“Yes, wide-legged jeans have been the prevalent silhouette for a long time now,” says Toronto-based celebrity stylist Talia Brown Thall. “But there is always a time and place for slim fit jeans. They are a classic for a reason.” 

Brown Thall worked with now-Duchess Meghan on editorial fashion shoots before her days of royalty, when she was living in Toronto, working on Suits. “She wore skinnies back when I dressed her; she has nice, toned, long legs and has always favoured the style. I see her wearing them now on her Instagram feed, gardening in them paired with wellies. It is, after all, hard to garden in wide-legged jeans!”

The success of skinnies is thus dependent on the right time and place, says Brown Thall. Kate, for instance, wears her stovepipe jeans for “active” public appearances, as they are easier to move about in for the sporty demonstrations she gamely embraces. “Kate is always classy, never sloppy with baggy or ripped jeans,” she says. “She makes skinnies work by keeping the look crisp, with a blazer and often with white tennis shoes or tucked into high riding-style boots.” 

The way to make skinny jeans feel modern, she says, is to avoid ripped or ultra-faded versions. Distressed denim is not part of the comeback. “Keep things tailored with a tucked-in shirt, or an oversized blazer. Long, lean, clean and put together.”

You can go slimmer without going all the way to skinny. A straight leg is flattering for a wide range of body types. When it comes to jeans, Brown Thall suggests that people should stick with what looks good on them, rather than what is super-trendy. “That ‘Mom jean’ look isn’t as flattering as skinny or straight-leg.” I agree with her: Mom jeans look great on my 25-year-old daughter. Me, not so much. I feel dowdy in them.

Sadly, most of my old skinny jeans looked a little too loved and faded when I hauled them out of the closet. Once again, I side with Brown Thall: crisp, dark denim feels like the right play right now. I also agree with her that straight-leg cuts – and even a little bit of a boot cut, the silhouette Kamala Harris favoured on the campaign trail (worn with a blazer) can be a better proportion for 50-plus women. In my case, for instance, it can be easy to err on the side of top-heavy if there isn’t a bit of balance at the bottom: too-skinny jeans with a big jacket can make you look ready to topple over. Your legs may still be your best feature, and I get wanting to show them off, but overall balance is what makes an outfit formula work.

Brown Thall also recommends you gravitate to the right waist rise for your figure. If you are curvier, for instance, a high-rise will cinch your natural waist and create an hourglass silhouette. There are plenty of high-waisted and mid-rise skinnies out there; thankfully only the Hadid and Jenner sisters are advocating for the low-rise revival. Bumsters can stay in the archive files, please.

As for brands to look out for, Brown Thall points to Levi’s as the forever pick. If the stiffness of their classic jeans doesn’t appeal, the brand has gone heavily into softer Japanese denim options that still hold you in nicely. The aptly titled Levi’s 501 ‘90s jean is a good medium-width choice. Frame, a brand favoured by Meghan of Sussex, never got out of the skinny game, nor did Mother Denim. “And Citizens of Humanity”, says Brown Thall, “is such a good fit on the tushy”

For good Canadian options, Duer does mid-rise and high-rise straight jeans in a broad range of colours, plus some flares, kick flares and crops. Dr. Denim has a really cute modest flare and a great straight leg option, both in crisp black denim. Among size-inclusive Canadian brands, Silver Jeans and Penningtons both have good straight-leg options.

We don’t like to get into intergenerational squabbles here at the Zoomerist, but I must say I was quite cross with those Gen Zers for taking away my skinny jeans. It really did feel like my favourite look – and our reader Caroline’s – was off the table. I’m excited to invest in fresh, more fitted denim, and set aside the wide-leg jeans I have spent the past five years trying to get the outfit formula right for. 

Always asking questions,

—Leanne Delap