Return of the bellbot

“Fashion is like karma — what goes around, comes around,” says fashion blogger Masoom Minawala. She’s right because it’s time to recycle your mother’s old bootcut jeans to keep up with the current trend of bellbottoms. Bellbottom jeans is the latest style statement being sported by celebrities like Shweta Nanda, Deepika Padukone, Kareena Kapoor Khan and international celebs like Jennifer Lopez, Gisele Bundchen, Selena Gomez among others.

Masoom says, “Bellbottom denims are easy to style and they look so vintage. For a bohemian look, you can pair them with a lace batwing top. A fun tank top and statement earrings will jazz up your look for a party.”

Stylists suggest that bellbottom jeans are not appropriate for formal wear; it has more of a casual vibe. Celebrity stylist Nitasha Gaurav says, “Bellbottom jeans are very retro, so a Rolling Stones T-shirt or a crop top would work well. You can even wear slim shirts that are cut close to your body. You need to balance the proportion, so don’t wear flared tops. Avoid sneakers or anything bulky. Wedges and platforms would go well.”

Can men also try the look? Stylist Indrakshi Pattanaik says, “If you look at your dad’s old photos, he’ll be seen wearing these jeans. But today, everyone wants to look more masculine so they could go for the whole cowboy look. But otherwise, men may not accept this trend easily.”

Before bellbottom jeans became the must-have clothing this year, crop tops were in vogue and interestingly, both started in the ’70s and had returned in the ’90s, too. So, how does a trend of a bygone era make a comeback? Nitasha says, “Fashion reflects what’s going on in society, environment, arts, politics, etc. You had many youth uprisings during the ’70s and it’s a similar political climate now with IS, political upheavals, etc. So it’s no surprise that those trends are coming back.”

There are many fashion forecasting agencies WGSN that work hard on predicting upcoming trends. “Trends are not decided by a particular designer and then copied by other designers. There are fairs and conferences held that tell you about the fabrics, textiles, colours and silhouettes, which will work in the near future. I had attended one such conference in Pitti Oumo near Florence. That’s why you see designers like Dior and Givenchy even using the same fabric for their runway shows at times,” Indrakshi says.