I have such a love-hate relationship with pants. I appreciate the value of a good lineup. Having a few trusted pairs on hand makes getting dressed so much easier. Ah, but therein lies the downside, too: It’s so damn hard to find pants that work for me. Most slacks simply don’t fit my proportions right, and don’t start with me about the tailor—I’ve tried! (Shopping is a lot less fun when every item requires a trip to the seamstress.)
As such, I stick to my tried-and-true jeans, one great pair of Dickies that I’ve had since my waitressing days, and…that’s pretty much it. Those are my options for bottoms to wear out of the house, except, of course, for the leggings and sweatpants that I wear in my neighborhood. But everyone there has already seen me at my worst, so that’s fine.
This is all a long-winded way of setting a scene. Having heard my plight, you can imagine how excited I am that a new silhouette is taking the front stage: the kick flare. Dear reader, I think these pants might be the answer to my prayers. Most kick flare styles are made of knitwear, which is chic, yes, but more importantly, comfortable. They stretch! The legs are fitted throughout before curving into a slight flare at the ankle. Many of the pairs I’m eyeing are cropped, but there are full-length options for long-legged shoppers, too. The beauty of this wardrobe hero is that it provides the clean, work-friendly look of trousers with all of the comfort of your coziest joggers. This might be the best thing to happen all year, especially for those who can’t wear jeans to work.
What’s this I’m feeling? Silly as it might be, I think I’m experiencing genuine relief. My fall and winter uniform just fell into my lap. Below, see the kick flare pants I’m shopping this season.
Meg (she/her) is the associate fashion commerce editor at ELLE.com, where she specializes in shopping stories spanning the fashion, home, and lifestyle categories. Over the past three years, she has devoted countless hours to researching brands, testing hundreds (maybe even thousands!) of products, and deep-diving into market and consumer trends. Her favorite job responsibilities consist of co-writing the monthly series Same Same But Different and curating the fashion market for ELLE Escapes. Meg graduated magna cum laude from the Missouri School of Journalism with an emphasis on magazine editing. In 2020, one of her feature stories in the service article category was recognized by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. The year prior, the Society of Professional Journalists named voxmagazine.com “Best Affiliated Magazine” in its Mark of Excellence Awards, when she was on staff. Meg’s stories have appeared on Cosmopolitan, Town & Country, Harper’s Bazaar, and Good Housekeeping, among many other outlets. Her personal passions include travel, buffalo sauce, and gardening. You can find her in New York, where she lives, or on Instagram, where she also lives. She will never stop hoping for a One Direction reunion tour.