STYLE : FASHION : A Flare for Jeans

If only you had known, you could have saved that pair of bell-bottom blue jeans from 1968. Or kept those elephant bells from 1979.

Blame it on the hippie/grunge/’70s revival going on in fashion: Bell-bottom jeans are back for another go-round in 1993. Many of the bells arriving in stores right now aren’t startlingly different from the classic Chemin de Fers or Dittos you once had in your closet. They are slung low in classic hip-hugger fashion, fit closely through the thigh and end in a frayed hem. Many have a pre-worn look that will make women in their 30s and 40s swoon, or wince, with nostalgia.

The most retro styles are found in junior departments, meant to appeal to those who missed Woodstock and have never worn bell-bottoms before. For second-time-around wearers, ‘90s versions with military buttons or wide-cut legs can be found in boutiques and specialty stores.

One odd note: Many women are going back to bells at the prompting of their male companions, who apparently associate the look with the happy, carefree days of youth. “Women walk right past them. It’s the men who are stopping and saying, ‘Why don’t you try these on?’ ” explains I. Magnin buyer Elyse Beispel. “It’s unbelievable how nostalgic men get when they see them.”