Flare Pants History

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Nothing evokes 60s and 70s retro like a pair of flare pants. Their easy style and flattering shape make them a fashion staple that keeps coming back. Find your new favorite flares for up to 90% off at thredUP.

The History of the Flare

When you look at a pair of women's flare pants, you probably don't think about sailors in the 1700s, but that's where their origins lie. The flared design served a function purpose—they were easy to roll up for messy work on deck and could even hold air to help with floatation if a sailor fell overboard.

Fast-forward to modern times, when kids in the counterculture were looking for affordable, unconventional clothes. They found flare pants in surplus stores and the look caught on. Flares weren't yet available in mainstream clothing shops, so women started cutting the seams on their jeans and sewing in triangles of extra fabric to create a flare. Before that time, flare pants had only been worn by working men. Once women got a …show more content…

Put skinny pants on one end of the spectrum and ultra-wide boho flare pants on the other, and there's a flare somewhere in the middle that's right for you. You probably have a pair of boot-cut jeans or casual pants in your closet, which is a subtler spin on the flare. And those comfy yoga pants we all love to slip on at the end of a long day often have a little flare in them too. So the question is not to flare or not to flare, it's just a matter of how much.

Flare pants are a great way to add flexibility to your wardrobe. Take the tops you might wear with skinny jeans or cropped pants in a whole new direction as part of fun flare pants outfits. Make a bold statement with a textured fabric like corduroy or a pair of printed flare pants in plaid or paisley. Add flares to your work wardrobe with wool styles in neutral colors from retailers like The Limited. Go in a more relaxed, everyday direction with cotton and denim Gap

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