The elasticated waist is bouncing back
Breathe out: it may stretch credulity, but granny slacks have never been more fashionable, says Melissa Twigg
Women scurried past them in M&S as if looking dowdy was contagious, the French refused to be seen in them in public and mothers urged their daughters to hide them away from any prospective husbands. For something so easy to wear, elasticated waists were given a hard ride and, until recently, were – outside of sport and, at a push, planes – only acceptable for the very young or the very old. Anyone in the busy, striving middle made the effort with zips, belts or buttons instead when they left the house.
Fashion, of course, made its contempt for the elasticated waist clear. When Anna Wintour was once asked if she ever wore joggers, she fixed the interviewer with an icy stare and simply replied, “No”. Karl Lagerfeld’s withering line – “Sweatpants are a sign of defeat. You lost control of your life so you bought some sweatpants” – summed up the industry attitude. They were the domain of Vicky Pollard and five-a-side footballers. When David Cameron urged us to hug a hoodie, there was no question of him doing so in anything other than well-cut chinos.
But, oh, how times change. I remember living in Paris in my twenties and being berated by a French boyfriend for trying to pop downstairs and buy a baguette while wearing jogging bottoms. “But what about the boulanger,” he said, mournfully. “He also has eyes.” Today, that same boulanger is no doubt eyeing up the city’s cool crowd as they waft around in haute tracksuits by ultraluxurious brands such as Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta and The Row.
High fashion (Stella McCartney, Gucci and Fendi in particular) kickstarted this trend a year or two before Covid reared its ugly head, and the rise of “athleisure” meant celebrities like Jared Leto, Victoria Beckham and Rihanna were regularly spotted in designer track pants. But it was during lockdown that the rest of us embraced the idea of a waistline that was shaped to our bodies rather than one that shaped them. After a lifetime of concentrating on what made us look good, a lot of us finally learnt to appreciate the clothes that made us feel good. For anyone who had spent their weeks suited and booted and their weekends zipped up in jeans, this felt quietly revolutionary.
“An elasticated waist means you’re not worrying about being trussed up like a turkey, which is the very antithesis of chic,” says designer Madeleine Thompson, who makes buttery soft cashmere tracksuits for her eponymous brand. “Fashion now allows us to really enjoy our clothes and people are grasping this opportunity with both hands.”
Karl Lagerfeld must be turning in his grave over just how much money is being made by the sweatpants he so despised. American brand Vuori is opening its first British store this September after making its name in the US for selling ultra-soft, lightly tailored jogging bottoms for men. Not exactly revolutionary, you may be thinking, but the company is now worth an impressive $4billion (£3.3billion) and handsome founder Joe Kudla is on a mission to give men’s tracksuit trousers and shorts the same treatment that Lululemon gave women’s leggings – aka the “you can wear these to brunch” treatment.
“The men’s market was really overlooked,” he says. “I wanted to create pieces that were effortless to wear and were removed from the idea of just going to the gym. We wanted to get a more tailored aesthetic in materials that were breathable and that you can exercise in, but which you can also dress up with a nice sweater and shoes.”
Kudla claims he’d wear his anywhere but on a first date (“I’d worry the woman in question would think I hadn’t made an effort,” he says), but I don’t think the offices of Britain are quite ready for us to stride into the Monday-morning meeting in a tracksuit, even if it was made by a trendy Californian. Elasticated waist trousers, however, are a different story.
Stella McCartney might argue that she kickstarted this trend, but it was undoubtedly high-end high-street brand Me+Em that brought a comfy waist to the attention of Britain’s midlife shoppers. The label’s stretchwaist trousers made pull-ups smart for the very first time and, post-Covid, women have been wearing them in viscose, cotton and leather to the office and out to dinner.
“Since we’ve returned to normal life, women have been integrating the loungewear they had in lockdown into their more traditional formal trousers,” says Me+Em founder Clare Hornby. “And that’s what we’re really good at – we make trousers that are comfortable but also a bit sportier, giving you the high-low look in one piece.”
For men, elasticated waists are suddenly cropping up in all sorts of smart-casual situations, transforming the feel of chinos, corduroys and even formal suits from preppy brands like Brooks Brothers. Uniqlo sells them, as does Cos and Arket and even luxury label Loewe is enamoured with a cinchable elastic waist as men of all ages turn their backs on the button, whether they work in the City or Silicon Valley.
Fashionable and comfortable as they are, I’m always a little worried about, well, my bottom. There’s a reason why the celebrities who walk down the red carpet in elasticated waist trousers are young enough to have never had a close encounter with a love handle. If you’re worried your bum looks better in something tailored, women can wear elastic trews with a blazer (like Katie Holmes did with aplomb) or an untucked shirt, or even a tunic, and finish the look with flat shoes or smart trainers. For men, most stylists suggest a shirt-out look, but if you want to tuck it in, opt for linen or a thick, high-end T-shirt.
Then try on the low-, mid- and high-rise styles to see what suits your body best – and, if the ghost of Vicky Pollard still comes to mind, you can always return to the comfortingly restrictive embrace of zip-up trousers…
‘An elasticated waist means you’re not worrying about being trussed up like a turkey’