Flares?? The Jury is Out!

You may have been around the first time flares were en vogue, yes the 1970’s were a time of volume in every sense of the word. Hair was big, beards even bigger, shirt collars long and pointy and trousers were, well distinctly flared.

Flares the first time round!

So how do you feel about the prospect of wearing flares again? Personally, I consider my skinny jeans as the Mecca of all jeans. I own them in every shade and nothing quite holds in my chicken like thighs as a well-fitting pair. The idea of returning to the flare feels like I’m returning to my teenage years, a positively scary thought! Also at a very average 5ft 5″ I’ve never been sure whether I am really tall enough to pull them off.

Polly Vernon wrote an article in The Times declaring how awful flares are and yet she recently tweeted “I’m now totally wearing flares. I lied.” So will you be rushing out to by a pair? Too help me decide whether flares are for me, I bought a pair and set myself the task of wearing them over the Easter weekend, here’s what happened:

Day One: Flares are Back

I shut my husband out of our bedroom while I prepared my first outfit. One of the tricky things about wearing flares is getting the proportions right; if your top is too voluminous you end up looking swamped, equally if you wear them with the wrong shoes you can run the risk of your legs looking short and stumpy. I opted for a neat short cable cardi, and a pair of killer heels to elongate my legs.

When I emerged in my flares I was greeted by a helpful “Those flares are gross, are they really going to be in fashion?” from my husband. He then began to quiz me about how much they had set us back, following with the quip “I think a fiver would have been expensive for those!” I didn’t exactly exit the house with a bounce in my step.

Day Two: Heels with Flares?

The thing with flares is that there is a lot of material flapping around your ankle, so to avoid the scuffed bottom of jeans look, I have again opted for wearing heels – eeek! When you have a child heels are distinctly unpractical. I used to traipse round whole cities shopping in heels. But, when you throw another, much smaller person, into the mix and you’re trying to juggle feeding, with pushing a pram and holding a conversation, all at the same time, you don’t need any further distraction with uncomfy footwear. I am forever grateful that trainers are such a key fashion item. So the result of today? Just a short walk out and about, and then an afternoon curled up on the sofa; no shoes needed.

Day Three: Socks with Flares?

Ok, so by this point I decided enough is enough I am reverting to my trainers. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this is the one occasion you can happily wear socks with trainers, because no one can see them. The trend for bare ankles is redundant when it comes to flares. Once I’d reverted to my trainers I found the experience a lot more enjoyable. Not only were my feet comfortable but I discovered that the great thing about flares is that they actually balance out the shape of your legs, no longer did my thighs feel like tree trunks. In fact, for the first time since having Daisy I actually felt rather trim again.

The Verdict??

I like the fact that flares balance out your leg shape and are much more forgiving than skinny jeans. When I changed into my flats and realised that flares work just as well with any height shoe, they definitely grew in my estimation. But, the fact still remains that skinny jeans are so much easier to style and so whilst I’ll give a small space in my wardrobe for flares skinnys, for the time being, still rule the roost.