Cut Loose

The style pendulum is swinging away from the slim-fit trouser. How wide should you go?

- Nick Hendry

At Milan Fashion Week in June, luxury tailoring house Cesare Attolini announced it would be widening its trousers. The updated silhouette, which will see the leg opening increase from 19 centimetres to 23, may be imperceptible to the eye of most observers, but it represents a sizeable shift in prevailing tastes when you consider Attolini’s traditional Neapolitan roots. “Our approach has always been rooted in timeless elegance, rather than fleeting trends,” says Massimiliano Attolini, president of the brand. “The change is more of a refinement than a revolution.”

And yet, this is no flash in the pan. The post-pandemic years have seen a gradual relaxation of most garments and a renewed focus on comfort. Wider trouser legs allow the thermo-regulating properties of the chosen cloth to function properly while also letting the body move with less restriction. (Seemingly hundreds of well-dressed guys tested this theory in Florence during the summer’s Pitti Uomo menswear trade show.) There are aesthetic benefits as well: Dag Granath, co-founder of Swedish tailor Saman Amel, tells Robb Report that “having a bit of space between the body and the fabric allows the cloth to drape properly and flow better.” Translation: If you’ve paid a premium to have the best fabric in the world, you should let it do its job.