower price points without the same sumptuous quality — but faux The Row nonetheless. While oversize fashion will probably continue to dominate next year, we feel there are signs it’s starting to tap out due to sheer ubiquity. See “brat summer” fashion, or the return of frilly, feminine fashion on the runways. Even oversize queen Phoebe Philo is mixing things up.
Longevity prediction: Tapping out.

Photo: Claudio Lavenia/Getty Images

This summer, it was cherry red. This fall, it was burgundy and maroon. It’s been a few years since such specific shades of colors have dominated fashion so clearly as these red tones in 2024, lending a refreshing pop of color to even the most neutral of faux–The Row wardrobes. Reds have the advantage of feeling classic, but distinctive, and for that reason, we bet they’re sticking around.
Longevity prediction: Still holding on strong.

Photo: Jeremy Moeller/Getty Images

If there’s one thing you can count on in fashion trends, it’s that leopard print will eventually come back into style. In the second half of 2024, the pattern began its comeback and I personally am on the verge of buying some leopard-print jeans, which are not something I previously knew existed.
Longevity prediction: Not yet reached peak popularity.