Fashionable and Folded – Fold Over Jeans

By Lori Ferraro

Who else wore these high-waisted beauties? My girlfriends and I were all at the height of eighties fashion in our fold over jeans. I saw a picture of a pair of these the other day and it tooootally took me back:



Fold Over Jeans

Not the most flattering look for us short girls, fold over jeans had pleats, several extra decorative brass buttons and button holes, and from what I remember they were almost always done in acid wash.

I had fold over jeans in every possible form:

  • Jeans
  • Skirt
  • Shorts (yeesh…)

all in acid wash.

Fold Over Jean Shorts

I remember buying the jeans at “The Limited Express” before Express broke off and became its own store. ALL of the girls in eleventh grade were wearing these things.

On the tall, skinny girls it was an interesting look but call me crazy, I sure didn’t need all of that extra, bulky denim laying around my midsection.

I topped off my folded over jean look with a giant brown belt a boyfriend had given me –the clasp was shaped like a clock face. Because on top off all that extra material I needed a big clock face belt.

You could not walk by Limited Express, Rave, Lerner New York or Contempo Casuals without seeing a window full of mannequins wearing all this stylish denim on their bottom halves.

Foldover Jeans

I remember pairing my jeans with a big bulky Forenza brand sweater or an Outback Red turtleneck and wearing scrunchy socks and shiny, black patent leather lace up shoes. Oh yeah, and that awesome, totally unnecessary BELT.

Thankfully the fad didn’t seem to last too long, maybe like one school year? In retrospect I’m grateful but at the time I along with every other girl, could not get enough of this dynamite denim look.

80s Fold Over Jeans

Author: Lori Ferraro

Lori is a writer and actor living in Portland, OR. Her website, Drawn to the 80s, is where her 5 year old draws the greatest music hits of the 1980s. She is a blogger for The Huffington Post and her own blog, Once Upon a Product, is where she writes about important things like beauty products, music, her obsession with Mick Jagger and of course...the 80s.

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1 Comment

  1. Wow! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this site! I was an aerobics instructor (Jane Fonda-feel-the-burn) back in the 80’s & 90’s, and of course I rocked all those looks! I was in my late 20’s in the mid 80’s and I thought it was the coolest time ever. I drove a Trans Am, listened to Prince, Def Leopard and the Scorpions. I still re-live those days… Thanks a million for the memories, Lori.

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