What Shoes to Wear with Wide Leg Trousers and Jeans

The best shoes to wear with wide leg trousers either lift the hem or show a little of the foot. Pointed boots and heels lengthen the leg, loafers and ankle boots keep things grounded, and trainers dress the whole shape down. What decides between them is the length of your trousers and the weight of the fabric, and once you know those two things the choice is easy. Our footwear edit has every style below in stock this season.

A few details from the shoes we have in now help with fit. Most come in European sizes 36 to 41. The heeled boots from Anonymous Copenhagen come with 40mm and 50mm stiletto heels, which is enough lift for a full-length hem without the strain of a high heel. If you want the tops and the rest of the outfit too, our guide to what to wear with wide leg trousers covers those; this one is all about the shoes.

What shoes to wear with wide leg trousers

Pointed boots and heels. A pointed toe peeking out from a wide hem is the most flattering pairing there is, because it carries the line of the leg down to the floor. A low stiletto or kitten heel adds just enough height to keep a long hem off the ground. Anonymous Copenhagen's boots are the clearest example in our edit.

Loafers. The most useful everyday shoe for wide legs. They suit tailoring, corduroy and denim alike, and a loafer with a little sole keeps the hem clean. Alohas has gathered and penny styles in brown leather and suede this season.

Ankle and Chelsea boots. A slim boot disappears neatly under a wide hem, so the trousers fall straight and smooth. In a Welsh winter, a waterproof Chelsea boot with a lug sole is the practical choice, and it lifts the hem away from wet pavements too.

Trainers. Low, slim trainers balance the volume of a wide leg without making it look heavy. They work best with cropped trousers, jersey and denim, where the shoe is on show.

Slingbacks and heels. For evenings, a pointed slingback or a simple heel under fluid satin or crepe finishes the look. The back of the shoe shows as you walk, so a slingback reads lighter than a court.

Match the shoe to the length

Length matters more than anything else. Full-length trousers that skim the floor need a heel, a block or a sole with some height, and they should be hemmed in the shoes you plan to wear most. Cropped wide legs, which stop at or above the ankle, put the shoe on display, so this is where loafers, trainers and flats come into their own. Ankle-length styles sit in between and work with almost anything. If you are petite, a little heel or a pointed toe makes the most of a full-length leg; if you are tall, flats and trainers with a full-length hem look effortless, as long as the hem clears the ground.

Match the shoe to the fabric

Heavy fabrics such as denim, corduroy and wool want a shoe with some weight: a loafer, a Chelsea boot or a trainer with a solid sole. Fluid fabrics such as satin, crepe and silk want something slimmer, such as a pointed boot, a slingback or a fine heel. Put a chunky sole under satin, or a flimsy flat under heavy wool, and the outfit looks unbalanced from the knee down.

Choose the colour: tonal or contrast

Colour changes how long the leg looks. A shoe in a similar tone to the trousers, such as brown boots with chocolate cord or black loafers with charcoal wool, carries the line straight down and makes the leg look longer. A contrasting shoe draws the eye to the foot, which is no bad thing with cropped trousers, but it can shorten the leg with a full-length pair. The one tonal trap is a shoe so close in colour, with no shape or shine, that it disappears completely. A pointed toe, a little sheen or a texture such as suede or leopard is enough to stop that. Keep one focal point: a striking shoe with plain trousers, or bold trousers with a quieter shoe, never both at once.

What shoes to wear with wide leg jeans

Wide leg jeans are casual by nature, so start with trainers or loafers, and turn the hem up once or twice if the jeans are long enough to drag. Chelsea boots suit darker denim through autumn and winter. To dress wide leg jeans up, swap in a pointed boot with a slim heel, which keeps the volume of the leg but sharpens the whole outfit. Our jeans edit has wide and barrel legs from several of our denim labels.

Shoes to avoid with wide leg trousers

A few pairings rarely work. Thin flat soles under full-length trousers let the hem drag and fray. Shoes that vanish completely under the hem leave the outfit with nothing to anchor it. A strong contrast at the ankle, such as a wide ankle strap under a full-length leg, cuts the line just where it should carry on. And very bulky shoes under very fine fabric, or the reverse, never quite sit right.

Finding your pair

Start with the length of your trousers, then the fabric, then the occasion. One pair of loafers and one pair of slim boots will cover most of the year, with trainers for weekends and a heel for evenings. Browse our boots and footwear for what we have in now. We buy in small numbers and do not restock, so what is on the site is what we have.