In the 1960s, the bell bottom trend had a strangle hold on the denim industry. Through the 70s, bell bottom jeans eventually went out of style as the chic, sleek lines of the 1980s took over. As with all things in fashion, the bell bottom trend was destined for a comeback – the mid 1990s brought us boot cut jeans, with a slight flare to the leg and that meant the re-launch of the bell-bottom wasn’t far away. This time around, bell bottoms made their debut as flare leg jeans – but the style is essentially the same.
Generally, today’s flared jeans for women are generally tight-fitting through the knee and gradually taper out from there. Flared jeans for men have a slightly more relaxed fit through the seat and thighs, then taper further out from the knee. Though skinny and slim-fitting jeans are still all the rage, the look can be unforgiving and many people find a more relaxed fit suits them better. Whichever fit you choose, odds are your chosen denim designer brand makes a flared trouser for you.
Popular flared jeans for women include: Juicy Couture’s hipsters, with a wide gradual flare from the knee to the floor; Levi’s 544, with dramatic twelve-inch flare; the Joey by True Religion; Citizens of Humanity’s Ingrid and Jackie Faye; the Sweet ‘N Low midrise by Lucky Brand Jeans; and Miss Sixty’s stunning low-rise Augusta. There are a few styles in the 7 For All Mankind with a subtle flare to the leg these are popular for more formal occasions and wearing to the office. Designer jeans for men with a subtle flare include the Amrani Jeans P15 bootcut, Diesel’s Shazor comfort-fit bootcut, Rock & Republic’s Henley bootcut jeans and the Evans from Citizens of Humanity.
As with many clothing purchases, buying your flared jeans online is relatively straightforward once you’ve visited a couple shops to get acquainted with the different styles and brands and decided which suits you best. Look for online retailers with clearly worded returns policies and authenticity guarantees – and always remember that a deal too good to be true usually is.
© Designer Jeans.org.uk 2006