Retail therapist The tricks to wearing wide-leg trousers
THE INSPIRATION
Wide-leg trousers have the potential to be the most hard-working item of clothing hanging in your wardrobe, and if you don’t have a pair you swear by right now, let me encourage you to change that.
Wide-leg trousers scream confidence and they’ve often given me a pep in my step when I was unable to muster it on my own. You slip on a pair, step outside the house and strut in a way that no other trouser can convince you to do. Yet there are still women who doubt this power, claiming wide-leg trousers are only for tall women, skinny women, long-legged women or any other description they are not. Lies! Wide-leg trousers are the universally flattering shape for all body shapes and heights.
It’s important to know the three tricks to carrying off wide-leg trousers well, though. The first is to find a pair wide enough in the leg that the trouser falls straight to the ground from your waist. Catching on the hips to the sides is fine, but to truly create a sense of length, you want the trouser to draw the eye up and down your leg without interruption from the front and back.
When it comes to the waistline, the higher the better – although I feel like this should come with a caveat: for me, the higher the rise, the tighter the Spanx I need to wear. Ideally, the waistband should sit at the narrowest part of your torso. If you have more of a straight shape, try using a belt to accentuate the waist and layer with a blazer or jacket. This will help create the illusion of an hourglass figure.
If you want to appear taller, pair with a high heel and let the hem of the trouser fall nearly to the floor. This will make your legs look like they go on forever. If you’re tall and don’t want any extra height, try a flat shoe with a bit of colour or sparkle.
Whatever you do, give this style a chance. I’m confident this will be a real game-changer for your wardrobe.