Wide-Leg Pants: How to Wear Them, for Men and Women
, by Marius Grozavu , 3 min reading time
Wide-leg pants are easy once you get the proportions right. Which tops, lengths and shoes work, with outfits for men and women and how to wear them when it gets cold.
Wide-leg pants look effortless when the proportions are right and sloppy when they are not. The good news is that the rules are short: balance the volume, get the length right and choose shoes with some presence. Here is how, with outfits for men and women.
The one rule: balance the volume
A wide leg adds volume from the hip down, so the top half decides whether the outfit looks intentional. You have two ways to do it. Either keep the top closer to the body, like a fitted or cropped tee, or go wide on top as well and give the eye a clear break at the waist: a boxy tee that ends at the hip, a hoodie that sits on the waistband, or a sweatshirt tucked in at the front.
What rarely works is a long, loose top that covers the waistband and runs straight into the leg. The body disappears into one block of fabric.
Get the length right
The hem should touch the top of your shoe and fall straight, with the back of the hem one or two centimetres off the floor. Too long and it drags and frays; too short and the leg looks unfinished. Our wide-leg pants have an adjustable waist, so you can set the rise a little higher or lower and fine-tune where the hem lands.
Shoes with some presence
A wide hem swallows a slim, low shoe. Chunky trainers, skate shoes, loafers with a thick sole or boots in winter hold their own under the leg and keep the line clean.
Outfits for men
- Clean and easy: Men's Wide-Leg Pants with the Icons Box Tee. The boxy body ends at the hip, so the waistband shows and the proportions work on their own.
- Matching set: the Hare Wide-Leg Pants with the Hare Cotton Hoodie, or the Magenta Smoke Wide-Leg Pants with the Magenta Smoke Hoodie. A set reads as one decision, which is the easiest way to look put together.
- Autumn: wide-leg pants, a heavyweight crewneck such as the Sculpted Hare Crewneck, and boots.
Outfits for women
- The classic: Women's Wide-Leg Pants with the Micro Rib Raglan Baby Tee. A fitted top over a wide leg is the simplest balance there is.
- Soft colour: the Blush Wide-Leg Pants with a white or black tee and white trainers.
- Matching set: the Two-Tone Wide-Leg Joggers with the Two-Tone Hoodie, split in black and soft pink.
Wide-leg pants in autumn and winter
Fabric weight matters here. Our wide-leg pants are 300 g/m² cotton with 5% elastane: heavy enough to fall in a straight line and to wear through a Spanish autumn, with enough stretch to sit and move comfortably. Layer a 330–500 g/m² sweatshirt or a track jacket on top and switch to boots when it gets wet.
Which size?
Take your usual size. The cut is relaxed through the hip and leg, and the adjustable waist handles the rest. Our size guide has the waist measurements, and the guide on how to choose your size in oversized clothing helps with the top half.
The short version
Show the waist, let the hem touch the shoe and wear a shoe with some volume. Browse all wide-leg pants in men's pants and women's pants, or the heaviest pieces in the Heavyweight 300+ collection.
