What to Wear With Wide Leg Jeans: Tops, Shoes and Jackets

What to wear with wide leg jeans comes down to balance: a neater top, a slim shoe and a jacket that stops at the waist or the hip. Because the width is already in the leg, everything around it can stay simple.

This guide covers how to style wide leg jeans through autumn, from tops and knits to shoes, boots and jackets. It draws on how our founder and the stylist Claire Lopez have styled our Frankie Wide Leg Jeans, in a true black and a dark rinse wash.

What are wide leg jeans, and who do they suit?

Wide leg jeans are cut wide from the hip or thigh down to a full length hem, which creates one long, clean line from the waist to the floor. Claire Lopez describes the Frankie as a straight flare rather than a bootcut. It is not clingy all the way down, and the extra width at the hem balances the rest of the body.

The Frankie sits high, just above the belly button, and is cut in cotton with a little elastane, so it moves with you and holds its shape. Carpenter pockets at the front break up the hip, and the back pockets are placed for lift.

Because the width sits low, a wide leg balances a broader shoulder or a fuller hip. It also lengthens the leg, which helps if you are shorter in the leg and longer in the body. No one needs to rule themselves out of a shape because of their body shape, since the rest of the outfit can usually be adjusted to balance it.

If you prefer a leg that tapers back in at the ankle, our guide to how to style barrel jeans covers that shape. Both shapes sit in our women's jeans collection.

What tops to wear with wide leg jeans

The easiest tops to wear with wide leg jeans are neater ones, because a narrower top half balances the width below and keeps the waist in view. Volume on volume can work if you enjoy the drama of it, but a neat top is the simplest way to make the shape look intentional.

A fine knit is the most useful of all. The Gwyneth Fine Merino Roll Neck sits close to the body, so the top half stays streamlined. In navy, it turns the rinse wash into one long column of colour, and it is knitted from ultrafine merino, which our guide to merino wool explains.

The Cora Alpaca Blend Short Sleeve Striped Jumper works for the same reason. It is boxy but cut neater through the body than a relaxed knit, and its charcoal and sky blue stripe suits both washes.

A crisp shirt is the other classic answer to what top to wear with wide leg jeans. The Perfect Shirt in white with the rinse wash is our founder's everyday weekend outfit. With the true black, the same shirt becomes a sharp, simple outfit for the office.

For a relaxed day, a plain T Shirt keeps things simple. The Skylar Shoulder Pad T Shirt adds a little structure at the shoulder, which balances the width at the hem. The same balance works for any wide leg jeans outfit, and for tailoring too, which our guide to how to style wide leg trousers covers.

How to wear a jumper with wide leg jeans

A chunky knit works with wide leg jeans when it is short enough to show the waist. The Blythe Funnel Neck Cropped Jumper was made as a shorter version of our Bea, because customers asked for a knit that was easier to tuck and balanced a wider leg. The Cory Cable Knit Cashmere Blend Button Shoulder Jumper is a neater, slightly smarter cable that tucks just as easily.

A shorter knit also gives the look of a tuck without any tucking, which suits anyone who would rather not tuck at all. With a longer knit, a half tuck at the front keeps the waist in view without looking too done. That is how our founder wears the Alex Cashmere Blend Jumper, with the rinse wash and silver trainers.

Shirts can be worn in or out, and a full tuck gives the neatest, slightly more formal line. The Etta Bib Shirt was designed to tuck, but its soft ruching across the front and small side slit mean it looks intentional worn out too.

What shoes to wear with wide leg jeans

The best shoes to wear with wide leg jeans are slim ones, such as a pointed flat, a loafer, a narrow trainer, a simple heel or a boot that hugs the ankle. A chunky shoe competes with the width of the leg and makes the outfit feel bottom heavy, so narrower is better than bigger.

A pointed toe and a darker shoe lengthen the leg further, and a shoe close to the colour of the jeans keeps one unbroken line to the floor. The height of the shoe also changes where the hem falls, so it is worth trying wide leg jeans on with the shoes you plan to wear. The Frankie is cut to skim the floor on our fit model, who is 5'7 to 5'8.

A slim, low trainer keeps the line clean, and silver trainers with a knit make an easy weekend outfit in the rinse wash. In the evening, a simple heel suits both washes, and it is also the easiest way to wear a full length wide leg if you are petite.

Boots to wear with wide leg jeans

Boots work well with wide leg jeans as long as the boot is narrow and close to the ankle, so it sits inside the jeans rather than catching on the hem. A little heel helps keep a full length hem off the floor, although a flat boot works too, as long as it is narrow at the ankle.

What jacket to wear with wide leg jeans

A jacket that stops at the waist or the hip works best with wide leg jeans, because it keeps the point where the leg widens in view. A knee-length coat is the harder pairing, since it covers the shape of the jean and can leave the outfit looking like one long block.

