Weird Celebrity 'Pandemic Denim' Trends

The similarities being drawn between the past COVID year and the flu of 1918 (which was somehow completely skipped over in the history books, as far as I'm concerned) have put the carrot of a Roaring '20s sequel dangling on the end of a stick. We're no doubt going to party, kiss our friends, and return to fashun like never before. But in the interim, in this half-vaccinated, partial-reopening era, most of us are just barely returning to some of the more basic parts of everyday life.

For the stay-at-homers, this means putting on pants again.

The celebrities included in this collective pants-putting-on moment, it seems, couldn't be more excited, opting for denim more decorated than a millennial's Brooklyn apartment. The simple act of wearing anything but sweats has triggered a wave of weird jeans trends among A-listers that'll no doubt be remembered as an iconic period of "pandemic denim" (pandenim?) in this whole existential blip.

Two-tone denim, as demonstrated above by Chrissy Teigen, who wore a pair by E.L.V. Denim yesterday, is among the most popular pandemic denim styles to emerge. Megan Fox and Gigi Hadid, who wore the same pair of half gray-half black EB Denim jeans within a week of one another, are on board with the split-color style.

Also heralded by Teigen, criss-cross jeans (hers by Agolde) seem to be suddenly everywhere. The asymmetrically placed button gives the effect of a pair of oversized pants altered to fit and seems to be popular among TikTok royalty: Addison Rae and Charli D'Amelio have both worn these reworked Levi's (and yes, there's a TikTok DIY hack).

Jeans that look more like quilted bedspreads than pants are bubbling to the surface, too. Jennifer Lopez wore a pair of wide-leg Tom Ford patchwork jeans that are bigger than my apartment, and Dua Lipa posted an Instagram in these '70s-striped GCDS flares. Somewhat more subtly, cuffed-hem jeans are coming back — with a twist. Mindy Kaling's Zara pair were folded halfway up her shin and Elaine Weletroth's R13 pair featured a black leather alternate side.

The bizarre collection of pandemic denim styles celebs have unearthed since the beginning of this year is so vast it's practically impossible to document in one place, but just trust that the strangeness doesn't end here. The 1920s gave us flapper dresses, but the 2020s are blessing us with these outrageous jeans — and we don't think the history books will skim past these.

Shop celeb-approved "pandemic denim" styles below.

Get the look:

Women's Two Tone High Waist Casual Jeans Colorblock Denim
Shop now: $32; amazon.com

Karl Lagerfeld Paris Women's Two Tone Skinny Denim
Shop now: $75 (Originally $100); amazon.com

Lee Two-Tone Seamed Stovepipe Jeans
Shop now: $98; nordstrom.com

Seven Two-Tone High Waist Ankle Skinny Jeans
Shop now: $104 (Originally $198); nordstrom.com

We Wore What Two-Tone High Waist Straight Leg Jeans
Shop now: $178; nordstrom.com

BlankNYC Patchwork Ultra High Waist Straight Leg Jeans
Shop now: $128; nordstrom.com

Jessica Simpson Women's Infinite Asymmetric Tapered Ankle Skinny
Shop now: $24 (Originally $80); amazon.com

Agolde Criss Cross Upsized Organic Cotton Denim Shorts
Shop now: $169; nordstrom.com

Syydn Women's High Waisted Stretch Patchwork Straight Jeans
Shop now: $33; amazon.com

Standards & Practices Isabel Colorblock Skinny Jeans
Shop now: $88; nordstrom.com

Mavi Jeans Niki Colorblock Fray Hem Crop Jeans
Shop now: $79 (Originally $118); nordstrom.com

BDG Urban Outfitters Pax High Waist Nonstretch Patchwork Jeans
Shop now: $40 (Originally $79); nordstrom.com

Le Superbe Fred's Denim Pants
Shop now: $375; nordstrom.com

Free People Steinbeck Patched Straight Leg Jeans
Shop now: $168; freepeople.com

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