What is tight all over and saggy at the bottom?

Tight pants. They can look really great on women and make them look and feel sexy. Tight pants on men don’t really have the same effect.

This is a conundrum that, had I not witnessed myself, would still puzzle me.

There has been a recent surge in this trend in the last year in the fashionable hip-hop community.

First it was Common, Kanye West and the gang just more than a year ago with their not-so-baggy yet no-so-tight boot cut jeans, that caught the attention of their peers in the industry who weren’t really feeling the look.

For starters, this is actually a classic look. Rock stars like Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones are known for the super-fitted jeans and leggings look, printed or plain. And we all remember past NBA uniforms – tight and little.

In a new way, the look is back, though under much scrutiny. Most revolves around stereotypes that men who wear tight pants must be homosexual, but this is not the case. They are supposed to be seen as “cool.”

It’s not supposed to be the clothes that make the individual cool, but the individual who make the look cool.

In the Indie hip-hop scene, the duo known as Cool Kids is gaining more and more attention for its Chicago-style music and yes, tight pants, especially group member Mikey.

The people of these kinds of niche groups who identify with a specific Chicago style are all about being different, but the clothing is becoming uniform, and that has never been cool.

Don’t get me wrong; I am the number one advocate against baggy pants. I have never been a fan of the every-two-steps-I-have-to-pull-up-my-pants-though-I’m-wearing-a-belt look. Baggy pants are actually still a new fad compared to decades of skin tights on men and women.

I attended Player’s Ball this year, fashionably late and ready to trend-spot.

Just as I suspected, tight pants everywhere.

While most females donned dresses and skirts, many but not most of the guys sported the fitted pant that purposely sagged (or were pulled down) just under the butt so the world is forced to look at boxers.

Granted, some of the cooler trends didn’t all start that way. It sometimes takes a while for the rest of the world to catch on and make things their own.

Sagging tight pants won’t ever make sense, but the look is becoming cool.

Remember, style mavens follow the rules but break them accordingly.

Jakina Hill can be reached at 536-3311 ext 273 or [email protected].