Cindy Crawford was spotted out and about with daughter Kaia Gerber at London Fashion Week, sporting a pair of bootcut jeans. Then future Duchess Meghan Markle wore a pair of black Mother bootlegs while shopping in Chelsea. Next up, a second supermodel seal of approval – Gisele Bundchen wore a pair to jet into Sao Paulo this Thanksgiving. Three’s a charm. The bootcut is on its way back.
The denim style has a somewhat chequered past. The original modification to the jeans silhouette was a matter of practicality: more room in the calf left space for bulky Western boots, without compromising on the saddle-friendly streamlined fit at the thigh.
The style undoubtedly had its heyday in the 1990s, when you could see a low-rise pair worn with a crop top and highlighted ‘Rachel’ ‘do in every shopping mall. Every ‘style icon’ worth her salt – the Spice Girls, Britney, Buffy the Vampire Slayer – had a pair (or 10). Post ‘99 the bootcut faded from the fashion pages, confined to the wardrobes of soccer mums and sad dads.