On the mention of bell beer, I can’t help but remember the beloved “bell bottom” flared jeans/pants that are now out of vogue due to the skinny jeans trend.
Bell bottoms are a style of trousers that become wider from the knees downward, forming a bell-like shape of the trouser leg. There was something about them that no other trend will ever achieve.
It took me a long while to adjust to this new trend because of the effort and time I had to put in dressing up. You have to squeeze yourself into these tiny things! Have we just run out of fabric? The jumping and wiggling into these tiny (kapipa) pipe jeans is all too tiresome, but not with my lovely flared jeans. Just in a blink of an eye and I am already dressed and good to go.
Flared jeans were one of the earliest trends and most flamboyant in fashion history. They rocked in the 1970s and faded around 2006 when rock bands popularized the skinny jeans. The confidence they demanded was truly magical. You could walk on the dance floor and get swallowed up in the world of sleek and round swirly bottoms, tiny waist lines and heads full of huge bouncy Afro hair. The inclusion/togetherness was the ultimate thrill of these denim fashion explosions.
These jeans were unisex and came in multiple colors but the most common was blue and monochromatic black and white. It didn’t matter the age or size, given the ease that came in handy while putting them on. These jeans were such a darling when it came to tops and shirts. You could pull off the satin cropped blouse with high thick wedges and rock the whole neighborhood.
This was the time when men had the kind of swag that stretched out miles ahead. A guy would slay flared pants, neatly pressed long sleeved satin shirt, afro hair, aviator shades, polished pointed shoes (musonso), gold chain, and stick a toothpick in the mouth just to accentuate the look. I tell you, all eyes would be on him. A “yes” from any girl he wanted was an assured deal. What a truly glamorous time! Oh, the good old days! I can hardly wait for these beautiful things to finally wake up from their deep slumber, can you?