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It was perhaps inevitable that balloon trousers should make their fashion comeback this year. The signs were already there; silhouettes have become looser and more oversized in recent years. French tucks are out and slouchy tailoring is in. The balloon trouser is, after all, a distant relative of the barrel-leg shape. Both are high-waisted with a curved, voluminous leg, but the balloon is more exaggerated and less rigid. There’s a fluidity to them that also makes them very comfortable. Not a million miles from the harem pants of Gap Year fame (but without the questionable drop crotch), the balloon pant is about to become a 2026 holiday hit.Â
Fashion’s revival of the balloon pant – or genie pant – came first via Chloé, where they were worn with lace-trimmed camisoles and floral tanks for a look that fell on the RIGHT SIDE OF BOHEMIA. Alaïa gave us a sleeker take, styling with a bandeau and barely-there sandals. The beauty of them is that THEY CAN BE DRESSED UP OR DOWN, for night with a pair of minimal heels and a silk cami, or for day with a leather sandal and tank top. They’re PERFECT FOR LAZY BEACH DAYS, elegant in the breeziest of ways. Just throw on a loose shirt over your swimwear and you have a relaxed, high-impact look.Â
If you want a style that you’ll get milage out of at home, then look for neutral tones and more structured waistbands – Altuzarra’s camel version is a great example. There is something so irresistible about the impracticality of Massimo Dutti’s sheer, lightly pleated design – the stuff of beach holiday dreams. Just leave the anklet at home.
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Lead image: Albaray
Ella Alexander is Citizen Femme’s fashion features editor. She started her career at the Evening Standard, and has since held senior editorial roles at Vogue, The Independent and Harper’s Bazaar, where she remains a contributing editor. She also writes for The Telegraph, Sunday Times Style, Service95 and CNN. She is an author, having co-written Dame Zandra Rhodes’ memoir, Iconic: My Life In Fashion In 50 Objects, published by Transworld in July 2024. Her favourite travel destination is Catania, Sicily’s second city.