The Sadie Denim Shacket was cut short and boxy for exactly this reason, so it sits at the right point over the Frankie. In the matching rinse wash it makes a double denim outfit that never really dates, and it also buttons up to be worn as a shirt. Our guide to what a shacket is covers the other ways to wear one.

The Georgia Double Breasted Blazer in navy pinstripe, with the rinse wash and navy underneath, is our founder's formula for an informal day at the office. With a simple T Shirt in place of the navy, the same pairing feels more dressed down. Over the true black, the Josephine Wool Blend Blazer makes a clean column of black, and the Teyha Tweed Blazer in houndstooth lets the jacket take centre stage.

The Orla Faux Leather Shirt is another easy layer, worn as a jacket over a lace cami or tucked in with a belt. Our guide to a modern blazer and jeans outfit has more ideas.

How to dress up wide leg jeans

Wide leg jeans dress up easily, especially in a dark rinse or a true black, as long as the top does the dressing up rather than the jeans. As Hayley Thomas, our founder, said on our Denim Guide Live, whether a pair is smart or more casual, jeans “should always be the less smart part of your outfit.” That is why a casual sweatshirt that looks right with a relaxed jean can look slightly off with the Frankie, since the jeans are left to do the polishing.

For dinner, the Etta Bib Shirt fully tucked into the true black with a simple heel has a slightly nineties, masculine feel. A Josephine blazer on top, with the cuffs showing and a small belt, completes the outfit. The Jules Striped Blouse in silver and black is an easy going-out top with the black Frankie and a heel. In the rinse wash, the Sylvie Draped Blouse in navy with heels suits a night out.

For work, the rinse wash reads as a more formal denim, and the true black works as an alternative to a black cigarette trouser. Both suit an office without a no-denim rule, particularly with a white shirt or a blazer.

What colours go with wide leg jeans?

The wash decides which colours work best with wide leg jeans. A rinse wash behaves like navy, so anything you would wear with navy suits it, including black. A true black can be styled exactly like a black trouser.

Head-to-toe navy is one of the easiest ways to look polished in the rinse wash, with the Ora Cashmere Blend Drop Shoulder Tank or the navy Gwyneth. The rinse also takes colour well, from the Cory in light olive to the Camille Cashmere Blend Striped Jumper in navy and bottle green. A pale blue lifts the dark wash too.

The true black suits monochrome, from a white shirt to head-to-toe black. Warmer neutrals sit well against it too, such as the Cora in gingerbread and charcoal or the Cory in soft stone. Our guide to what to wear with black jeans has more ideas for true black. As a rule of thumb, a darker wash reads a little smarter than a lighter one, which is why both washes dress up so well.

How long should wide leg jeans be?

Length is a big part of how to wear wide leg jeans well, and a full length pair should just skim the floor in the shoes you wear most with them. The Frankie comes in one length, and taking up to two inches off the hem is a quick alteration that will not change the shape much.

If you are shorter, a heel is the simplest answer. Claire Lopez, who is 5'2, wears the same jeans in a size 6 with a little heel and treats them as a smart jean, so the length never worries her. If you are taller, the stretch lets you wear them a little lower on the hip, and they work up to around 5'10.

The Frankie is true to size, and as with any new jeans it can help to try two sizes the first time, with free UK returns and exchanges. Our guide to finding the best jeans for women covers fabric, rise and fit across every shape.

Wide leg jeans questions, answered

How do you style wide leg jeans?

Wide leg jeans look best with a neater top half, such as a fine knit, a tucked shirt or a fitted T Shirt, and a slim shoe. A jacket that stops at the waist or the hip keeps the shape of the jeans in view.

What top should you wear with wide leg jeans?

A neater top balances the width of the leg, such as a fine knit, a crisp shirt tucked in or a shorter jumper that finishes at the waist. With a longer knit, a half tuck at the front keeps the waist in view.

Can you wear boots with wide leg jeans?

Yes, as long as the boot is narrow and hugs the ankle, so it sits inside the jeans rather than catching on the hem. A little heel helps keep a full length hem off the floor, but a flat boot works as long as the ankle is narrow.

What jacket goes with wide leg jeans?

A jacket or shacket that stops at the waist or the hip works best, such as a boxy denim shacket, a faux leather shirt worn as a jacket or a blazer. A knee-length coat tends to hide the shape of the jeans.

Can you wear wide leg jeans if you are short?

Yes, and wide leg jeans for short women work well because the long line lengthens the leg. A heel keeps a full length hem off the floor, and up to two inches can come off the hem without changing the shape much.

Are wide leg jeans in style?

Long, wide lines were a strong theme on the catwalks this season, so the shape feels current. The better test, though, is whether a jean shape suits you and your wardrobe, rather than whatever is said to be in or out that year.