Harris Wharf London Flared Trousers

The pleat down the front of a trouser leg is a signal, and it is a strong one. It says the trouser was made to be pressed, that it has a front and a back, and that somebody thought about how it would look standing still. An elastic waistband is the opposite signal entirely. Putting the two on the same trouser is the interesting decision here, and it works because the wool is doing both jobs at once: enough weight to hold a crease, enough softness to gather at the waist without bulking. What you get is a trouser that reads as tailored from the knee down and behaves like a soft trouser from the knee up. The flare is cut from the knee rather than from the hip, so the line runs long instead of wide.

Most trousers make you choose between looking considered and being comfortable. This one declines to.

One hundred percent virgin wool, made in Italy. Unlined, with an elasticated waist, side pockets, a subtle pressed pleat down the front of each leg, and a flared silhouette. Color: Black.

The elastic waist means the fit at the top is forgiving and the fit through the leg is the part to think about. The flare wants length, so it sits better over a shoe with some presence than over a low flat. Unlined wool against the leg is warm without being hot, and it will hold the crease as long as you keep pressing it.

With the Stand Up Collar Blazer for the version that reads as a suit without being one. With a fine knit tucked, so the waist is visible and the line runs unbroken from rib to hem. A boot with a small heel is the easiest shoe under a flare.

Dry clean, and press the crease from the inside or under a cloth, because a hot iron directly on a dark wool will glaze it and the shine does not come out. Our general guidance on wool covers airing and storage.

The Jogging Trousers take the same soft waist into a Vitale Barberis Canonico houndstooth, and the Men Pleated Trousers are superfine merino, pleated at the front rather than gathered at the top. There is more on the house on the Harris Wharf London designer page. Everything we carry from Harris Wharf London is listed together.