It’s got flare: flared jeans are back
Flared trousers-or flared jeans-are back, and with them, the platform shoes.
We wrote about the comeback of flared jeans in 2024, hailing from the 1970s and still tentative, especially among women. Two years on, it’s clear: the flare has stuck around, but slimmed down. What’s strutting down the 2026 catwalks isn’t the dramatic bell-bottom of yesteryear, but a restrained bootcut. Here’s what the trend has morphed into and how to wear it today without looking like you raided a costume closet.
- The flare has arrived in 2026, but as a sleek bootcut rather than a wide bell. Snug around the thigh, with a gentle flare starting just below the knee.
- Exaggerated denim was a fixture on the Spring 2026 runways of Alexander McQueen, Chloé and Celine, often paired with ultra-low-rise cuts in Y2K style.
- Already everyday wear for women; for men it’s still largely a catwalk affair. The big street moment for guys is yet to come.
- Platform shoes go with it, but more subtly: a few centimetres of sole, not twenty.
- Fit is everything: the hem must skim just above the floor, or the whole silhouette topples.
The flare didn’t originate in a fashion salon; it began as workwear. Carpenters and sailors favoured wide legs so fabric could ride over boots and roll up easily when wet. By the late 1960s the hippie movement adopted the cut, and in the 1970s flared jeans became the emblem of an entire generation. The English flared simply means “outward-expanding,” and that was the brief: out of the tight tubes of earlier decades, into the swing of a wider cut. Platform shoes-raising men and women alike by fifteen to twenty centimetres-completed the look, and glam-rock bands like Kiss or Britain’s Sweet made it their trademark. Wig-Wam Bam by 1973 supplied the soundtrack. Some gentlemen, however, ended up looking perpetually on a downhill slope. The flare forgives no poor proportion, and that truth holds just as true today.
The Comeback That Won’t Quit
The bell-bottom never really went away. In the nineties, the trumpet-style flared trouser-cut from nylon-enjoyed its first revival, flaring from the hip rather than the knee, a silhouette that flattered long legs. By 2015, boho hues and bold prints brought flared denim back in dribs and drabs. Since 2022, the look has reappeared in force, and that’s exactly where we began our investigation in 2024.
What has happened since confirms the trend while fine-tuning it. The big denim question of 2025 wasn’t flare width but barrel jeans-those rounded, barrel-shaped cuts that baffled many yet endured. Low-rise waistlines in Y2K style also returned, and oversized silhouettes dominated the scene. Within this landscape, the flare has been redefined: no longer a nostalgic throwback, but one legitimate denim shape among several.
The flare of 2026 doesn’t want to shout like 1973; it wants to fit. That’s the whole difference.
What’s Actually Worn in 2026
The operative word is bootcut, not flare. The new cut skims the thigh, glides past the knee, and only fans out near the hem in a discreet flare. The theatrical bell of the early 2000s is officially passé. At Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2026 show, bootcut styles rode so low on the hip that Lee McQueen’s late-nineties “bumster” silhouette briefly resurfaced. Chloé spun its boho narrative around flared denim paired with ruffles and statement coats. Celine and Calvin Klein steered the fabric toward sleeker, more tailored cuts.
For everyday wear, a dark, smooth bootcut sits closer to a classic dress trouser than a hippie relic and blends across a broader wardrobe. For a looser vibe, choose a lighter wash with a touch more volume at the hem. Both work only if the length is right: the hem should almost graze the floor; anything shorter makes the silhouette look choppy and drains the flare of its momentum. To see how denim is becoming the backbone of entire outfits, read our feature on All Denim Everything.
Platform shoes remain part of the equation, but sensibly scaled. A few centimetres of lift elongates the leg and completes the line without turning you into a stilt-walker. More important than the height is harmony between shoe and hem: a wide platform disappears elegantly beneath a softly falling bootcut, while it looks clumsy under a hem that ends too soon.
What About the Guys?
For men, the flare has barely hit the streets. It appears on catwalks and in fashion circles, but in daily life it’s still rare-unlike fifty years ago. That’s no drawback. Wearing the cut now is a deliberate statement rather than a mass-market echo. The key is proportion: a slim torso, sharply defined shoulders, then the flare below. And yes, the perfect pair of trousers might already be in the attic; with less hair and more character, they can be worn with a wink today. For the bigger picture of the season, see our round-up of fabric and fashion trends for Spring 2026.
Quick Answers
▸Will flared jeans still be in style in 2026?
Yes, but in a transformed way. Instead of the wide bell, the sleek bootcut-slightly flared only at the hem-dominates. Expanded denim was a staple on the Spring 2026 runways at McQueen, Chloé and Celine, often styled with a low-rise waistline.
▸What’s the difference between a bootcut and a flare?
Both flare out toward the ankle, but flare jeans start flaring early-often at the knee or hip-and create a broad silhouette. Bootcuts remain snug through the thigh and knee, only opening subtly at the hem so a boot can slip underneath. In 2026, the bootcut is the more sought-after cut.
▸Which shoes pair best with wide-leg trousers?
Platform shoes and ankle boots with a slight heel work best because they elongate the leg and disappear beneath the sweeping hem. Crucially, the trouser length matters: the hem should almost graze the floor; otherwise the combo looks stubby and awkward.
▸Can men pull off flared jeans?
Technically yes, but you rarely see it. The flare remains largely a catwalk statement for men. Those who wear it make a deliberate choice. A narrow upper silhouette is key so the flare doesn’t feel overwhelming.
