Basic Definition

Flare leg jeans are fitted to the knee then get wider from the knee to the hem.

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History

Flare leg jeans (known as, but today differing slightly from, bell-bottom jeans) were first mentioned in 1813 when US navy sailors started wearing them as their uniform. It wasn’t until the 1960s and 1970s that flare leg jeans gained popularity in the fashion world.

In the 1960s, flare leg jeans were transformed from the high-fashion ranking to everyday hippie wear and made it all the way to the mainstream market in the 1970s. The television show, Sony and Cher Comedy Hour helped popularize these bell-bottoms further. Flare leg jeans were generally worn by both men and women to disco clubbing events.

Unfortunately, in 1979, flare leg jeans fell out of the fashion radar after an anti-disco sentiment manifested itself and created a backlash against the then popular style. Flare leg jeans slowly came back into style in the late 1980s.

Bell-bottoms were initially reintroduced as boot-cut, yet overtime the term flare leg was favored in marketing them over the term bell-bottoms. Also, instead of flaring at the knee like bell bottoms do, flare leg jeans now begin widening closer to the calf. Different versions of bell-bottoms such as loon pants or balloon pants (bell-bottomed trousers) and elephant bells (similar to loon pants but typically made of denim) were later introduced.

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Style Advice

Snug in the thigh, retro-inspired flare leg jeans are an excellent way to show off your legs.
Wear them with anything (cardigans, tank tops, belts… etc), but keep everything fitted, just like Kate Moss here, to keep the flare leg in proportion:

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Works Best For

Flare leg jeans work best for Apple shapes since the strong wide opening will even out your “top heavy” proportion.
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See Also

Bootcut jeans
Wide leg jeans
Trouser jeans
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References

Bell-bottoms- Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bootcut_jeans

1970’s Bell Bottom Jeans Picture http://www.flickr.com/photos/lemoncat1/2920127540/in/photostream/

Kate Moss image http://www.denimology.com/2007/09/kate_moss_wideleg_blue_kick_je.php
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