On Sunday, Kendrick Lamar headlined the Super Bowl halftime show, and if you were at home watching his performance, you know: So did his jeans.
Unlike past halftime artists, Lamar stuck with one outfit for his entire 13-minute set, and his sartorial choice caused many people to collectively lose their minds.
That’s because Lamar’s jeans did not subscribe to today’s conventional straight-leg style or even the looser West Coast hip-hop denim fit worn by DJ Mustard, who also appeared in Lamar’s performance. Lamar’s denim had ― to use a pun ― flare.
Styled by Taylor McNeill, Lamar wore a backwards hat, motorbike jacket and bleached-blue Celine jeans that expanded out at the knee, skimming the floor as Lamar strutted across his stages. Some people online called the style bootcut, while others called it a straight-up flare.
“It was so different and unexpected,” said Ashlyn Greer, CEO and founder of Fashivly, a personal styling company.
“It was the combination of the fit and the wash too, this is a jean that looks very mid-2000s,” Greer continued. “If he had been wearing wide-leg jeans, baggy jeans, even skinny jeans…they likely wouldn’t have been mentioned.”
The jeans were divisive online. One X commenter called Lamar’s jeans “the most Hannah Montana lookin bootcut jeans I’ve seen in years,” while the less-enthused commentators denounced them as “mom jeans.”
Donnell Baldwin, a fashion director and creative consultant, said that when he saw Lamar’s jeans, he went, “Whoa, that’s a little unexpected, which is why I think it’s kind of making some people uncomfortable, intrigued.” He said straight-leg jeans are the “safe spot” that many people wear, which is why deviations from this trend are refreshingly cool.
Baldwin noted that Lamar is the second notable person to be rocking the bootcut look in recent days, citing Pharrell Williams at Paris Fashion Week, seen lower in the story. He believes the bootcut style is only going to get bigger, and it’s a trend he follows himself.
These kinds of jeans are “perfect for sneakers,” Baldwin said. “It’s cool to see them kind of have a resurgence and get their shine.”
Whether you love or hate them, these jeans are a talker. Stylists and fashion experts break down exactly what type of jeans Lamar wore, and how you can adopt the look for yourself.
What Exactly Were Kendrick Lamar’s Jeans?
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Bootcut? Bell bottoms? Flared? Lamar’s jeans were described using many terms, and fashion experts had different answers on what they were.
Michael Maccari, Fashion Institute of Technology menswear professor, said he would call Lamar’s jeans “flare because there is a gradual increase in volume from the hip down.”
Greer acknowledged that the differences can be subtle, but she also considers Lamar’s jeans to be “technically” more flare because, “A flare starts getting wider at the knee, and a bootcut [gets wider] about halfway between the knee and bottom of the jeans.”
Meanwhile, Baldwin said he considers flare jeans to be two opposing “V’s” that have “a little bit more dramatic” flare, which is why he believes Lamar’s denim is a bootcut style.
The one answer experts all agreed on is that Lamar’s denim jeans were definitely not exaggerated bell bottoms.
Baldwin said with bell bottoms, “It’s really tight and form-fitting in the waist, in the thigh, and then all of a sudden, it dramatically ‘bells’ out, right? So think of Lenny Kravitz, circa ’90s, early 2000s.”
How To Wear This New Flared, Bootcut Trend
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The Celine jeans that Lamar wore are called “Marco jeans in dark union wash” and are currently retailing for an eye-popping $1,200. But you can still access this trend at a lower price point.
If you want to find Lamar’s style of jeans, look online and in vintage stores with terms like “mid-light wash flare denim five pockets jeans,” Maccari said. Maccari mentioned Nili Lotan, Diesel and Levi’s as brands that would carry this type of jeans for less than $400.
Remember that your waistband and torso length can also determine if your jeans pool fashionably at your feet or not.
“Kendrick’s were a mid-rise jean but keep in mind your body type can determine where a jean sits on your waist as much as the fit ― if you have a shorter torso, a mid-rise might fit like a high-rise would on someone else,” Greer said.
Like all great artists, Lamar used visuals to tell stories beyond what his lyrics alone could convey. In an interview with Apple Music before the halftime performance, he said, “I think I’ve always been very open about storytelling through all my catalog and history of music. And I’ve always had a passion about bringing that on whatever stage I’m on.”
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From the visuals of a divided U.S. flag to a rigged tic-tac-toe “game” of America, Lamar was intentional at making his performance political.
And Baldwin said he is sure that the jeans Lamar picked were an intentional part of the story, too.
“[Lamar is] a very intentional person, so he probably wanted to rock something that was fresh, new, different than what’s going on currently,” he said. “It’s just refreshing to see an artist who’s this prolific and has something to say rock something that’s just a bit left-of-center, but still on point.”