Balenciaga’s are supersized, Gucci’s have a crisp front pleat and Loewe’s are extra high waisted. They’re a favourite of both Hailey Bieber (on the left) and Gigi Hadid, worn extra long and baggy, with trainers or loafers.
Finding the perfect pair of jeans can be fraught to say the least. We’ve yet to discover a faster way than trying on a good selection of styles in a department store. It’s worth noting wide leg fits come in degrees of width. If you are shorter in the leg, go for a high waist and medium width, so the jeans don’t swamp you, or opt for a cropped pair to show off a statement ankle boot. If you are longer in the leg a mid-rise will splice your proportions in the right place.
There’s a plain-speaking chic about the season’s most wearable wide-leg jeans look. Zara styled its twisted seam denim (pictured below) with a part-unbuttoned denim jacket and simple white tee. For colder weather swap the T-shirt for Heattech and a wool trench coat with a cosy scarf in a bright colour. Slouchy cargo pants have been dominating the fashion landscape. Try a jean and cargo combo and give it a smarter, preppy edge by adding a striped shirt, wool tank top and statement boots, as seen at Me + Em (above).
Vintage denim should always be considered – it’s better for the planet and your wallet. Think about donating an old unworn pair to the charity shop before buying a new-to-you style. Add a tailored tweed jacket to a sharp-cut wide leg like Arket’s dark blue high-waist style (below), or step away from the traditional blue hues with a crisp white or tonal grey pair and tuck in a pink jumper for a jolt of colour on a grey day.
1. Stitching, £59.99, zara.com
2. Cargo, £195, meandem.com
3. Dark blue, £119, arket.com
4. Washed, £100, levi.com
5. Cream, £66.50, lee.com
6. High waist, £340, Clare V. x MOTHER collaboration available at motherdenim.com
7. Dark, £190, 7forallmankind.co.uk
8. Ripped, £210, ksubi.com
9. Grey, £160, RAEY (matchesfashion.com)
10. Raw hem, £119, whistles.com
11. Twisted, £250, aninebing.com
12. White, £228, Mother Denim (freepeople.com)
