If you were musically inclined or fashionable in the 90s (or both), you knew — and likely wore — ultra-wide cut trousers. Popularised across different scenes by brands that included FUBU, Tommy Hilfiger and JNCO, the trousers were inarguably multi-dimensional. Some were made of day-to-day denim, whilst others had reflective highlights, multiple pockets, and above all — a healthy mix of incredible comfort and style.
For the 90s hip-hop and rap scene, the trousers early origins went back to the parachute pants popularised by M.C. Hammer in the 80s. But the mid- to late- 90s took the style to new widths — and lows. Ultra-wide cut and slouched down trousers were on pretty much everyone in the scene, and were emulated by fans across the world. The style was often topped off by exposed underwear for both men and women, from traditional boxers to Logo’d waistbands (particularly those of Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein) being worn by everyone from Aaliyah to Marky Mark AKA Mark Wahlberg.
In another subculture, the roots went back to the early 90s as well — as the emergence of the rave scene, alongside the growing strength of skater culture, started to take over from the west coast of America.
Termed by them as “Phat Pants” or “Phatties”, wide-leg jeans and trousers were popularised at first by Californian ravers and club kids, who wore trousers with hemlines up to 1.5 meters wide per leg. People across the scene DIY’ed them and also bought them from brands like Kikwear and JNCO.
“In 1993, one of our key accounts in San Francisco asked us to make them a 23″ bottom for their store,” says the owner of Kikwear on their website, “because the Rave scene was beginning to emerge in Northern California and the kids were walking into the store with their homemade ‘wide leg’ pants.”
Fast-forwarding to 2021/2022 and beyond, designers have tuned into the current nostalgia for Y2K by bringing back the free-flowing trousers. Many of the latest shows from designers have featured ultra-wide cuts, with long draping hems that cover up the shoes beneath, creating a block of fabric from the waistline to the floor.
From Marc Jacobs’ everything oversized show just two days ago, to Stella McCartney’s just launched Spring 2022 collection, there is no doubt there is an unmissable trend for the resurgence of broad cut trousers.
McCartney has designed what her website describes as “A-line raver pants,” and with “dichotomies of extreme proportion,” adding that her latest collection “blends the nostalgic with the futuristic, connecting Y2K music subcultures to the digital youth of today and hacking into the experimental edginess of raver and club kid aesthetic.”
McCartney also proved that wide trousers need not be regulated to just off-duty wear — she also masterfully placed the cut into suiting, matching a wide-cut pants leg with a closely tailored blazer.
Over in New York, Marc Jacobs had his own take on the trend. The runway looks featured in his Fall/Winter 21-22 runway tapped into a sense of encapsulating protection, whilst also seeming to recapture the sense of logo love that was celebrated by some of the original wearers of 90s wide trousers back in the day.
He said on Instagram that “We find purpose in the work from and for periodic but powerful transcendent moments of joy. And while the world continues to change with unimaginable speed, my love for fashion, the desire to create and share collections through this delivery system – THE RUNWAY – endures. Through the physicality of this shared experience, I hope to offer a moment of inspiration, curiosity, wonder and possibility.”
Bella Hadid has already been spotted in the trend, coupled with an ultra-short crop top courtesy of Jacquemus, and Kylie Jenner has been seen in multi-pocked wide-cut jeans.
With all of this proof that the look has fully arrived, take comfort in discovering (and wearing it) for yourself by choosing one of our favourite wide-legged picks:
Words By Victoria Arrington
