The flare necessities - why now is the perfect time to buy a pair

I’ve been wearing flares for such a long time now, I can no longer look at pictures of me in ultra-skinnies without a sense of disbelief. Did I really corset my thighs into those things? And what about the era when we combined skinnies with ‘statement’ shoes (ie bricks)?

It was ugly.

It was dangerous: there was one ‘season’ of fashion shows, around 2013, when model after model, and influencer after influencer fell flat on their faces. Journalists, too. And we’re meant to know better.

The whole thing was like a terrible nightmare that played right into the hands of the Roundheads who like nothing better than decrying fashion as stupid wimmin’s stuff. Swinging to extremes is what fashion does.

This is not as horrifying as it sounds. We need to keep challenging our preconceptions otherwise we end up closed and shrivelled. The trick is to catch the pendulum somewhere in the middle and jump before it reaches bonkersville.

I’ve spied some very wide flares on recent catwalks and in the lookbooks (the pictures brands compile of the coming collection) so who knows how long we’ve got before flares go stark staring mad?

Merino-wool jumper, £175, Me + Em (meandem.com); Wool trousers, £250, Cefinn (cefinn.com); Leather boots, £220, Bobbies (bobbies.com).

But right now, we’re safe. Flares are in their prime, easy to find and easy to wear because designers have worked out which proportions deliver the most flattering silhouettes – high-ish rise, flaring from mid-thigh or knee rather than the thighs – and developed the right length jumpers and tanks to wear with them. It’s a much more feminine look than skinnies ever were, in a contemporary, slightly sporty, unfussy way; Dai, a label specialising in work clothes that feel as comfortable as your workout kit, has made a speciality of this field.

The only issue still to be resolved – and admittedly, it’s a biggie – is length. If you regularly wear different heel heights, flares are a pain. Do you have flares you only wear with trainers? Stiletto flares? Brogue flares? What’s the perfect length, anyway? Some enterprising retailers like Me + Em have tried to solve the problem with adjustable hems, but you still end up with buttons or rivets that don’t always make for a streamlined finish.

Left: gold-vermeil and cubic zirconia earrings (first hole), £240, Otiumberg (otiumberg.com); all other jewellery, Lisa’s own.

Right:  faux-leather bag, £79, Charles & Keith (charleskeith.co.uk).

The other solution is to go shorter – not so short you can’t wear them with a decent ankle boot – mid shin, say – but short enough that you don’t have to keep adjusting them when you branch out into low-block or kitten heels, or even stilettos. These trousers are very good with a heel – and in warmer, sock-free weather, they show off ankles beautifully.

It’s a very 1970s Left Bank, Sonia Rykiel vibe, but one that doesn’t feel at all dated. Add a silk blouse, 
a nipped-in or cropped jacket, or one of those off-the-shoulder bodies, some glam grooming (eg defined eyes courtesy of the lovely new soft powder palette from Code 8, which opens up lots of 70s-meets-now possibilities) and you’ll find that cropped flares work the same beat that skirts do, but somehow with a lot less palaver.

Cropped trousers, £195, Dai (daiwear.com); Cotton-blend check trousers, £99, Cos (cos.com); Wide-leg culottes, £98; Boden (boden.co.uk); Culottes, £32.99, Zara (zara.com); Iconoclast Eyeshadow palette in Burnt Sienna, £45, Code 8 (codeeight.com).

LISA WEARS

Merino-wool jumper, £175, Me + Em (meandem.com); Wool trousers, £250, Cefinn (cefinn.com); Leather boots, £220, Bobbies (bobbies.com).

Above right: faux-leather bag, £79, Charles & Keith (charleskeith.co.uk)

Below right: gold-vermeil and cubic zirconia earrings (first hole), £240, Otiumberg (otiumberg.com); all other jewellery, Lisa’s own.