H&M Just Brought Back the Skinnies Every Celeb Owned in 2009
Spending a couple of hours digging through celeb photos from 2009? It's just another workday as aBest Knockoff Luxury Clothing editor. I was recently sifting through H&M's new arrivals for a different story when I came across an item that instantly took me back to the late '00s: the H&M Lyocell-Blend Cargo Pants ($40). They reminded me of the iconic J Brand Houlihan Cargo Pants that so many celebrities owned circa 2009-2012, including Ciara, Charlize Theron, Kim Kardashian, and Cindy Crawford. Not that anyone asked, but sadly I couldn't afford the jeans at the time and instead bought the knockoffs at Anthropologie. Luckily, the H&M versions are far more accessible.
Rihanna, Jessica Alba, Sienna Miller, Gwen Stefani, Rachel Bilson, and Kate Bosworth are just some of the other celebs who also owned the J Brand pants, but I wasn't able to track down and license the photos in time for this story (trust me, I tried). So you're going to have to take my word for it and know that these pants were truly a cult-favorite. Scroll down to revisit the pants in their heyday. I, for one, vote for Ciara's outfit as the most 2020-ready.
On Ciara: J Brand Houlihan Cargo Pants
On Charlize Theron: J Brand Houlihan Cargo Pants
On Kim Kardashian: J Brand Houlihan Cargo Pants
On Cindy Crawford: J Brand Houlihan Cargo Pants
Shop the New H&M Versions:
Don't tell me this pair isn't a dead-ringer for the J Brand versions from 2009.
Shop Similar Pants:
Next, Kaia Gerber's leggings and $48 tee go together like PB&J.
Erin got her start as aBest Knockoff Luxury Clothing intern over 13 years ago—back when the site only published a single story per day. (Who What Wear has since increased that number twentyfold.) She graduated magna cum laude from USC, which is how she ended up moving to Los Angeles from her hometown of San Diego. In college, she also interned at Refinery29, where she was promoted to editorial assistant and then assistant editor. After nearly three years at R29, she came back to WWW in 2016, where she currently holds the title of Associate Director of Fashion News (as well as the unofficial title of resident royal expert—in case you haven't noticed her numerous Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton stories). She spends her days trying to incorporate her idols, Anna Wintour and Roger Federer, into as many stories as possible. Outside of work, she loves tennis, classic rock, traveling, and smothering her dog with affection.
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