The skinny to stay

Spanish designers may have recently barred the too-thin from the catwalks of Madrid Fashion Week, but the rest of the fashion scene is still fixated on skinny. Jeans, that is. The clothing piece that was taboo and had us all running for bootleg cover a few years ago is now de rigueur in our closets. Skeptics did point that the narrow-leg silhouette was barely flattering but that the grumbling lasted all of eight seconds, thanks to some tunic magic, wide belt adornment, and partly due to the unrepentant endorsement of the fashion press (this is probably my third time writing about skinnies in the last few months).

It’s also probably worth noting that the skinny pant has gone past just being a revival of an ’80s trend, and is now being referenced in different looks, spanning different decades, from the detail-deficient ’90s to the sugary Mod ’60s to the ragged, hotchpotch of ’80s disco. Even the ’70s hippy, who lived and breathed in an unwashed pair of faded bell-bottoms, has been revamped to accommodate a slimmer leg. Call it the fashion industry’s favorite slut: it’s available, it’s made the rounds, yet we’re still wanting more.

Plus, if SM Department Store, the sound-off from style cognoscenti to the fashion-hungry masses, is pushing for it, then you know it’s staying.

Minimalist

If you’re going for a one-hit wonder, the narrow leg does more for a sleek and simple feel than any other silhouette. Stiletto sandals or pumps in the same shade will also help achieve the desired affect. But try to stick to neutral tones – black, gray, white – when going minimal. Any other color in head-to-toe will automatically qualify you for a box of Crayola 69s.

Mod

A pair of narrow-legged pants worn under a short, flirty dress gives you a one-up over Jackie Kennedy. Pile on the sweetheart accessories such as a bright belt, a wide headband, and dainty hoops.

Glam

Dig this outfit? You’re not the only one. A glamorous top paired with a sexy pair of skinnies is now a normal sight in the club scene. Keyword: normal. Going skinny sartorially is the only form of anorexia where you don’t have to feel like a trend-eager freak.

Boho

The usual elements are still there: the floral print, the earth tones, loose sleeves, stacked heels, the oversized tote. We just cut off about a foot from the jean hem’s width, and saved you a great deal of tripping (we mean the kind where your foot gets caught in your swishing pants and you fall flat on your face).

Grunge

The alternative scene let go of baggy jeans when 50 Cent started taking over for Eddie Vedder in the low-slung jean department. Now grunge pairs its lace-up combat boots with a skinnier pant leg – the sleeker silhouette is actually more ergonomically suited to mosh pit dives.

Disco

If you don’t know the quintessential skinny jean get-up by now – the striped tunic, the gregariously wide belt, the matching cuff, and the killer pumps – then you don’t read us often enough.