What Shoes to Wear With Wide Leg Trousers
What shoes to wear with wide leg trousers depends less on the shoe than on where the hem falls. A full-length trouser that brushes the floor wants a little height or a pointed toe peeping out. One that stops at the ankle can take almost anything flat.
Get the hem right for the shoe and the rest follows. Get it wrong and even a beautiful pair of trousers drags, frays and swallows the foot.
At a glance:
- Floor-length hem: a kitten heel, a low block heel or a pointed flat
- Ankle-length hem: loafers, slingbacks or a neat ankle boot
- Let a little of the shoe show beneath the fabric
- Keep shoe and trouser close in tone to lengthen the line
- What shoes to wear with wide leg trousers, by hem length
- Loafers for most days
- A kitten heel for evenings
- Ankle boots once it turns cold
- Wide leg trousers in the shop now
What shoes to wear with wide leg trousers, by hem length
Stand side-on to a mirror in the shoes you mean to wear. If the fabric pools on the floor, the trouser is too long for that shoe. If you can see a full inch of ankle, it was cut for flats.
The Liviana Conti leather pair finishes just above the ankle, so it shows off a loafer or a slingback. The MeiMeij black sparkle trousers fall to the floor and want a heel beneath them.
Loafers for most days
A loafer is the shoe we suggest most often for a wide leg. It has enough shape to stand up to the volume above it, where a soft ballet flat tends to vanish under the hem.
Three things make a loafer work under a wide trouser:
- A sole you can see from the side
- Some hardware or stitching across the top
- A colour close to the trouser or to your skin
The AGL Softy loafer in gesso ticks all three. It has a gold buckle across the vamp and a sole with some weight to it, and the soft off-white sits nicely under brown, camel and grey. Find it with our other shoes.
A kitten heel for evenings
Height helps a floor-length trouser, but it does not need to be much. Four or five centimetres lifts the hem clear of the floor and gives the line a finish at the toe.
The Riani slingbacks are bronze crackle leather on a sculpted kitten heel, with a pointed toe. Put them under the MeiMeij sparkle trousers and the outfit is done. Bronze reads warm against black, so nothing else needs to shine.
Ankle boots once it turns cold
A boot under a wide leg should fit closely at the ankle, so the trouser falls cleanly over it. Slouchy boots fight the fabric.
The AGL Magma boot has a stretch shaft that follows the leg and a textured platform sole, so it sits neatly under a hem and adds a little height without a heel. In beige it works with brown and cream trousers, and the Herzens Hanna in falcon is a good place to start. See our boots for more.
Wide leg trousers in the shop now
Four pairs this autumn, each cut differently:
- Herzens Hanna in falcon, a smooth leather-look finish with a pull-on back waist
- Liviana Conti in natural mahogany leather, pleated and finishing above the ankle
- MeiMeij in black with a fine sparkle and a soft elasticated waist
- Liviana Conti in brown kasha cashmere blend, pleated and full length
Bring the shoes you wear most when you come in to try them. It is the quickest way to see which length suits you, and we are happy to help you judge it.
Frequently asked questions
What shoes to wear with wide leg trousers if you are petite?
A little height and a pointed toe do the most work. A kitten heel or a low block heel lifts the hem off the floor, and a pointed toe carries the line on past the trouser, so the leg reads longer. Keep the shoe close in colour to the trouser or to your skin, which stops the leg being cut at the ankle. If you prefer flats, have the trousers shortened so they just clear the floor in the shoes you wear most, and choose a loafer with a slim sole.
What top to wear with wide leg trousers?
Something with a defined edge at the waist. A fine knit tucked in at the front, a shirt half tucked or a short jacket that stops at the hip all give the volume below a starting point. Long, loose tops over a wide leg tend to turn the whole outfit into one shape. In autumn, a roll neck tucked into a high waist is the easiest version, and it sits under a coat without bulk.
Can you wear flat shoes with wide leg trousers?
Yes, as long as the trousers are the right length for them. A flat shoe under a hem cut for heels leaves fabric pooling on the floor, which looks untidy and wears the hem out quickly. Choose a flat with some substance, such as a loafer with a visible sole or a pointed flat, so the shoe still shows beneath the fabric. Ankle-length wide legs are the easiest to wear flat, because the whole shoe is on view.
How long should wide leg trousers be?
With a heel, the hem should sit about a centimetre above the floor at the back while you are wearing the shoes. With flats, aim to just clear the floor, with the front of the hem resting lightly on the shoe. Ankle-length styles are cut to finish above the ankle bone and are meant to show the shoe. Always check the length standing in the shoes you will wear most, because two centimetres of heel moves the hem a long way.
What to wear with black wide leg trousers?
Black wide legs take almost any top, so the shoe and the texture do the deciding. For evening, a metallic shoe or a fine knit with some sheen stops black looking flat. For daytime, a camel coat and a loafer in cream or beige warm it up. A black trouser with a black roll neck and a black boot is a strong, simple uniform, and one bright piece is all it needs on top.
Written by Lonah Boutique
Lonah has been on Seamoor Road in Westbourne since 2003, built on hand-picked designer labels you won't find on the high street. We listen first, then translate what's on the catwalk into something you'll actually wear. Clothes, shoes, bags and accessories, all under one roof.
