5 x ways to style wide leg trousers
Wider leg trousers have been creeping back into fashion for a few years now, but to make it into the mainstream takes a long time with menswear. And I must admit, despite nearly buying some wide leg ones with a client last year, I'm still mainly sticking to slim fits with my clients.
For some of them though, I feel it could be time to move on, so here I've been experimenting with putting some looks together using a pair of wide leg chinos. These ones are quite extreme in width, but you could start off with something just a bit wider than you normally wear to get used to the feel of the extra fabric.
Once you've started to wear the looser fit, I'm pretty sure you'll fall in love with the comfort of them (especially those of you with larger thighs) and wonder how you ever wore those skinny styles!
Before we begin, here's a few guidelines to wearing wide leg trousers:
1. Do wear shorter, boxier fit tops
2. Do wear chunky shoes and wide round toe styles, not pointed
3. Do wear well fitting tops which are relaxed but not too baggy
4. Do have them hemmed slightly shorter or roll them up so you don't feel like you're drowning in fabric
5. Do tuck tops in to give yourself definition, and make your legs look longer
Let's start with a smart casual work look. You might find you need to update your tops to go with the wider leg style, as your extra slim fit shirt, and bum freezer blazer that went with your skinnies, just aren't going to cut it.
Instead, go for a regular fit shirt (but not too baggy) and a 3 button unstructured blazer, which will balance out the volume of the trousers. Finish off with a chunky, substantial pair of shoes to go with the wider hem.
Also, when you click through to the blazer, check out how they've styled it with loose fit chinos, a t-shirt and white trainers which looks great and would be another option.
Beige wide leg cotton twill trousers - Beams Plus at Mr Porter - £175
Collarless pale blue cotton and linen shirt - Slowear - £295
Navy "Crew' lightweight blazer - Woolrich at Liberty - £290
Brown leather 'Michael' shoes - Paraboot at Trunk Clothiers - £325
Brown and tan weave leather belt - Oliver Spencer - £119
As mentioned above, a round toe or chunkier sole, rather than a pointed style looks good with trousers that have more volume to them.
A workwear jacket or over-shirt will be great with this style of trousers, though keep it relatively neat if you're new to wearing this style. You could also wear a more fitted t-shirt as a layer to keep a lean silhouette underneath.
If you keep the colours tonal like I have done here, it makes you look taller and slimmer than if you wear contrasting colours on the top and bottom eg; a white t-shirt with black trousers will break up the line of your body and give the illusion of being shorter and stockier.....not the look most guys want to go for! (But if you do happen to be tall and skinny, then it will work in your favour).
Beige wide leg cotton twill trousers - Beams Plus at Mr Porter - £175
'Wulu' olive overshirt - Satta at End Clothing - £139
Red striped cotton jersey t-shirt - Missoni at Mr Porter - £145
'Airmax 1 Treeline' Trainers - Nike at The Sole Scene - £225
Olive 2 way tote bag - Porter - Yoshida & Co at Trunk Clothiers - £160
Most trousers that have a wider leg, tend to have a higher waist too. A good opportunity then, à la Marlon Brando to tuck in your top. This has the two-fold benefit of giving you more shape by showing your waist, plus making your legs look longer by showing more of the trousers. It also gives a cleaner look if the trousers you've chosen have pleats in them.
To counterbalance that you can then roll your trousers a little at the hem to add a bit more style, especially if you're wearing high tops like these.
If you're still getting used to the wider hems, then make a little fold at the side seam before rolling them up, which gives a bit of a taper to the trousers.
Beige wide leg cotton twill trousers - Beams Plus at Mr Porter - £175
'Naples' caramel knitted polo - Wax London - £95
Cream 'Chuck 70' canvas high tops - Converse at Mr Porter - £70
'Tripoli Explorer' sunglasses - L.G.R at Slowear - £290
Brown and silver tone beaded cord bracelet - Paul Smith at Mr Porter - £125
When you're trying out a new shape or silhouette, sometimes you might want to stick to the tried and tested items for the rest of your outfit. If that's you, then go for something simple and neutral like this classic chambray shirt, worn on its own, or on top of a white t-shirt and white trainers or New Balance on your feet.
Once you're comfortable with that, then you could perhaps add a neckerchief....for practicality as well as looking good. It adds a bit of extra warmth on cool evenings, or as one guy on Instagram told me, he runs his under a cold tap and wears it damp for a practical solution to keeping cool in a heatwave! Genius!
Beige wide leg cotton twill trousers - Beams Plus at Mr Porter - £175
Indigo Oxford cotton shirt - Glanshirt at Slowear - £255
Navy & Yellow trainers - New Balance at End Clothing - £75
Lightweight slub blue socks - Anonymous Ism - £24
Printed organic cotton voile scarf - Nudie Jeans at Mr Porter - £25
Shorter tops also work well with the wider fit trousers, and ensure you don't look like a 90s relic when everything was long and oversized. I tend to prefer the flattened out Cuban style collar on short sleeved shirts, and this style works well in bolder prints which are fun for summer parties when layered over a plain white t-shirt.
The rounded shape of the classic Birkenstocks works well with the wide legs, and I'd roll up the trousers to expose a bit of ankle. ......that way, there's no danger of feeling like your legs are drowning in fabric.
Beige wide leg cotton twill trousers - Beams Plus at Mr Porter - £175
'Arizona' mocha birkibuc sandals - Birkenstock at End Clothing - £75
'Kaseki' short sleeved camp collar shirt - Edwin at Mr & Mrs Stitch - £110
Workwear white t-shirt - Albam - £59
'Lymington' aviator sunglasses in silver with azure lens - Oliver Spencer - £195
Enjoy the freedom and comfort of wearing the wider leg styles that are coming in, and if you have any questions, then give me a shout!
"A day spent shopping with Sarah is a great investment. Prior to meeting we chatted on the phone and I filled in a questionaire which helped her to plan a range of clothes for me to try at a number of different shops. Her notebook was crammed with ideas and suggestions she wanted to try out.
The day was fun, informative and most importantly I walked away with a range of new clothes / outfits I love. The following day Sarah sent me a document with a list of outfits I could put together with both my new clothes and items from my existing wardrobe.
When the time comes I won’t hesitate to ask for Sarah’s help again."
Would you like some help to put together some cool summer outfits, and take your wardrobe from good to great?! You can book in direct below or send me (Sarah) a message to discuss what you'd like to achieve, if you prefer.
If you liked this post, you might like to give these a look too:
Casual lightweight jackets for Spring Summer 2022
The devil is in the detail - accessorising & styling your outfit