Why you need wide-leg pants in your life, immediately
In my list of true great loves, wide-leg pants are right up there with friends, family and bacon. If you haven’t been converted yet, or you’re a little undecided, just hear me out.
1.A pair of Elle Macpherson’s legs comes with every purchase. This is true if you get a few things right. Firstly, the length is crucial. You need to make sure they aren’t too short or too long. Ultimately, they need to be just swishing above the ground when you’re walking. If you’re planning on wearing them with heels, I’d recommend taking the heels shopping with you, so you can try them on with the pants. Some stores offer a hemming service for around $10. One of these stores is Cue, which happens to have a wicked range of wide-leg styles at the moment (note: Cue stock sizes 6-14, ranging from 62-82cm waistline). Pants that have pleats ironed down the centre of each leg draw the eye down in long straight lines and make your legs appear thinner than they are. If you’re planning to wear flats, styles that have a pointed toe are another way to make your legs appear longer and these can also be worn with wide-leg pants. Again, the hem should swish just above the ground. Nine West have a good range of points for around $150 and vary from a 7–11cm heel.
2.Wide-leg pants can be part of a cutting edge outfit or a more classic style It’s particularly on-trend at the moment to wear a wide-legged pant with a fitted crop or if you prefer not to show your midriff, a top that sits just below the waistline (but isn’t long enough to tuck in) will also work. For a work environment, match wide-leg pants with a plain, collared, long-sleeved top and either roll the sleeves to ¾ to give a classic smart casual vibe or keep the sleeves long for a slightly more formal and sharp appearance. Jazz it up with a pink/orange lip and statement earrings. A note on versatility: when winter rolls around, wide-leg pants look great with a fitted turtleneck. Clasically. Cutting. Edge.
3.Wide-leg pants adapt to almost any body shape If your shape is heavier around the thighs, bottom and hips and you want to disguise this, try to look for a pair of wide-leg pants made of thicker fabric with no detailing on the front. You also may need to monitor the width of the wide leg and make sure there’s not too much excess fabric at the bottom. Avoid pants with detail such as pleats, heavy belts/sashes or pockets. If you tend to carry weight around your stomach, choose a slightly lower waistline with a wide band around the waist. And for the lean creatures out there, the palazzo-style, floaty, high-waisted, wide-leg is likely to work well on your figure.
My two favourite stockists at the moment for a quality wide-leg pant are Cue and Saba.
Good luck, be curious and above all remember to love the bod you’re in. If something doesn’t work, it’s because it’s not good enough for you. Keep searching xx
