Yes, gents, you can wear flares like Brad Pitt – they’re more flattering than you might think

A Labour government in power, strike action, economic uncertainty and men with flowing locks in flared trousers; you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d woken up in the 1970s. Except the man in question happens to be Brad Pitt rather than Barry Gibb from the Bee Gees, gracing the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival in a particularly louche and debonair black tie ensemble from Louis Vuitton.

But what drew attention southward against the lapping waters of the lagoon were those striking trousers, unmistakably at the ankle. Pitt’s undergone a style renaissance in recent months, becoming more experimental in his wardrobe as he turns 60 – something to be commended, at an age when most men are happy to walk the path familiar – and his ritzy 1970s suiting is part of that evolution.

Flares are a tricky proposal because they’re invariably an icon of 1970s dress and can veer swiftly into costume territory. They’re Woodstock, complete with flower crowns and joss sticks. They’re The Last Days of Disco and Studio 54; all joyously of an era but all rather “theme night” in this day and age. They’ve been resuscitated at various points since then – Tom Ford at Gucci in the 1990s mined the seductive stylings of Halston et al, and later when the house employed Alessandro Michele in the late 2010s, the 70s was back on the agenda once more. See the flared trousers and large-shouldered jackets of Harry Styles, Robert Downey Jr, Jacob Elordi and others.

There’s certainly a languorous, sensual appeal to the decade and the debonair men that defined the era – Halston and Yves Saint Laurent looking louche and raffish in liquid silks, Robert Redford sleek as a cat in flared denim – but more often than not when we think of flares we think of 70s lounge crooners. They’re the stuff of camp costume parties rather than a considered look – John Travolta in his dance floor-ready white suit, Abba tribute acts and Elvis out of puff at the end of his career.

“It’s interesting to see flares appearing on the red carpet and mainstream stars discovering their modern sex appeal,” says Aleks Cvetkovic, partner at creative agency Birch (and a self-confessed flare fan). “There’s definitely something a little sexy about them, because they are of an era when men enjoyed freedom of expression in how they dressed.” That said, Cvetkovic advises a certain amount of caution in the cut and style. So is there a way for them to make a return to an average man’s wardrobe?

Be brutally honest as to whether they’re for you

There’s a very good reason that I don’t wear them, despite loving a louche aesthetic. Whilst I’m not exactly diminutive in stature, icons of this particular genre tend to be long and lean of frame. “High rise cuts on the waist tend to look best with flares, and to balance out the volume on the leg the waist and bum area needs to be of a more slender cut, so they don’t work on everyone,” says Cvetkovic. The issue of flares on frames that aren’t particularly tall is that they pull the eye downwards, so can make a fellow appear shorter.

That excess volume can work wonders for those of us who have chunkier legs, however; Cvetkovic initially took to them thanks to having strong legs that didn’t work in skinny jeans.

Keep things tailored

With all that happening around your ankles, it’s worth keeping everything exacting and sharp elsewhere. Shirts should be tucked into trousers, to avoid more fabric unfurling, and this demands a trim waistline. Keep structure and form in your jacket, if you’re wearing one – note the strong shoulders and nipped-in waist on Brad Pitt’s ensemble. The heavyweight nature of denim lends itself well to a sharp silhouette, so flared jeans can look polished and exacting.

Cvetkovic also favours a cut of trousers called the “parallel” – a wide, straight leg which lends the appearance of a flare thanks to the way it breaks at the shoe. An entry-level flare, if you will.

Dial down the frou-frou accompaniments

That extra fabric swishing as you walk by already has enough “going on”, so dial down the other 70s theatrics associated with flares. Steer clear of pleated varieties unless you’re all set for a themed night on a cruise ship – and don’t opt for print or pattern for that very reason too. It’s all too excessive and costume-y; a pristine white shirt, a polo or a cashmere sweater are happy accompaniments to this ritzy relic. Like the three-day week and blackouts, some things are best left back in the 70s.

Flared trousers, £45.99, Zara 

Wool blend trousers, £299, Tiger of Sweden 

Cotton linen flare trousers, £159, Phix 

Stretch cord trousers, £98, Other