How To Wear The Cropped Flare

Flared jeans. Once bringing on panic attack-inducing flashbacks of badly-skilled first kisses at school discos in the early/mid noughties now conjures images of street style stars and seventies sirens. And quite frankly, I couldn’t be happier about that. Fully flared jeans made a comeback with a vengeance this season, yet that hardly comes as a surprise when with the addition of a pair of boots or platform sandals, their graceful wide silhouette and magic leg lengthening abilities can easily catapult your limbs to the level of Miranda Kerr. With that in mind, it seems bizarre that the most flattering factor about them is utterly removed in their little, dorkier sister, the cropped flare. Cutting off just a few inches above the ankle, the cropped flare sits there, awkwardly, with both it and onlookers thinking “what’s going on?” all whilst I stand there, thinking I’m so cool, so fashion, and pose for a picture. 

This silhouette is all about man-repelling. My boyfriend’s reaction? At least nobody else will fancy you in those. Thanks, babe. But with skinny jeans feeling a little tired, the cropped flare gives the perfect opportunity to play with new shapes and proportions. My styling recommendations? Wear with a high, mid-calf sock-style boot, and an oversized jumper. Go for severely pointed ballet flats, to balance the sharper cut of the hemline and a bell-sleeved top. Or keep things sky-high in a pair of mules or shimmering courts.

Photos by Carl Thompson