If you’re stuck wearing jeans for lack of a better option – a cycle that’s doomed to repeat itself ad infinitum because nothing else quite measures up to a tried-and-tested indigo wash – consider wool trousers an equally comfortable alternative. Warm, wide-legged and willing to be paired with any shoe from ankle boots to micro-heeled pumps to ballet flats, this multi-tasking staple shares characteristics with jeans but, crucially, will almost certainly edge ahead when it comes to registering as smart.
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Wool trousers were in abundance during Fashion Month, which saw several show-goers pair weighty styles with knitwear, wrap coats and basics. In Paris, one attendee paired a heavy-gauge wool trouser with the simple yet effective combination of a crew-neck jumper, a leather blazer and sharply-pointed pumps. Would the same outfit have looked good with jeans? Certainly. But there was something about the way the wool fell, rumpling ever-so-slightly over the toe of either shoes but otherwise looking quite impeccable, that made the outfit look effortless.
Models have also adopted wool trousers as part of their off-duty uniforms, switching out their baggy jeans for wool-blend fabrications that allow more freedom of movement, but, most importantly, still offer low-key cool with boots or sneakers.
Almost every retailer stocks one, if not several, versions. The key is to look for styles that are either 100 per cent wool, which will obviously be the warmest fabrication but still breathable thanks to its natural fibres, or at least a blend that contains a high percentage (ideally, 70 per cent or more).
As for the cut? The standard used to be wide-legged, which still appears to be the most popular, but, like jeans, that’s only the entry point. From barrel-leg wool trousers, which look supremely chic with a gloved pump, to ankle-cropped wool trousers, which go well with blazers, there’s a whole spectrum to acquaint yourself with this winter. Scroll on for some of the best styles available now.
