Just when we thought skinny jeans were going to remain in the back of our closet for the foreseeable future, the denim style has thrown us a curveball. It's been some time since we last seriously considered the skinny jean. In 2016, before swearing off the bulk of them, we attempted to revive the pairs with a few creative makeovers to prolong their use. Spoiler alert: we ended up ditching most of them anyway. But a new trend is sneaking into the denim silhouette that's having us question our stance.

The side-slit jean has been making its quiet debut for a few months now. Instead of a straight-cut at the ankle, these jeans feature an exaggerated open slit along the side hem. While the small change doesn't alter the skinny jean DNA entirely (tight in the thighs, tight behind the knee, tight just about everywhere else), it does add a subtle flare more adaptable to our current denim tastes. And with boot season on the rise, the denim cut creates a little extra window to show off all the pairs we've carefully invested in.

Will you find us reverting back to skinny jeans again? Never say never. It's going to take some more convincing to fully embrace the trend's predecessor. But for non-skinny jean believers, the slit trend has caught on to a few other styles from vintage-fit to wide-legged jeans. Shop the new split hem jean trend up ahead.

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