After nearly a decade addicted to skinnies (that’s trousers and jeans, not lattes) you may have noticed that flares are once again trickling on to the style radar. Blame it on the boredom of pairing oversized tops with treggings, blame Derek Lam, Marc Jacobs and Etro ,who courted us this summer with denim, bright satin and sleek tailored versions, but this predilection is certainly challenging us to rethink proportions. So why should we embrace a trend that risks making us look like a young Keith Chegwin?
Don’t be fooled into believing that you need to be 6ft tall and in possession of boyish hips or a beanpole figure. Flares have advantages for all shapes and sizes, especially as their current revival isn’t limited to just one style. A bell bottom helps to balance out a top-heavy figure; palazzo pants (very wide all the way down) work well on a curvier frame; a kick-flare lengthens the legs. The addition of platform sandals (note: unless you’re very tall, skip the flats) means you’ll look longer and leaner.
But as ever in fashion, there are a few caveats. Your flares should be exactly the right length, ie, should just skim the floor by a millimetre or two. Petite figures will be swamped by palazzo pants (too much material); curvy frames and pear shapes should avoid an exaggerated kick flare (too tight on the thighs and bum). Keep the look modern by teaming your flares with simple knitwear, silk blouses and plain T-shirts. Ideally, your top half will be more narrow to balance things out.
With so many different styles available, there’s bound to be something for everyone. Or is there? We put it to the test with the Times2 team. Here’s what they thought.
Carolyn Asome
Deputy fashion editor
“As you can see from this line-up, I’m the token shorty. Flares (even with lots of stylist’s pins) do plenty to make me look shorter and squatter, hugging my body in all the wrong places. I groan inwardly when I hear fashion folk say that flares elongate the body. It’s not flares that do this, it’s the towering platforms you have to wear with them.
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“Which brings me to the second reason I hate flares: they’re high-maintenance. Unless you are very tall, you always need to wear heels — wedge ones, as the spindly variety look wrong. And I’ll miss those judiciously placed tops that hide your tummy and a multitude of sins, the sort you can only wear with slim-fit bottoms.”
Hannah Rochell
Fashion assistant and stylist
“In 1990, aged 13, I began a long-term love affair with flares — from a brown corduroy pair that I wore to death to a 1970s super-high-waisted denim pair that were so tight I could only do them up with help from a friend. There are always flares lurking at the back of my wardrobe, waiting for the day they will come back into style. This mustard pair are quite a statement, but I like that I had to wear them with platforms (I’m usually a sucker for comfy flat shoes).”
Vanessa Jolly
Commissioning editor, Times2
“I have fond memories of flares. I had two pairs of the same denim ‘bootcut’ jeans at uni — I must have worn them every day for about three years. Wearing the shape again now is a strange experience. At once familiar and comfortable (especially the high waist — so much more flattering than my old hipsters), they feel too studenty to be really glamorous, even with a sexy pair of Louboutins.
“And the fabric flapping around my ankles reminds me how impractical they are. A sudden flashback to perpetually damp denim from being trailed through muddy puddles and my mind’s made up. Sadly, I think flares will always be an old flame for me.”
Daniela Burnham
Freelance fashion writer
“I used to like flares, once upon a time, before skinny jeans. They wooed me with their flattery of my curvier bottom, although finding the right balance on top was always tricky.
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“But this new high-waisted version by Sportmax does the job for you: cinching your waist and hugging your hips before flowing to the ground in lightweight black cotton. Wearing them, I feel sexy and comfortable. So after years of neglect, yes, I am falling for flares again. It’s a good thing that they’re so ... forgiving.”
Sacha Bonsor
Deputy editor, Times2
“Flares and I have never seen eye to eye. If you are blessed with long legs, why on earth cut them off at the knee and turn delicate ankles into elephant’s calves? And if you haven’t — frankly, you shouldn’t be going near them. I can honestly say that, minus a teenage trend moment, I have never worn flares and had no intention of ever doing so — until last week. These flares, by Paige, are so subtle that it seems disingenuous to bracket them as such. They are slimline from the (high) waist down, with a fractional kick below the knee and, when worn with high heels, feel flattering and easy.
“If these are what the new season is about, I might at last dare to wear the flare.”
Sophie Warburton
Fashion intern
“Being 5’ 11”, the prospect of flares — which usually go hand-in-hand with platforms — was somewhat daunting. Wearing them with flats makes them more casual, but reduces their glamour and leg-lengthening powers.
“I may give dark (and therefore slimming) denim flares a shot this season, but my skinnies need not fear their place in my wardrobe.”