When will wide legged go out of fashion?!

[Pl242]

Is it just me or is anyone willing for wide legged trousers to disappear?

Don’t get me wrong, they look great….on tall willowy people or anyone under 25.

But for 40 something, short, curvy me they really don’t suit! I’m a 12/14 and 5ft 4ish.

I have one casual pair which I bought to try and embrace the trend. They are very comfortable and easy to wear but I don’t think they do me any favours.

I’m looking for a new pair of black trousers for more dressy wear, fancied something velvety for winter but wide legged style looks awful on me and I can’t find many other options out there. Anything in another more straight cut looks there just to appease older buyers and seem frumpy.

Am I alone in willing wide legged cuts to do one and be gone?!

When I was a size 20 I wore a lot of H&M linen trousers, wide legged but I think it's easier to get away with it when they're linen as you can lean into the slouchy look.

Generally wore them with a vest top and a shirt open over the top.

https://www2.hm.com/en_gb/productpage.1145316002.html the tapered ones gave a bit more shape especially as they loosen off through the day.

https://www2.hm.com/en_gb/productpage.1209522007.html and the normal wide legged ones I wore all the time. I had loads of colours in them so I imagine as we move into summer there will be more choice.

Avoiding jeans, I lived in wrap dresses and tights/boots in the winter, I always felt a bit more put together in a dress.

And unpopular as it is, I loved skinny jeans. I'm 5'3 and pear shaped so when I was in a 20/22, boot cut and flared jeans I felt just made me look a bit ridiculous whereas skinny at least gave the illusion of a bit of a shape.

I'm shortish and wide so wide legs just make me look dumpy. I don't like them at all.

Wide-legged trousers with a mid-rise are the best thing that happened to me in 2024!
Those, stretchy skinnies, and stretchy bootcut/flares are the only styles that fit me properly. Otherwise I can’t really wear jeans.
I’m glad lower rise waists are in too, I don’t believe there are a single pair of high-rise jeans out there that fit me.

I'm short but find the flared style that is more fitted at the top works well. Anything too voluminous makes me look like a sack of potatoes. I love my M&S jersey wide legged trousers.

I get people like them. That’s great. Good for you! But I disagree that there is loads of choice outside them. They are dominating the market. Yes, there are other cuts but there are less of those compared to wide leg, so less choice around if you don’t like wide legs. It’s fashion, trends dominate for a time. Personally I’m just not loving it and having to search harder for things that suit me, but as others have said people faced that from
the other side when straighter cuts dominated.

And for whoever said they “hated” my attitude re my under 25 comment, I merely meant that younger people tend to be able to carry off trends better, whatever the style is. I certainly could back then! Obviously that doesn’t apply to everyone and I’m sure there are people of all ages, shapes and sizes that can carry anything off. Good for them. I am not one of these people!

As someone with massive hips and a giant arse wide legs look awful! I need balancing out with a slim leg.

And I agree re shortening/tailoring. It’s not just length it’s the proportion of the cut which isn’t easy to correct and as some say it can cost more to alter than the actual cost of the item!

I've been a wide leg faithful for 35 years, whether they're in/out of style doesn't bother me, they suit me and they're my staple. I'm 5ft 11, 12/14 and nearing 50 now. The only issue is finding ones long enough though thankfully that's getting easier.

Velvet can be incredibly unforgiving, particularly the softer, floatier fabrics.

I’m about the same size as you and have found that a crease down the front of the leg elongates the leg and changes the proportions so I look less wide. Wearing a column of colour has the same effect.

But I love wide legs so go to great lengths to make them work. Even the dreaded heels!

I’m only 5ft 4in and I love wide leg trousers. They look great if they fit through the waist and hips/groin and then flare out.

My biggest fashion fear is the inevitable day when skinny jeans come back in.

I was looking for jeans recently. It got me thinking about how Topshop used to be THE place to get them on the high street in the early 2000s. Remember the Jamie, the Joni etc? Even though I was absolutely tiny at that age, I utterly hated shopping for jeans and, to be honest, wearing them. I realise now it was because they were all skinny. And even when I was, I've always had legs like chicken drumsticks.

Do you have a link please to a good example?

I hope that the idea that you can wear whatever shape you want/like stays in style. I wear wide leg, barrel leg & straight jeans currently. Not skinnies by & large, unless it's a muddy dog walk. I do love cropped wide cords for that option too. Anything goes as long as it makes you feel good.

This shape. I have jeans the same shape. They need to fit your hips and the top part of your bum.

https://www.marksandspencer.com/leather-look-patch-pocket-wide-leg-trousers/p/clp60689398#intid=pid_pg2pip48g4r7c2

Bit more expensive and always need turning up but I have many nice trousers from here.
https://www.meandem.com/travel-tailoring-ponte-wide-leg-trouser-black

Hopefully not for ages. I'm short and curvy, so I loathe skinny fit. It's been a nightmare trying to find jeans for over a decade. Even "bootcut" was basically a skinny jeans with a slightly less skinny ankle for a while.

The more wide leg/bootcut the better I say!

They are not for me. I'm short and apple shaped.
However, I do think they flatter quite a few shapes. Hopefully people can just pick what suits them.

Wide legs flatter my champagne bottle shape legs so I'd be happy for the style to stay forever 😊

I look like a parsnip in skinny jeans.

a third of the trousers being wide legged in John Lewis means two thirds, or the vast majority are not. So plenty of choice.

for me, I’ve reached an age and confidence level that I wear what suits me, and is comfortable, I have my own style and I don’t follow fashion as such. I dress modern, in my own way, nothing hippy or outlandish. But if I want to wear straight leg or cigarette trousers as they suit me I do.

Better than skinny jeans I think.

I'd like following fashion to go out of fashion. Fast fashion especially.

I've always worn them, even though they probably look shite on me. I can't bear tight clothes.

I think the amount of choice at the moment is exceptional (and very welcome) but, as I remember, the trends for wider legs and flares/bootcuts etc typically come around together and co-exist fairly comfortably. It seems to be only when skinnies are in fashion that no other shape gets a look in.

I have no objection to skinnies making a comeback (and yes, yes I've seen That Vogue article so no need to post it again) as long as they play nicely and don't take over like they did last time, because I like watching what people wear and I'm really not ready to go back to living in a sea of skinnies, breton tops and biker jackets.

Thank you @Throwaway0912 I am going pop to h and m I didn't know they did my size!!

I feel much happier and put together in a dress too, but sometimes feel over dressed going to watch football or out walking. And I am not sure about tights and trainers and loothe spending on boots which all seem overpriced to me! I am just a tight wad. Maybe I should pretend they are for DD as I don't seem to mind spending on her!!!! In summer I wear pumps with dresses and skirts.

I'm a midsize millennial and I'm still in skinnys (tall, legs are best only feature)

I am in the running around after little ones phase so lots of muddy parks, skinnys are just easier for me

Also I look pretty much 1-2 stone heavier in wide leg as it makes me look oblong! I try and keep the rest of my stuff up to date and wait for the trend circle of life to turn again!

I just wear what suits me and my lifestyle. Skinnies with wellies for dog walking, straits with loafers or trainers for weekends. Wideleg with skinny t shirts for Summer. I think the shops are fine to stock all styles all year round, there there is choice for us all.