The Biggest Trend For Next Spring That You Can Wear Now? A Pair Of Wide-Legged Trousers

Come 31st December 2020, there are unlikely to be many things we’ll be sad to close the door on. There is, however, one thing about this year we might struggle to let go of: our newfound appreciation of comfort. We live in a world of Birkenstocks and trackpants now, why would we ever turn back?

Some will of course. And while we salute the woman who cannot wait to get back into nip-tuck pieces (and the launch of Kim Kardashian’s Skims collection in the UK does certainly make it a far less daunting prospect) for many of us, it’s simply not going to happen. Still, we are reluctantly coming to the realisation that we can’t live in trackies forever – at some point these will return to their rightful place as the uniform of the hungover. We need to prepare for the return to reality; a new version of reality perhaps, but one that involves us engaging with the world once again.

According to the SS21 collections, however, you can have both comfort and swagger. Consider the stealth hit of the latest round of shows: the super-wide legged trouser. Baggy jogging bottoms these are not, although they exude the same comfort. They are cut to look elegantly languid and deliberately oversized, rather than sloppy, slobby or accidentally too-baggy. There is a fine line between effortless and no-effort-made-at-all and these trousers are it.

Ones to add to your new season moodboard, then: the quietly luxurious camel and grey tailored styles at Hermes, the voluminous combat-style pants at Chloé and the high-waisted iterations at Louis Vuitton. And if you really cannot get out of a stretchy waist? Then consider Balenciaga your solution. The brand’s luxe navy trackpants were further elevated to haute status teamed with slinky silver cami.

Indeed, contrast is key if you want to give XXL pants legs next season. Tops should be fitted, or tucked in – too many loose-fit pieces inevitably drown everyone save for the very tall and very willowy. A natty, nipped in blazer also gives these styles office-ready potential; while going tonal - see Hermes' head-to-toe biscuit look - also gives the illusion of refined minimalism. Seek out high-waisted cuts if you want to elongate your legs, and make an appointment with a good tailor to ensure your favourite pair skim the ground rather than trail along it (an accident waiting to happen).

After this year, we’re unwilling to make predictions about what 2021 has in store, apart from one: when it comes to trousers, bigger will definitely be better.