TREND Alert: The ’70s FLARED Jeans Are Back

Bare dirty feet dancing on dusty grass, rings on all fingers, long hair to your butt, feeling high on freedom and happiness while Janis Joplin is singing her heart out and making you cry over some lost love. Flowers in your hair, and the smell of summer and music bared deep inside everyone around, yourself included. Sounds like Woodstock, only it’s not. It’s just my Monday mood right now. How beautifully decadent and wild, right?

I try, you know.

There’s something so incredibly liberating and raw about the 70s that I confess I find this decade and its return in fashion for 2015 SS incredibly irresistible in that very sexy and particularly wild sort of way. I mean for the past hour I’m listening to Janice and I’m this close (inch) to saying fuck it while leaving for Woodstock. But then it hits me: fucking reality.

It’s 2015, when everything’s way too proper and politically correct, a bit jaded too, so imma have to make do with what I’ve got – Janice Joplin, living in my head, my restless heart and a pair of old dusted flare jeans that make my legs long for days and fit my rocknroll heart.

Snap out of it.

YES the 70s are back in fashion, and 2015 spring and summer will be all about this decade. I mean we’ve had this past autumn and winter to prepare and perfect our sartorial 70s vibes with styles and looks that resembled either insecure but beautiful Woody Allen characters, or some wild child at music festivals.

So the 70s are claiming their right over JEANS this season, huh? Out with the skinny jeans and IN with the FLARED JEANS. Or variations on the same 70s flared theme.

I can’t help but wonder right now if really the skinny jeans are out, and if so… are we ready to let them go and replace them with flare styles? 

And while skinny jeans looked great on ALL body types (yes, I just said that and I’m sticking to it), can we say the same thing about their flared siblings?

YES and NO. It’s all about fitting. Let’s talk about it. It was only about 2 months ago that a very dear friend of mine was telling me how she hopes flared jeans will NEVER be back in fashion and how great it is they’re dead. Why? Cause ”they’re so bloody unflattering”. I said nothing to her claims, but now, looking back I kinda disagree. Of course my love for the 70s could make me slightly biased but, hear me out.

HOW CAN 70s FLARED JEANS LOOK GREAT ON ANYONE?

Assuming you love them and wanna do the wild child slash Annie Hall look here’s what to keep in mind.

High waist. In flared styles a high waist will add more curves, or play up your curves if you’ve got them. Plus they will elongate your silhouette. HIGH WAIST is tres importante, unless of course you wanna channel Christina Aguilerra circa early 2000. In which case… please don’t.

Skinny on the legs & fitted on the hips. It’s about balance, and creating a flattering silhouette: tiny waist, long body, slightly curved.

 

Length. THIS is the trickiest part. Make sure their hem ends a few inches above your shoe soles. They should be long enough to have your heels or platforms peek a bit from underneath, but not so long that you step on their hem. Too long flares will make you look short and homeless. Unless of course you can master the hobo-chic look. Then you’re good.

Too short flared jeans (my problem all the time cause I’m so tall) will make you look like you’ve outgrown your clothes but refuse to acknowledge. Although even this look can be quite chic IF: you cut the hem of the jeans, and go of more straight styles. Think culottes.

HOW TO WEAR FLARED JEANS?

They look better with short tops, waist-length jackets, blazers, cardigans etc., because of the silhouette. Longer styles, or oversized might make you look frumpy and lost in layers and fabrics. Unless of course we look like models. Then we’re good.

My favourite tops to wear flared jeans with are a tucked in classic shirt, a simple t-shirt layered with a leather jacket, or a retro cute sweater. Oh, and crop tops. Definitely crop tops.

If you think pairing tops is hard, well… try styling the shoes with these jeans. THIS is again so tricky.

Theoretically flared 70s jeans do not look good with flats. In my case, and solely my case, I beg to differ. Or I used to. But that’s only because of lack of other options. Actually flats and sneakers were just about the only shoes I could do with flared jeans to keep them long enough. If I climbed on heels or platforms I’d risk looking like a flamenco in culottes.

Having said that, flared jeans DO look better with high sole shoes: platforms or chunky 70s heels. They make you look taller and your legs armpit long. And who the fuck doesn’t want that? Well… me, but I’m so damaged up there, I no longer count.

For office styles FLARED JEANS are a blessing, cause they look very professional, especially when paired with a tucked in shirt and a blazer. In this case kitten heels are the best. Yes, I just said that. Plus… flared jeans work best with pointy toe shoes. So much more polished and smart.

I wasn’t a sucker for 70s back in the day, but perhaps my nostalgia is a mere symptom of growing old you know, of wanting to look like and channel female figures other than your regular Bey or Riri (not that that there’s anything wrong with it), but more on the understated hotness, more on the effortless wildness, more on the retro chic side. More powerful. Opinionated and irresistible through personality not looks.

I’m definitely growing old.

And now the pics…

But since you can’t tame the girly girl inside me, or should I say WOMAN. Thank you very much! – I’ll take the 70s with all they’ve got. All the bohemian effortlessness, all the rocknroll, but also with all the deep V-cuts, no bras, long locks and of course flared jeans tight on hips.

And now if you’ll excuse me, I gotta put on my flares and head to Woodstock.