Patricia Manfield attends the Spring 2017 collections at Milan Fashion Week. Getty
Some trends are like newspaper headlines – fleeting; while others leave their mark on the fashion circuit and simply move up and down the coil of what’s hot and what’s not. Enter: wide-legged trousers. The louche look is here to turn up the volume on the supersized tailoring trend in the Middle East and beyond. Ever since they exploded onto the scene in the Saturday Night Fever era, wide-legged trousers have been a go-to sartorial option for the confident and those favoring an edgy take on modest dressing.
Ece Sukan and Giorgia Tordini attend the Fall 2017 shows at Paris Fashion Week. Getty
It seems the party isn’t over yet. The runway has been toying with bringing back the 1970s silhouette in the form of voluminous trousers with bell bottoms, flares, or simply extreme dimensions. From Adam Lippes to Rosie Assoulin, Preen and Ellery, Arwa Al Banawi and Racil, the larger-than-leg look has been rife across the Spring 2017 and Fall 2017 collections but now we’ve witnessed the look deftly styled on the circuits at fashion weeks in Milan, Paris, New York, and Dubai, it’s time to take the training wheels off and wear it ASAP.
Photographed at Fall 2017 Paris Fashion Week by Valentina Frugiuele for Vogue Arabia
The sage-old styling advice is to wear a slim-line, fitted top to balance the proportions of your outfit when wearing wide-legged trousers. In the footwear department, go for towering stilettos for a contemporary treatment, or platforms/flatforms if you want to play retrograde. For flats, thick-soled shoes of the Alexander McQueen Supersized Sneaker ilk will look urbane.
Related: From Milan to Muscat – how the suit became cool again
Scroll through our edit of the best wide-legged trousers that’ll see you through the new season and beyond. After all, it’s time to get your wardrobe back to business.
Alaïa, Wool-Blend Cady Wide-Leg Pants, AED/SAR 4,121 ; US $ 1,122
Taller Marmo, Immenso Wide-Leg Trousers, AED/SAR 1,829; US $497
Roland Mouret, Coveney Pants, AED/SAR 4,100; US $ 1,116
Mugler, Velvet Wide-Leg Pants, AED/SAR 2,960; US$ 806
