This controversial millennial fashion fad is back and Gen Z thinks the trend is solved forever

The return of this late-aughts style staple feels like a real stretch.“Jeggings” — or, leggings that look like jeans — are getting a second life thanks to the retailer Uniqlo, which debuted a new line of stretchy denim.Under a post promoting the $50 unisex EZY Ultra Stretch Jeans — the skinny denim, which comes in five colors, billed as having the “feel of sweats” — commenters boldly declared that the 2000s-era “jeggings” were officially “back.”“So jeggings are back, cool,” one person wrote.“Is it 2017 again?” someone else said.“Welcome to jeggings, boys!” another quipped.The return of jeggings coincidentally falls in line with the revival of skinny jeans, which were once canceled by the young generation.Influencer Alix Earle partnered with Frame to release her own cut of slim denim, and celebrities like Bella Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski have been spotted sporting skinny jeans when hitting the town.Even runways have seen a skinny jean renaissance, with the likes of Miu Miu, Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen debuting their own iterations of the classic style.“It’s rare now to see skinny jeans in the wild, which subsequently means that brands and influential dressers will inevitably look to bring them back to the table,” Luke Raymond, Farfetch’s senior menswear editor, previously told GQ.“Add the nostalgic throwback to the #indiesleaze early ’00s that has been gaining steam, and you have a perfect storm for the return of the skinny jean.”In the late 2000s and early 2010s, the aforementioned “jegging” was all the rage, becoming a comfort-first alternative to traditional denim, with the give of elastic and the look of skinny jeans.

But the modern-day “jegging” has a new look, designed to be baggier and less figure-hugging.Last year, Rag & Bone’s wide-leg sweatpant-jean hybrid went viral and was adopted as part of the new office uniform, earning the title the “Gen Z jegging.”On TikTok, fashionistas...