How to Find Your Size in Wide Leg Trousers (And Actually Get It Right)

By Ella Blake, Tellar Stylist

Wide leg trousers are sized by your waist measurement first, then your hip — and if you're not measuring both, that's most likely why you're standing in a changing room looking baffled with a pair pooling around your knees. I've been there. I once ordered a beautiful pair of wide leg trousers from Mango in my usual size, and they were fine on the waist but strained across the hips to the point of no return. Wide leg styles, more than almost any other trouser cut, require you to know both numbers.

Why Sizing Wide Leg Trousers Is Genuinely Tricky

Here's the thing — wide leg trousers are deceptively forgiving in one area (the leg itself) but completely unforgiving in another (the waistband and seat). Because the fabric falls so loosely from the hip down, you can get away with a lot in the lower half. But the waist and hip need to fit properly. A gap at the back of the waistband or pulling across the backside will ruin the whole aesthetic instantly. Wide leg trousers only look chic when they're sitting correctly at the natural waist with clean, uninterrupted lines from hip to hem.

Step One: Take Your Measurements (Properly)

Get a soft tape measure and note down these three numbers:

• Waist: Measure around your natural waist — this is the narrowest point of your torso, usually about 2–3 inches above your belly button. Don't suck in.

• Hips: Measure around the fullest part of your hips, usually about 8 inches below your natural waist. This is the measurement most people forget, and it's the one that causes the most trouble with wide leg styles.

• Inside leg/inseam: Especially important for wide leg trousers, because the length affects how dramatic the silhouette looks. Too short and they lose their sweep; too long and you're tripping.

Understand the Fit Philosophy of Wide Leg Trousers

Wide leg trousers are designed to sit high — at or just above the natural waist — and fall straight from the hip downwards. This is not a low-rise style. If you're buying them and wearing them on your hips rather than your waist, you're going to find they fit strangely. The rise (the measurement from the crotch seam to the waistband) should be generous. When shopping, always check the rise measurement if it's listed — aim for a "high rise" of at least 11 inches for the silhouette to work properly.

How Different Brands Size Them — What I've Noticed

Wide leg trouser sizing varies enormously between brands, and this is where I see women going wrong constantly. A few things I've picked up over the years:

• Cos sizes their tailored wide leg trousers quite small through the waist — go up a size if you're between sizes. Their leg length is generous, which is brilliant if you're tall but requires a good tailor if you're petite.

• Reiss cuts beautifully through the seat and hip, but the waistband can run a little large. Try your true size first.

• M&S is consistently reliable for wide leg trousers in standard and longer lengths — the Jaeger line in particular runs true to size with a flattering seat.

• Zara tends to size narrow through the hip — if your hips are fuller, size up and belt the waist in, or simply know that their cut may not be for you.

• Whistles wide leg tailoring is excellent and runs fairly true to size across both waist and hip.

• Jigsaw is brilliant for longer inseams and cuts wide leg trousers with a proper high rise that sits beautifully on the natural waist.

• Phase Eight tends to accommodate a more generous hip measurement — their wide leg styles are a consistent favourite for curvier figures.

When to Size Up vs. Size Down

If you're on the border between two sizes, my strong advice is to size up — you can always have a waistband taken in, but you cannot let out a seat that's strained. A waistband that's slightly loose can be fixed with a simple tuck and stitch or a good tailor. A seat seam that's pulling apart cannot.

The exception? Elasticated waistbands. Anthropologie and Me&Em both do wide leg styles with a partial elastic or drawstring waist — in these cases, go by your hip measurement rather than your waist, and let the waistband do its job.

The Inseam Issue — How Long Should Wide Leg Trousers Actually Be?

This is where so many women end up disappointed. Wide leg trousers should ideally graze the floor or sit just above it — this creates the elongating, elegant drape that makes the style work. If you're shorter (under 5'4"), look for brands with a petite inseam option, or budget for a hem alteration. It's genuinely worth the £10–£15 for a tailor to shorten them. Next and M&S both offer short, regular, and long length options — which is enormously helpful and saves you from the alteration process altogether.

Two Independent Brands Worth Knowing

If you want something beyond the high street, Nobody's Child does an excellent range of wide leg trousers in longer lengths, with accurate sizing and a reputation for being true to size across both waist and hip — all at a very reasonable price point. And Albaray is a brilliant small British brand whose tailored wide leg trousers are cut with a proper high rise and come in a range of inseam lengths. Both brands are worth bookmarking.

My Biggest Wide Leg Trouser Fail — And What I Learnt

I once bought wide leg linen trousers in a rush (always a mistake) without checking the inseam length. They arrived at mid-calf on me — which, I'll be honest, looked less "chic Riviera" and more "confused about the decade." The lesson: always check the inseam measurement in the product description, especially when buying online. Most UK retailers list it under the size guide tab. If it's not there, email customer service — it's always worth asking.

Never Guess Your Size in Wide Leg Trousers Again — Use Tellar

If you're tired of the guesswork, Tellar.co.uk is the UK's leading free sizing tool — matching your exact measurements to over 1,500 brands instantly. No downloads, no subscriptions. Just enter your measurements once and get your precise size across every brand you love.

• Measure once — bust, waist, hip, or use your existing brand size as a starting point

• Use the Store Size Lookup tool to get your precise size in any brand — from COS to Reiss to Arket and beyond

• Always free — works in-browser, no account needed

And if sizing is something you want to understand more deeply, our Ultimate Clothing Sizing Guide is the most comprehensive free resource out there — covering everything from vanity sizing to international conversions.

Looking for more styling advice? Browse the Tellar Fashion Hub — a free library of honest, unsponsored fashion posts from our stylists. No ads, no brand deals, no agenda. Just genuinely useful style advice. Check out our Jean Trends 2026 guide for more on getting the right trouser fit this season.