What to Wear with Wide Leg Trousers, From Tops to Shoes

Wide leg trousers go with far more than most people expect, as long as three things are right: the top sits closer to the body than the trousers, the waist shows, and the shoe suits the fabric. Get those right and what to wear with wide leg trousers stops being a puzzle. Most of our trousers edit is wide this season, from checked tailoring to satin, corduroy and denim, so this guide is built around what works with each.

Many of the wide legs we have bought for autumn sit at a high rise, and several have front pleats, which gives the leg its drop without adding bulk at the hip. Sizing varies by label. Essentiel Antwerp uses European sizes, where a 38 is roughly a UK 10, while Paige sizes by waist in inches and cuts several of its Anessa styles with a 31-inch inseam.

Start with the fabric

The most useful rule is that the weight of the fabric decides everything else. Heavier cloth wants a sturdier shoe and a more substantial top. Fluid cloth wants something finer.

Tailoring and checks look best with a crisp shirt or a fine-gauge knit and a structured shoe, such as a loafer or a sleek lace-up. Pleated, checked wide legs are the classic example: dressy enough for the office, easy enough for a Saturday.

Corduroy and denim take a chunkier knit, a sweatshirt or a cotton shirt, with an ankle boot or a loafer that has some sole to it. Paige makes its Anessa cut in both, and it is the easiest wide leg to wear every day.

Satin and other fluid fabrics need a fine top in a similar weight, and a pointed flat or a heel. Anything bulky on top or underfoot drags the drape down.

Knit and jersey wide legs are the relaxed end of the shape. Wear them like joggers, with a sweatshirt or a T-shirt and trainers.

The best tops to wear with wide leg trousers

Volume needs a counterweight. Because the leg is generous, the top works best when it stays closer to the body, or at least shows where the waist is.

Fine knits are the most useful answer in autumn: a ribbed crew, a fitted roll neck, or a cardigan buttoned up and tucked in. Our knitwear edit has plenty of close-fitting ribbed styles that sit neatly at the waistband.

Shirts and blouses work tucked, or tucked at the front only. A blouse with full sleeves is fine as long as the waist stays visible, so the volume sits at the arms rather than everywhere at once. Our shirts and blouses edit covers both the crisp and the fluid kind.

Cropped and banded tops, which finish at or just below the waistband, do the same job without any tucking.

The one top to avoid is a long, loose tunic or an untucked jumper that falls to mid-thigh. With wide legs underneath, it hides the waist and the whole outfit reads as one block. If you love a longer cardigan, wear it open over a tucked top, or belt it.

Get the length right

Length matters more with wide legs than with any other shape. The hem should finish just above the floor in the shoes you wear with them most, so try trousers on with those shoes, and take the shoes with you if you have them shortened.

There is a practical reason too. A hem that drags soaks up rain from a wet pavement, and in Cardiff that is most of the year. Full length suits heels and boots. A cropped wide leg that stops at the ankle works with flats, loafers and trainers, and shows off the shoe.

If you are petite, a high rise does most of the work, because it lengthens the line from waist to floor. Have the length altered rather than sizing down, which pulls the leg out of shape. If you are tall, look for a longer inseam so the hem still reaches your shoe.

What shoes to wear with wide leg trousers

Shoes change the whole outfit. For a longer, leaner line, choose a pointed toe or a little height, such as a pointed ankle boot, a slingback or a heel, under a full-length hem. For everyday, a loafer or an ankle boot with a modest sole suits corduroy, denim and tailoring alike. Trainers belong with denim, knit and casual cotton. Ballet flats are at their best with a cropped hem, where they can be seen.

The shoes to avoid are the ones that fight the fabric: a very chunky sole under fluid satin, or a flimsy flat lost beneath a heavy, full-length hem. Our boots edit includes softly pointed leather styles and Chelsea boots this season, both easy matches.

What to wear with wide leg trousers for work, weekends and evenings

For work, pair checked or plain tailored wide legs with a fine knit or a tucked shirt, loafers, and a short or belted blazer. A cropped jacket keeps the proportions right, while a long one swamps them.

For the weekend, wear corduroy or denim wide legs with a sweatshirt or a chunky knit, trainers or ankle boots, and a waxed jacket when it turns.

For the evening, choose a satin co-ord, or satin trousers with a fine top in a similar shade, plus a heel and one statement piece of jewellery. Essentiel Antwerp is the place to start, because its matching sets do the thinking for you.

Wide leg trousers for every shape

There is no shape that cannot wear wide leg trousers. The cut and the fabric do the work.

If you want to play down a tummy, choose a high rise with a flat front or soft pleats that lie flat, in a fabric with some drape rather than stiff cotton. Tucking just the front of your top shows the waist without drawing attention to it. For curvier hips, a leg that drops straight from the widest point of the hip flatters more than one that flares from the knee.

There is no age limit either. Wide legs are one of the most comfortable smart shapes there is, and they look as right at sixty as they do at twenty-five.

Finding your pair

Start with the fabric, keep the top closer to the body, and get the length right in the shoes you will actually wear. The rest is personal. Browse our trousers edit for the wide legs we have in now, and if you want to see how they fit into a whole season's wardrobe, our guide to autumn outfits for women has more. We buy in small numbers and do not restock, so what is on the site is what we have.