Margaret Howell Midi Waist Crop Flannel Trousers

Flannel is a finish rather than a fiber. A woolen cloth is woven, then milled, which is a controlled shrinking under moisture and pressure, and then raised, which lifts the fiber ends to the surface with fine wire. What comes out has a soft nap over the top of the weave, so the structure of the cloth is no longer visible and the surface absorbs light instead of reflecting it. That is why a good flannel trouser reads as a depth of color rather than as a textile, and it is why dark navy flannel is one of the few dark trousers that never looks flat. Cut slim and cropped, with the waistband sitting at mid-rise rather than high or low, it is the most straightforwardly formal trouser in this line and still not a suit trouser.

Flannel is one of the cloths where the difference between good and ordinary is immediately visible and impossible to photograph. This one is good and you can see it in person in about a second.

One hundred percent wool flannel, made in Italy. Slim fit, cropped leg, mid-rise waist. Color: Dark Navy.

Slim through the leg and cropped at the ankle, with the waist at mid-rise, which is the proportion that lets a cropped trouser work with a shorter jacket. Numeric sizing. Flannel takes a shine at the seat and the knee if it is pressed hard and often, so press it gently or not at all.

With the Bib Front Shirt untucked, or the Seamless Crew, which is the plainest version and the one we would wear. Under the Raglan Blazer or the DB Jacket. Dark navy flannel against black knitwear is a better pairing than it sounds because the nap keeps them apart.

Brush along the nap rather than against it, hang from the waistband, and keep the iron cool and off the face of the cloth. A hot iron flattens the nap permanently. Our general care guidance covers the rest.

The Pleated Crop Trouser is cotton, relaxed and cropped, and the Relaxed Crop Pant is cotton and linen together at the same crop. There is more on the house on the Margaret Howell designer page. Everything we carry from Margaret Howell is listed together.