There are many sartorial classics - cotton shirts, jeans, round-neck T-shirts, mini skirts… the list goes on - but none with the same history as high-waisted trousers or with the same universally flattering credentials.
Below we track its rise to fame from a menswear staple to one that became synonymous with old-school Hollywood glamour, iconic onscreen women and empowerment. How its journey to finding a home in our year-round wardrobe was cemented by social shifts and changing priorities when it came to women’s fashion.
From Menswear Staple to Women’s Empowerment
Given the style’s leg-lengthening credentials and hourglass-defining waistbands, it’s surprising that high-waisted trousers haven’t always been part of women’s sartorial lexicon. The reality is women waited for centuries, through restricting corsets and poufy layers of petticoats before the freedom of movement synonymous with trousers was finally theirs. Original designs for women’s trousers were based on menswear iterations but with a decidedly feminine silhouette that centred on the waist. These designs featured zips at the sides as the button and zip-fly fastenings on menswear versions were considered too masculine.
Italian Pinstripe Wide-Leg Trouser
Influences from those first trouser styles still pervade modern tailoring. What’s that saying about fixing things when they’re not broken? Celebrating a classic pinstripe pattern, our Italian Pinstripe Wide-Leg Trouser and slim-crop iteration bridge the gap between the traditional and 21st century. Shorten or lengthen the former thanks to its deep hems to accommodate different leg lengths without sacrificing the dramatic silhouette.
The Original Off-Duty Staple
While on-screen women’s fashion and wardrobes still favoured dresses and skirts, in the 1930s a shift was happening behind the scenes; Hollywood starlets of the decade celebrated all types of trousers, particularly high-waisted tailored trousers.
A trailblazer among them was Marlene Dietrich. She even sported a tuxedo in her first Hollywood film “Morocco”. Other notable names are Ingrid Bergman who favoured high-rise trousers that fell through to wide-leg silhouettes and Katharine Hepburn who said in an interview that she “put on pants 50 years ago and declared a sort of middle road”. She was so dedicated to the style that when she stayed in Claridge’s in London in the ‘50s she opted to use the staff entrance as opposed to the main one as women weren’t permitted to wear slacks in the lobby. Nothing would tear her from the style.
These women set the stage for actors to come; by the ‘50s and ‘60s, the female celebrities of the decades sported high-waisted trousers as an off-duty staple, photographed everywhere from home to the beach in the style, Marilyn Monroe among the most iconic.
If style synonymous with Hollywood’s Golden Age sets your sartorial senses tingling, whisk the same attitude to your modern-day outfitting with a directional twist. The answer: our Exaggerated Tapered Chino. Suspended from a high waist and falling to deep cuffs that can be turned up for a more casual aesthetic, this tapered high-waisted trouser heroes the silhouette of styles sported by the Silver Screen’s starlets but swaps traditional tailoring fabrics for a cotton-blend fabric imbued with comfortable stretch.
If it wasn’t already, the pair’s place was cemented in women’s wardrobes in the ‘70s with the release of Annie Hall. Diane Keaton’s iconic character favoured oversized menswear and was rarely seen without a pair of high-waisted trousers.
Achieve the same iconic look without making it too pastiche with a dark trouser suit. Tuck a striped roll-neck top or dark-wash denim shirt into the waistband of our Fluid Wool Tapered Trouser and complete your look with the matching tailored jacket.
Contemporary Classic
Today, we might have a few more trouser styles at our disposal, but only high-waited pairs can boast the status as a contemporary classic, wardrobe staple, workdrobe essential, perfect AM-PM solution. With super leg-lengthening credentials, our high-rise trousers suit both super tall and more petite frames and are accompanied by deep, turn-up cuffs and shore up your forever wardrobe.
For an everyday-yet-elevated take on styling a pair of high-waisted trousers, turn to our Leather Combat Trouser and a lace-trimmed cami teamed with a classic black blazer. Find a high-low balance by styling with a pair of heels. Alternatively, introduce a sports-luxe finish with either our Herringbone Slim Crop Trouser or its wide-leg man pant counterpart styled with a lightweight knitted hoody styled under a military-inspired jacket. The world is your oyster; today, whatever you might usually pair with your favourite jeans can now accompany tailored trousers just as seamlessly.
