Flares & Bell Bottoms

Few garments scream retro louder than flares or bell Bottoms. Flares first came to mainstream fashion in the late 60s, but really hit the heights of fashion in the 1970s. The predecessors to flares were the low waist and wide-legged flared trousers worn by sailors in the British Navy. Sixties fashion designer and the king of Carnaby Street, the legenday John Stephen, brought flares into men's fashion by adapting the trousers worn by sailors for mods, dandies and all followers of fashion in his Carnaby Street boutiques. Previous to this, peg trousers and drainpipes, the tighter the better, had been at the forefront of mod fashion, but from 1965 and '66 onwards, flares were the only thing to wear. Eventually the flared bottoms got bigger and bigger and evolved into the bell bottom shape - tight around the thigh and flared out below the knee to dramatic widths, hence the moniker Bell Bottoms. Rock icons from The Beatles to Jimi Hendrix sealed the reputation of flares as the trousers of legends!

Denim remains the fabric of choice for men’s flares – bellbottom jeans are a retro must-have. Here at Atom Retro you’ll find denim bell bottom flares in an array of retro colours as well as striped, paisley print and cord flares. For that authentic 70s vibe we recommend Madcap England men’s flares and bell-bottom jeans.