A HISTORY OF FLARES

Ancient

Until relatively recently, the fashions for men included tight trousers, ending just below the knee. After this time, trousers once again reached the ankle, but still with straight or inward-tapering legs. Women were still expected to wear skirts at all times, usually reaching down to the floor. The flare was, however, in existence, in the form of flared sleeves, which augmented many gowns and robes (e.g. houppelandes) in mediæval Europe and further afield. From this comes our image of a fairytale princess with massive flared sleeves.

[mediaeval dress] Typical mediæval gown, with hugely flared sleeves

Navy

The change towards flared trousers first occurred in the Navy. The precise timing and reasons for their introduction is uncertain, but we are certain that by 1813, US Navy sailors were wearing bell-bottoms. These trousers were easier to remove if a man went overboard, and could be turned up over the thigh in order for a man to scrub the decks on board ship. They also provided protection and warmth to the sailors' feet, since the sailors only wore shoes for formal occasions. Another theory is that the design may be related to the fact that a bolt of serge was always 54" wide, meaning that bell-bottomed trousers were a more efficient use of the fabric. It is worth noting that there was no UK Navy uniform until 1867, and that the US Navy abandoned the bell bottom for everyday use in 1998, issuing its last pair in 2000, although the style is apparently retained for dress uniform.

[Sailor in flares climbing the rigging] Sailor in the rigging with his flares

Navy-issue thirteen-button flares

Sailor

Whatever the reasons, bell-bottomed trousers, usually with thirteen buttons, became an important and familiar part of the official naval uniform. Despite this, the flared trouser shape failed to extend beyond the armed forces, until the 'sailor-boy' craze of the 1860s and 1870s. Inspired by Queen Victoria's choice of clothes for her children, the public dressed their children, and sometimes themselves, in sailor-uniforms. Most often these including short trousers, but whenever the trousers were of a full length, they were also flared. To the right is a picture of the little boy who would go on to be H. R. H. King Edward VIII, dressed in a sailor-suit, with big bell bottoms.

Typical Victorian prince, in bell-bottomed sailor-suit

Jeans

By this time, some women were wearing trousers, and by the 1940s, women were even wearing jeans, but only for work, as men had been for some years. This was partially due to women taking over jobs of food production, while the men were fighting in the second world war, although this practice was not as widespread in America as in Europe. Over time, the wearing of jeans extended itself into the casual world, sowing the seeds for an important phase in the popularisation of flares.

[Cross-legged cartoon hippy chick] Cartoon hippy wearing the obligatory flares, but without the typical long hair

Hippy

Even in the mid 1960s, the main perception of flares was that of a sailor's uniform, but that was about to change. In the late 1960s and 1970s, flared jeans became popular with members of both sexes, particularly those involved in the Hippy movement. Other options available to hippies were blouses and dresses with flared sleeves. The first record of the word "flares" in the OED dates from 1964. The source of this sudden interest in unclear, but some sources name the designer Coco Chanel as the innovator responsible.

Disco

In the early 1970s, disco appeared, and with it came a variety of garish flares, kipper ties, and big collars. Often made of synthetic fibres, such as polyester or Nylon, they tended to be very shiny. Compared with this sort of attention-seeking, lesser flares and flares of nicer material worked their way into acceptable dress.

[Saturday night fever] John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever — so much to answer for...

Rave

The materialistic 1980s looked back on the 1970s with disdain and shunned their flares in favour of shoulder-pads and harshness. The only remnant of flareage was in the black, lacy sleeves of the goths, who continue to dress this way even now, being at least consistent. Towards the end of the 1980s, however, rave culture developed, from a fusion of hippy cultural leftovers and electronic music, and the flares followed. For a while, flares were pretty much restricted to ravers.

[cartoon raver] Cartoon raver showing the expansive trousers typical of her kind, possibly a little exaggerated

Townie

Later, in the mid-1990s, flares finally hit the mainstream again when designers began to incorporate the flare into their designs. At the start of the twenty–first century, the standard ladies' jeans are flared. This trend looks likely to continue for some years yet, although the many flarophiles across the world will continue to wear their bell-bottoms whatever the prevailing fashion. Never more will the world be without flare.

[modern smart flares] Typical modern smart trousers for a woman, flared of course