We asked 5 women to try on low-rise jeans. Here's what they really think of the trend.

Trend alert: There’s something lurking on the fashion horizon that more than a few women are dreading. Welcome (or don’t) the return of the low-rise jean.

The resurgence is one more nod to the considerable amount of change in the jeans department as of late. First, the demise of the skinny replaced by looser, high-rise variations. And now, this, perhaps the most polarizing silhouette of all, making a comeback. Also called low-cut, low-riders and hip huggers, these were all the rage some three decades ago and, today, the revival is underscored by their appearance on runways and in stores.

Fashion folks have been observing the low-rise slowly reemerge. Véronique Hyland, ELLE fashion features director and author of the upcoming book, "Dress Code," due out in March, says she "chalks it up to our collective nostalgia and reevaluation" of trends from the late '90s and early 2000s. "So much of that era’s pop culture, from 'Sex and the City,' to 'The Sopranos,' is getting rebooted and reexamined, and younger people are discovering it anew," she says. "As we reconsider cultural figures like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, our eyes are also on their fashion statements, so it makes sense that those are getting airtime again."

After the high-rise’s comfortable embrace, who will jump on the low-rise redux? We invited a fashionable mother-daughter duo, and three other Long Islanders, to give us their take.

MOM AND DAUGHTER TRY-ON

Jeans are a go-to for psychotherapist Tracy Schachter, 44, and her fashion-focused daughter, Ella, 15, of Dix Hills. So off they went to a favorite boutique, Clothes Horse, in Huntington Station to, shall we say, analyze the new look. Alexandria Marra, the manager there, suited them up in two different pairs from DL1961 and Citizens of Humanity.

For mom, it was a no-go. "At this point in my life, I know what fits my body well and these don’t. I’ve been through many jean phases and I want to leave these in the past." She says the jeans were unflattering. "I felt self-conscious. I kept pulling my shirt down because I was mindful of my midsection showing and the pants up because I didn’t want my underwear to show."

It was a somewhat different story for 10th grader Ella who says, "I prefer high-rise but I liked them and I would wear them and I’m probably going to buy them."

“I don’t think any style of clothing is restricted to one body type. In 2022, it’s really about your own comfort level.”

Véronique Hyland, ELLE fashion features director

Explains Marra, "We ordered low-rise for the store because we were getting requests. I’m interested in seeing what happens."

MORE LONG ISLANDERS GIVE LOW-RISE A TRY

We asked three Long Island influencers to shed their high-rise "mom" jeans and give the reintroduced low-rise a whirl. And even though all the women are quite fashionable and often sport the latest trends, their immediate reaction to the notion of wearing the lowered waist was a unanimous "no way!" However, things turned around for two of them when they actually sampled the jeans though none of them dared to take on the lowest of the low. Here’s how it went.

Whoa, she likes low

Mercedes Gonzalez Mayo, 24, Smithtown

At first: "I’m not happy to hear about low-rise jeans honestly," said Mayo, @styleitwithtrix, when confronted with the news. "Personally, I would never opt for one. I have a wider set of hips and a smaller waist so high-waisted style always looks most flattering on me. I can confidently say this is not a trend I will be buying into."

A change of heart: After visiting several stores where she felt the rise was too-too low — "I definitely did not feel confident in these," Mayo declared — she discovered a just-right pair at Mystique Boutique ($69.99) in Melville. "I didn’t hate them. They were super stretchy and the flared leg allowed me to still feel slim in them." While she says the high-rise are still her go-to, "it’s great to change things up and have a different style. And I did end up buying this pair, so that definitely says something."

Just say no to low

Meaghan O’Connor, 37, Atlantic Beach

A no-go: O’Connor, @meaghanpoconnor, is a stylist and a plus-size style expert who was pretty definitive about her feelings on low-rise. "I do despise them. I haven’t tried a low-rise jean since high school but I’m willing to take the challenge." Unfortunately, at this time, we could find only one brand that offered low-rise sizes beyond 14, and the jeans weren’t right.

Just fine with it: "Not every trend is for everyone and that’s the case for me when it comes to the low-rise jean making its return and not just because the options for plus size women right now are few and far between" (read: almost zilch). "Just because it’s not for me, doesn’t mean it’s not for someone else." Instead, she models an in-between mid-high rise by Lane Bryant.

She tried it. She liked it.

Gail Gonzalez, 47, Valley Stream

Preconceived notion: "I feel like low-rise is for the younger generation. They don’t need to come back, honestly," said Gonzalez, @simplygailg, pre-try-on. "I absolutely love high-rise," praising the jean’s curve-making characteristics and the fact that the pant, "can hide any kind of pouch I have."

Shocker: "I was very surprised, I thought I was going to hate them, but I actually like them and will wear them again," she says of her American Eagle low-rise flare jean ($49.95).