Wide-Leg Leather Trousers: How to Wear the Noir Flare

Every few years the wide leg returns to the front of fashion, and every time it does the same lesson gets relearned: volume below needs discipline above. In cloth, the wide leg is forgiving — it swings, it softens, it hides. In leather, it does something more interesting. It holds. A wide leather leg keeps its architecture as you move, which means the silhouette you see in the mirror is the silhouette the room sees all evening.

The Noir Flare is our version: a high-rise waist, a wide flared leg line, smooth leather with a soft sheen throughout, and the house spiral in corded embroidery at the right hip. This is how to wear it.

CNOIR Noir Flare — explore the piece.

The proportion rule

Wide below, close above. That is the entire principle, and it does not change between men's and women's wardrobes. A fitted tank, a slim knit, a tucked shirt — anything that keeps the torso defined so the leg has something to flare away from. The pictured look — white ribbed tank, the Flare in deep brown, a black boot — is the formula at its simplest. Add an oversized top and the outfit loses its waist and, with it, its shape.

The rise does the work

The Flare is cut high-rise, and that is not incidental. A high waist lengthens the leg line and gives the flare a starting point that reads as intentional; it is also what lets a tucked top or a cropped knit sit correctly. Wear it at the natural waist — not lower — and belt it only if the belt is minimal.

Length and shoe

A wide leather leg wants length. The hem should fall to within a finger or two of the floor with your chosen shoe, so the flare finishes cleanly rather than stopping short above the ankle. Three leg lengths are offered — 30, 32 and 34 — across waist sizes 28 to 38, so choose the length for the shoe you will most often wear it with. Boots and heeled sandals both work; a flat trainer works only if the hem is cut for it.

CNOIR Noir Flare, seen from behind — explore the piece.

Colour

The Flare comes in Jet Black, Chocolate Brown and Oxblood Burgundy. Black is the evening register — the sharpest, and the easiest to pair. The brown is the one we would point most people towards: it is warmer on almost every skin tone, it takes cream and white beautifully, and in a wide leg it reads as considered rather than as a statement. Oxblood is the choice for someone who has already decided.

CNOIR Noir Flare, Chocolate Brown — explore the piece.

Three outfits

Day. The Flare in Chocolate Brown, a fitted cream tank or fine knit, a flat leather sandal or a clean low trainer, and nothing else.

Evening. The Flare in Jet Black, a fitted black top, a slim heel or a pointed boot, one piece of gold.

Cold. The Flare under a cropped leather jacket — the cropped CNOIR Lambskin Bomber ends at the natural waist, precisely where the Flare's rise begins, so the two meet cleanly. A leather gilet like the Noir Utility Vest does the same in milder weather.

The case for the wide leg

Slim and straight are safe. The wide leg is the cut that gets noticed — and in leather, noticed for the right reasons: shape, movement, intent. If you have never worn a leather trouser and want the one that feels most like fashion, this is it. If you already own the slim, this is what comes next.

The Noir Flare is £295, in 100% genuine leather, unlined, in men's and women's cuts. Explore it in the Leather Jeans collection, or read our overview of choosing between the three cuts.