The Weekend Read✨The Great British Trouser Hunt: Your Guide to the Perfect Pair

Jenny Goldsmith | Read in 9 minutes

Hello!

There are certain items of clothing that sound incredibly simple until you actually need to buy them. A plain T-shirt, a great fitting, comfortable bra or the perfect pair of jeans. And then there's trousers. How difficult can trousers possibly be? Very, as it turns out.

They are often too long, or too short. They look fabulous from the front, yet alarming from the side. Some fit perfectly on the thighs but with enough room at the waist to accommodate a small passenger. And then there are pockets, or no pockets or ones that sit exactly where you don't want the extra volume. Some have waistbands that migrate south by lunchtime, and then there is the particularly cruel pair that look sensational on the hanger but somehow turn you into an entirely different species once they're on.

Welcome to The Great British Trouser Hunt.

This week, we're not telling you that you must rush out and buy the latest trouser shape. Instead, it's our stylist-led look at what's appearing for Autumn/Winter 2026/7. We're exploring what deserves your attention, what might be worth trying and, most importantly, how to find trousers that work for your body, your wardrobe and your lifestyle. There is a lot going on below the waist this season.

What is on Offer This Season?

The good news is that there isn't one dominant silhouette we're all expected to squeeze ourselves into. Wide legs remain important and tailored trousers have become softer and more relaxed. Bootcuts and kick flares are back in the conversation, barrel legs are still available, and we're seeing more colour alongside the dependable black, navy, grey and brown.

So what should you be looking for? First off all, stop shopping according to your age. We hear versions of this all the time. 'Am I too old for a wide leg?', 'Can I really wear a barrel trouser at 60?' and 'Surely flares are for younger women?'. No, no and no. The fashion police aren't checking your date of birth at the changing-room door.

What matters far more is proportion, fabric, rise, length, fit and styling. The same wide-leg trouser can look completely different in a heavy rigid fabric versus something fluid and beautifully draped. A barrel leg can look wonderfully contemporary on one person and feel completely wrong on another. This is why trying things on really matters.

The Weekend Read✨The Great British Trouser Hunt: Your Guide to the Perfect Pair

The Five Trousers on our Autumn Radar

The Modern Wide Leg

This one isn't going anywhere yet, and we're rather pleased about that. A well-cut wide leg can be elegant, modern and incredibly flattering. But wide doesn't have to mean enormous. If you're petite or curvy, look for controlled volume rather than acres of fabric. Pay attention to how smoothly the trouser falls from the hip and where the waistband sits. And don't automatically drown a wide trouser underneath an equally oversized top. Sometimes a little definition around the waist or a shorter jacket is all that's needed to bring the proportions together.

The Bootcut and Kick Flare

Some of us never really stopped loving them. The gentle flare from the knee can create beautiful balance through the hips and thighs, and Autumn is when this shape really comes into its own because it works so brilliantly with boots.

The important bit is where the flare starts. Too high and it can feel dated; too low and it doesn't really do anything. This is particularly important if you're petite or tall because trousers aren't simply longer and shorter versions of the same body. If you still have an excellent pair lurking at the back of your wardrobe from their previous incarnation, then try them on and see how you feel.

The Relaxed, Tailored Trouser

Possibly one of our favourite developments this season for trousers is that tailoring has loosened up. We're seeing trousers that still look polished but aren't screaming office suit. Softer fabrics, wider legs, interesting colours and relaxed styling means they can be worn with trainers and knitwear just as easily as a jacket and loafers. This is particularly useful if your wardrobe is caught between too casual and too smart. One really good tailored trouser can bridge that gap beautifully.

The Barrel Leg - Our Wildcard

We know, some of you are already shaking your heads. But we're putting the barrel trouser on our list precisely because it's the sort of shape many women look at on the hanger and immediately decide they can't wear. And sometimes they're right! But sometimes they're very wrong. The trick is finding the right degree of curve. Some barrel trousers are architectural enough to require planning permission, whilst others have just enough shape to feel fresh and modern. This is why we'd never tell you to order six pairs online and hope for the best. Instead, take a pair into the changing room and see how they feel on. You don't have to buy them after all, but it's good to know whether the shape will work for you or not. Fashion should occasionally involve an experiment.

