Flare Jeans Are Back and Better Than Ever: 7 Stylish Options for Nostalgic Fashionistas

Insights about flare jeans

Fashion trends are like those characters on your favorite soap opera: they never truly die. Instead, they keep coming back, only slightly different. What’s old is new to a new generation, and that generation puts its own unique spin on it to make it special. Case in point: flare jeans. How snug jeans are and where they sit on your waist are crucial considerations to getting a proper fit. A third aspect, however, is the legs. Not the length, but how tightly the pants legs hug the legs, specifically the lower.

Skinny jeans cling tightly to the leg, all the way down to the hem, almost like a second skin, while straight jeans have the same circumference at the knee and the hem. Flare jeans are wider at the hem than they are at the knee. A flare can be anything from a bootcut, which is slightly larger to accommodate boots, to a broad, bell-like shape that has more style than function.

The popularity of flare jeans can be traced back to the American Navy. Sailors wore bell-bottom trousers for their functionality. In the ’60s, flare jeans were a symbol of the counterculture that moved into the mainstream when Sonny and Cher made them popular. The trend returned in the late ’90s, and in late 2021, flare jeans returned with a vengeance, and are now available in all styles, from subtle to flamboyant.

Day-to-day fashion is all about balance. The key to a great look is choosing flare jeans that don’t overwhelm your natural body shape. Just as important, choose a flare that enhances that shape. Triangle and hourglass body shapes benefit from a more pronounced flare, while an inverted triangle (shoulders wider than hips) is flattered by a less pronounced flare, such as a bootcut. Tall, rectangular body shapes can achieve a striking silhouette with large flares, while petite sizes benefit most from high-rise flare jeans that steal a little length from the torso and add it to the leg.

Best flare jeans of 2023

The following are some of the best flare jeans in 2023:

[ Hudson Women’s Holly High-Rise Flare Jeans ]

These stylish women’s jeans have a high waistline, a fitted upper leg and a wide flare from the knee to the hem. They’re specifically designed for petite frames.

[ Levi’s Men’s 517 Bootcut Jeans ]

Ruggedly manufactured, these men’s jeans sit at the waist and have a slim fit around the seat and thighs. The lower leg features a slight taper for a comfortable bootcut style.

…

Want to shop the best products at the best prices? Check out Daily Deals from BestReviews.

Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals.

Allen Foster writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.

BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.