An old school friend of mine recently told me that he now only wears wide-leg trousers, moving up from the skinny trousers he’s been wearing for perhaps 20 years. To me this means we have reached the top of the bell curve.
There are always early adopters and late adopters of fashion, and the media often gets their predictions wrong. All it takes is two fashion designers tote Oxford bags down the runway, and they scream that wide legs are back.
In fact, it takes menswear designers years for something to become generally accepted by the public. Most men don’t care, or only change when enough of their partners have changed. Hence why you need to get to the top of that bell-curve distribution.
There are plenty of other signs that the pendulum has swung.
Suit Supply, which made its name offering skinny tailoring, made his first introduction wide-leg fitDuca, in 2022. Uniqlo, which makes its money from offering universal basic amenities – in order to remain middle of the road as much as possible – made his first introduction wide-leg fit in 2023.
Good visual data comes from magazines like L’Etiquette, which publish one or two fashion shoots in every issue. Over the almost 10 years they’ve been running, you can see from one issue to the next how the trousers got wider.
This was something we specifically discussed in the cover story Latest Permanent Style Magazine.
So should you also follow suit and wear wide trousers? My philosophy has always been that you should follow these trends, but slowly and conservatively.
After all, menswear trends move very slowly – perhaps a 15-20 year cycle – and it’s foolish to pretend that styles last forever. It’s been over 25 years since Hedi Slimane first made the skinny suit a thing, and that’s a long time ago – more like 1960 to 1985.
I’ve been steadily ditching my trousers in recent years, partly because I’ve gained a bit of weight, but also because a fuller cut feels better. I’m a few years behind other people I know in this regard, but I think that reflects my natural conservatism (and, perhaps, that of PS readers).
My suit trousers were historically about 19-20 cm at the cuff. go back to My first suit from Cifonelli 13 years ago, and you can Check out our breakdown The cuff measured approximately 19.5 cm. Some more English, like my richard anderson tuxedoWas about 21 cm.
It’s strange to think that at that time the trousers of that tux seemed wide to me. It’s almost like cognitive dissonance: in my mind I’m certain of two contradictory things, both that the trousers were wide, and that they are narrower than what I’m wearing now (some Whitcombe trousers measure 22.5 cm).
Today, a 22 or 22.5 is usually what I have with tailored trousers – for example, that’s what the Assisi above are. As is always the case with good brands and tailors, I have also been impressed by some of them, such as Assisi and Bryceland. (The difference between jeans styles is often around this 2 cm mark – Bryceland’s 133 and 133s differ by 2 cm at the hem.)
The nice thing about custom trousers is that this level of alteration is roughly equivalent to the amount of inlay left inside them by a tailor. My Whitcomb can be increased in width by a maximum of 2.5 cm, for example, with this much amount at the back of the leg on either side. And if any trousers are taken in, I ask to leave that kind of amount.
Compare this to someone fashion-loving like Japanese designer Yasuto Kamoshita. In his interview with usHe mentioned that most of his trousers are narrow – 18 cm – and now he wants to open them up to 22 cm. That’s a big swing.
(Remember that these widths relate to things like height, width and shoe size rather than absolute. So 22cm is proportionally wider for him than for me.)
The major problem with altering tailored trousers in this way is that the desired rise often exceeds the width. there is Unfortunately there’s nothing we can do about it – while there’s usually something inlaid into it, lining up the front required a number of new additions, including a longer zip.
It is also more difficult on casual, ready-made trousers and jeans. There’s not much you can do here except remain as conservative as possible, and accept that a pair of jeans may last 10-15 years rather than a lifetime. But 15 years isn’t really that bad for a pair of trousers.
(Personally I’ve always felt this is one of the biggest misconceptions of bespoke – to say it lasts a lifetime, even generations. If it does, at least the fit won’t be the one you saw at the beginning. And that longevity will largely be due to the ability to alter it.)
If you’re in doubt, I suggest you take out a pair of your tailored trousers and see how they feel. Maybe something casual that suits her, like something flowy linen. Wearing them can also bring a refreshing feeling of pleasure, similar to the pleasure you get when you polish an old pair of shoes, for example. They get a new lease of life, and become exciting again.
Some have predicted that these trends will no longer occur. The fragmentation of the media and the general atomization of society would mean that there was no dominant narrative, no society-wide trend.
The trends are certainly less universal than in the past. But at least they survive in men’s clothes. Men like to wear what other men wear, and right now I see most men in wide-leg trousers – internationally online, or locally on the playground. The father wears Gramici or Service Works elasticated trousers; Teens wear 90s Levi’s or Carhartts.
And as if a final sign were needed, some designers have already begun to rebel against the mainstream, including Dior, Prada and Thom Browne, which showed skinny trousers this year. But don’t worry, it will take at least 10 more years to get close to us. Lots of time to get out those flannel.
What do you see where you live and have you changed your pants over the years? Let us know below – everyone loves it when we share.
Here are some other examples of wide-legged models from the brands we’ve covered:
