Ksenia Schnaider Flare Jeans – Dark Grey

A flare is not a wide leg and the difference is where the volume sits. A wide jean is generous from the hip down, and a flare is closer above the knee and opens below it, which means it makes a leg look long by changing shape halfway rather than by adding cloth everywhere. This one is high-waisted and loose rather than tight through the thigh, so it is a soft flare rather than a 1970s one, and it does not require a heel to work. The dark grey is what keeps it from reading as a costume. Grey denim behaves like a trouser in a way blue denim never quite does: it takes a black shoe, it goes with tailoring, and it does not announce which decade it came from.

Why we selected it

Most flares are sold on nostalgia, and nostalgia wears off. A high-waisted flare in grey is a shape you can wear to work, which is a much better reason to own one.

The flare is one of the leg shapes this house cuts most often, and this is the quietest version of it.

Materials and construction

One hundred percent cotton, made in Ukraine. High-waisted, loose fitting, with a flared leg. Color: Dark Grey.

Fit notes

High through the rise, so the waist is where the fit is decided. Loose through the thigh rather than fitted, which is what makes this a wearable flare rather than a period one. Denim has no give, so it does not accommodate: choose for the waist and let the leg do what it does. The flare’s opening sets the shoe, and a flat or a low boot sits better under it than a fine shoe.

Styling

With the Denim Jacket with Denim Fur Collar. With the Melange Knit Dress worn as a long layer. With the Platform Bag, which is hard-edged enough to keep a flare from going soft.

Care

This is a washed denim and not a raw one, so there is no argument for leaving it unwashed. Wash inside out and cool, and dry it out of a hot machine. A grey denim loses its depth faster in sun than a blue one does, so dry it in shade. Our care guidance covers the rest.

Related pieces

The Wide Jeans with Rust Wash are a wide leg with side splits rather than a flare, the Vika Jeans with Fringed Cutouts open the hem into fringe, and the Reworked Wide Jeans are upcycled denim. Everything we carry from Ksenia Schnaider is listed together.