Thought retro trends would die with the revival of the fanny pack or the majorreturn of the scrunchie? Guess again, because bike shorts are back in a big way.
Very similar to the way in which Gretchen Wieners tried to make “fetch” happen in Mean Girls, it looks like Kim Kardashian West fully willed the silhouette back in style, (with a little help from fellow stars and high-fashion designers).
At first it seemed like something only reserved for Kardashian as she spent Summer 2017 strutting around in the finest from the Yeezy collection, (although we first saw her rock the trend back in 2016), dressing up the clinging silhouette and raising eyebrows in the process as she paired them with everything from blazers to crop tops, but soon after she showed off her take on the trend other fashion-forward, street-style stars, (like Kim’s famous sisters and Bella Hadid and Hailey Baldwin), started to follow suit, (or should we say, spandex? ).
While in Tokyo this week with Kourtney and Khloe, Kim continued to embrace the trend, this time swapping her heels with sneakers and going full-on ’90s, all while debuting the Yeezy Season 7 collection, (and showing off her fresh pink makeover).
The look continued to gain popularity on the runway during Paris Fashion Week in September 2017, where designers revived the polarizing silhouette in their Spring 2018 collections. From Chloe to Off-White and Dolce Gabbana, the looks varied as some of the outfits featuredfull-on sporty styles while others opted for a more feminine approach to the trend, as the shorts peeked out beneath dresses and skirts in matching lace.
Creative DirectorVirgil Abloh paid tribute to ’90s style icon Princess Diana with the Off-White collection, where Naomi Campbell closed the show in a look that epitomized the people’s princess as she strutted in a blazer and a pair of cropped spandex shorts. The royal often dressed down in her own take of the bike shorts trend, which she wore with oversized, boxy blazers, tees, and sweatshirts.
Now that Spring 2018 is upon us it’s clear the trickle-down effect is in full-force as trendy stores are now stocking the look– and given the rise of athleisure-wear-as-every-day-attire, we can’t say we’re completely surprised. The silhouette is certainly the warm-weather alternative to a pair of spandex leggings, and with it comes the freedom to dress the trend up and down–but are you ready to slip back into the 90s silhouette?
H&M Cycling Shorts, ($9. 99; hm. com)
FILA High-Waist Fitted Shorts, ($30; kohls. com)