The Coloured Trouser

This could be the easiest way to wake up an Autumn wardrobe. Think red, burgundy, plum, green or royal blue, as well as the usual beautiful seasonal neutrals. If your wardrobe already contains tops and knits in neutrals such as cream, navy, camel, grey, chocolate, black or denim, then one fabulous coloured trouser can suddenly make all of them feel different.

Trouser SOS: How Your Body Shape Matters

There is no one perfect body shape, so knowing your own is really important when choosing your fit of trousers. Here are some common fit issues and how to dress them:

If you carry weight around your tummy, look for a waistband that lies cleanly rather than adding lots of pleating or bulky gathering across your fullest area. A flat-fronted wide leg can be fabulous.
If you're fuller through the hips and thighs, don't assume the answer is enormous trousers. A beautifully cut straight leg or gentle bootcut can give lovely balance. Fit your fullest area first and check those side pockets aren't gaping.
If you have a petite frame, you absolutely can wear wide legs. Look for proportionate width, the correct rise and a proper petite cut where possible.
If you're tall, check where the knee and flare fall, not simply whether the trouser reaches your shoes.
If you're plus-size, please know that your choices aren't just black, stretchy or baggy, your body deserves fashion too. A tailored, wide-leg or straight-leg ponte trouser are the most flattering fits as they balance proportions and skim over the hips.
If you've got shorter legs and a longer body, or vice versa, think about where the waistband sits and what you're wearing above it. Sometimes the difference between 'these trousers look awful' and 'where did my legs come from?' is simply changing the top.

The Changing Room Rules

This is where the real Great British Trouser Hunt happens. First of all, ignore the number on the label. If your usual size doesn't fit, try another one. Nobody is going to chase you down the high street demanding to inspect your waistband. When you're in the cubicle, do the following: Sit down, walk around, turn sideways and turn around in front of the mirror. Check the position of the pockets and look at the crotch. If they pull and give you crotch whiskers, they're too tight. Try the trousers with the footwear you're actually going to wear them with, and don't reject an otherwise fabulous pair because they're an inch too long as hemming is one of the simplest alterations there is. We're far less enthusiastic about trying to rescue a badly fitting rise, pulling crotch or waistband that is already uncomfortable before you've even left the fitting room.

The next time you're shopping for trousers, take three different pairs into the changing room.

Pair One: the shape you know you like.
Pair Two: something you're not completely sure about.
Pair Three: the one you'd normally walk straight past.

The third pair might look dreadful and that's fine. But every so often you'll pull back the curtain, look in the mirror and think that you can actually wear them!

Those are some of our favourite styling moments.

Final Thoughts

Our final reminder amongst everything else is to buy trousers for the woman you are today, not the woman you imagine you might become. Choose them because you love how they look and feel, rather than because somebody on Instagram makes them look fabulous.

And remember, style has no expiry date. You can wear whatever makes you feel great at 58, regardless of whether the model wearing it is 23. At the same time, give yourself permission to try something new. If you’ve been wearing the same style of trousers for the last ten years because you know they're safe, perhaps it’s time to see what else might make you feel just as good, or even better. Our wardrobes need to evolve as we evolve.

Perhaps that's the real point of The Great British Trouser Hunt. We're not searching for the trousers that supposedly flatter every woman. They don't exist. We're searching for the pair that makes you look in the mirror and think:

Yes. These feel like me. And frankly, they're worth hunting for.

So until next weekend...have a wonderful week.

Best wishes,

Jenny & Judi xx

Next week in The Weekend Read, we'll be looking at how Country Chic is making a big splash this season. How will you be able to wear it?

Click Here For Our Trouser Inspiration