How much fabric for bell-bottom or flared trousers?

How the flare changes the layout

Each trouser leg is cut as a front piece and a back piece. On straight trousers these pieces are widest at the hip and narrow towards the ankle, so a cutter can lay them head to tail: the wide top of one piece beside the narrow bottom of the next. That nesting is what keeps straight trousers economical.

A bell-bottom is wide at both ends and narrow at the knee. Turning a piece round no longer saves much, because there is a wide end waiting either way. On wide fabric, pieces that sat four across for straight trousers may need two rows for a full bell, and on 44 inch fabric a very wide hem can push each pair of pieces past the width altogether.

Typical hem widths, measured round one leg, show where each style falls:

• Straight trousers: about 15 to 17 in (38 to 43 cm). Our straight trouser page shows the shape.
• Bootcut: about 18 to 20 in (46 to 51 cm), flaring gently below the knee.
• Bell-bottom: about 22 to 28 in (56 to 71 cm), fitted through the knee and flaring sharply.
• Very wide flare: beyond that, close to a palazzo at the hem, with 3 metres or more on 44 inch fabric.

Height, hips and the rule of two

On 44 to 45 inch fabric, a pair of trousers is usually cut in two rows, so every extra inch of leg costs about two inches of cloth. A woman who needs a trouser length 4 inches (10 cm) longer than average should add about 8 inches (20 cm), and a little more for a deep hem facing on a wide flare. On wide fabric cut in a single row the extra length counts once.

Hips work the same way. The back piece is the widest part of the pattern, and above a hip of about 42 inches it starts to crowd the width, so larger sizes are often a quarter to half a metre over the figures above.

Fabric that suits a flare

Flares need cloth with some weight so the hem swings and falls rather than standing out. Crepe, suiting blends, heavier cottons and cotton with a little stretch all work. Very light lawn tends to collapse at the knee. If your fabric has a nap or a one-way print, every piece has to point the same way, which removes the head-to-tail trick completely and adds more length.

Our guide to measuring each trouser style covers the leg figures to send, and fabric widths explained converts the common widths.

Ordering flared trousers

Bell-bottoms are not a named style on our quote form, so choose wide-leg or straight, write bootcut or bell-bottom in the notes and add a photo. Give the hem width you want if you know it. With custom stitching we confirm the cut and the fabric amount in the written quote, and if you are sending your own cloth we check the metres before you post it. Start with a design quote.