Milan Fashion Week has come and gone, and even with the boho revival and Alex Consani’s “cancellation” of the word chic, the biggest news to emerge from the event was all about one certain body part’s return to vogue.
Yes, in case you (somehow) missed it: the bumster is back!
Once all the rage but but since-discarded, the Fall 2025 shows have seen a return of ultra low-rise silhouettes. And between appearances on catwalks and the Oscars red carpet, we have a feeling the look is here to stay for a little while. I think we can all agree—freeing the cheek has never looked so fierce!
What you might not know is that, with all its sexual connotations, the bumster is a trend with a rich, very fashion-focused history. As the trend takes told once more, we’re breaking down the evolution of the bumster, what it *actually* is, and the designers pioneering it’s revival!
Scroll on for more.
What *Actually* Is A 'Bumster'?
To put in plainly, the bumster ia a pant that falls just below the hips to reveal the upper part of the buttocks where the gliuetal fork—AKA, the butt crack—begins on our backs.
The cheeky trousers tease just enough of the behind to turn heads, but don’t enter into full moon territory… if you know what we mean.
Pants and dresses that feature a bumster typically follow an ultra-slim fit, accentuating the shape of the behind and making the beach-door peep all the more risqué.
Where Did 'Bumsters' Come From?
The specific style of pant were popularised by the late Alexander McQueen in his 1993 Taxi Driver collection. In the roaring ’90s, ultra low waistlines were all the rage, and the legendary creative took the style to new heights—well, lows. “The lower part of the spine is the most erotic area of the body”, explained a young McQueen to The Guardian.
After his showcase featuring the scandalously-cut clothes caused controversy, McQueen told the outlet: “I wanted to elongate the body, not just show the bum. To me, that part of the body—not so much the buttocks, but the bottom of the spine—that’s the most erotic part of anyone’s body, man or woman.”
By daring to expose the intergluteal cleft, McQueen’s provocative take on a trouser led to the fashion fave we all know and *still* love today—low-rise jeans. Booming through the early 2000s, the birth of bumsters was the pre-cursor to the hip-hugging jeans that sit barely above the crotch.
Donned by countless icons of the time, both bumsters and low-rise jeans have become a symbol of this experimental era of fashion, earning their rightful place as the ultimate salacious wardrobe staples.
Who's Wearing Bumsters Today?
Fast forward to Milan Fashion week FW 2025 and our biggest takeaway has been the very apparent presence of bumsters.
The Diesel Fall 2025 show displayed a great deal of derrières, with their latest collection paying tribute to the bumster phenomenon. Similarly, Dsquared2 played a big part in bringing back bum, with black leather bumster pants flaunted by none other than it-model Alex Consani. A crystal-coated and denim version of the ultra low-rise pants was also sported during the show.
Recently, Bumsters have also been rearing their heads on the backs of endless Hollywood it-girls, such Zoe Kravitz, Olivia Rodrigo and Julia Fox, who have donned the trend at major awards shows and events (um, hello, Oscars After Party).
So—is showing cheek the new chic? We’ll let you decide.
