Ask a Stylist: how to wear wide-leg trousers

How can an average-height woman pull off those extra-wide trousers without a heel and still look fashionable and cool? I am 5ft 5in and I always find it hard to get the right fit of trouser that doesn’t make me look boxy. Should it be high waisted, mid or low?

This is a common issue. Fashion throws us a fun look to try and when we attempt it we feel like clowns. There are a few factors to consider here. They are volume of the trouser, fit and cut of the trouser, the length of your legs and — the clincher — the right shoe. Phew. It’s a lot, isn’t it? No wonder it’s confusing.

I would like to begin by talking about leg length. The fashion world would have you believe that high waist is the best for everyone, and if Loewe’s latest bra-touching jean is anything to go by, the higher the better. It categorically is not.

If you have a long leg in proportion to the upper half of your body and/or have a full bust, then a high waist is not for you. Unless you actively wish to look like you have legs that go up to your armpits and a teeny bit of body on top? We have been sold a line that we should aspire to a long leg above all. I would argue that this is more to please men than to look your best in clothes.

If the leg is long in the first place, great, it is handy for dressing, but you will look a whole lot better with a mid- or lower-waist trouser. Conversely, if you have a shorter leg then you do need that high waist to stretch your leg and raise the waistline. What you are after is balance — where you look roughly equal leg to upper body.

Now we have established that you can choose your waistline. Sadly, so many of the trousers on offer are still predominantly high waisted. If you have a long leg you can still wear that high waist, but you’d want to wear your top over the waistband to make the torso appear longer. Fitted shirts are an easy way to do this, as you can wear them untucked over the trouser. With Nothing Underneath is great — try its classic shirt and size down if you want it more fitted (£85, withnothingunderneath.com) or try Sporty and Rich’s striped option (£166, net-a-porter.com).

Next let’s tackle the volume in the trouser. Some of us can get away with a large expanse of fabric swinging about and others really can’t. This, I am afraid, is mostly down to height. The taller you are, the more fabric you can cope with. You are actually above the UK average (5ft 3in) but there will be a tipping point. I can’t tell you where that point is without seeing you, but the trouser will either look wide but in proportion to your body, or it will look ridiculous. If you feel swamped by it or overwhelmed, clearly it’s too much! You need to feel comfortable in your clothes and confident in the look you have created.  

Now for the fit and cut of the trouser itself. Some cuts are simply too square. It happens a lot with cheaper labels where both the quality of the pattern cutting, factory production and fabric are inferior in the first place. You get what you pay for with tailoring. If the cut of the hip area is too straight, then most people would look and feel boxy. You do need some shaping here to look your best.

Choose simple flat-fronted wide legs as they are the most flattering of all. Vince is good at this style — these have a lot of stretch so that will mitigate a lot of fit issues (£340, harveynichols.com). Having been rude about cheaper tailoring, I do rather like Jigsaw’s crepe offering, kinder to those with fuller thighs and hips and a comfortable and seasonless option (£130, jigsaw-online.com). Just ensure they are long enough and don’t do that weird flapping around the ankles — there should be a law against that. The obvious step up from this would be The Fold’s clever crepe — easy as pie and elasticated at the back, which enables a fantastic fit at the front (£295, thefoldlondon.com). Wear with white, green, grey or even orange. Max Mara has a neater flat-front straight leg in five colours; the blue azure looks fantastic with navy, cream or burgundy (£320, maxmara.com)

Alternatively, you could look at a pleated style. Pleats were originally put into trousers to allow for a curvier thigh or hip. The issue is that you need to be very careful that the pleats sit in the right position for your body and don’t bulge out when you look sideways. They also shouldn’t pull or pucker. If the latter happens, size up and get the waist taken in if necessary. This dusky pink pair from Paige have a small sewn-down pleat so are super-flattering on most hips (£279, paige.com). Wear with a slim-fit tee, knit and a trainer or kitten heel (more on shoes later). You could choose a leg-lengthening pinstripe from Veronica Beard to help you look a touch taller (£480, net-a-porter.com). There’s a lot of drape in this fabric — wear with a crisp fitted shirt or smart tee for a smart-casual vibe. 

Finally, let’s talk about shoes. I am not going to lie: a heel, or at least a raised, chunkier-soled trainer does look best with wide-leg trousers. You said you’d like to wear them with flats. Proper flats really aren’t good for feet and most podiatrists would recommend a small heel. Could you perhaps stretch to a kitten heel? Any lift you can get will help tame the volume in the trouser.

This Aeyde low heel would work well with most colours (£295, net-a-porter.com), or Arket has an even lower black one (£189, arket.com). Even a Birkenstock would give you some lift — I still love the shearling, even for spring in this soft brown shade (£130, birkenstock.com). Or you could opt for a very simple trainer like the Clean 90 from Axel Arigato (£210, axelarigato.com) if you’re smaller framed, or the Orbit if you’re larger framed (£235, axelarigato.com).

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