Spark up the cigarette trouser

Women of the 1950s we salute you! They were possibly the very same ladies who in the '40s were experimenting with men's wide-leg slacks, but as the decade turned, our maverick female forebears decided they wanted to wear a trouser (in public no less!) which was not borrowed from their husband nor that hid their physique. The result was the cigarette pant. In the early 50s, adventurous ladies segued into the tailored trouser, typically a pleated side-zipped semi-formal trouser, but around 1955 the trend switched to the cigarette pant, a much more svelte style that was very fitted, high-waisted, flat-fronted, and tapered down to a cropped finish just above the ankle (shaped like a cigarette). We tend to call more casual styles 'capri pants' today, while the 'cigarette trouser' is usually reserved for a more formal style, but they are practically one and the same thing.

Back then as now, women loved how the cigarette trouser had the ability to flatten out a stomach and seemed to take off an inch of thigh and add it to their height. Leaner and longer is good in our book! The likes of Mary Tyler Moore, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe and Sandra Dee helped the cigarette pant go mainstream, often pairing them with a neatly tucked blouse or shirt to flatter those tiny waistlines.

Today, the cigarette pant is as integral a part of a feminine wardrobe as any dress. It can be dressed up in a chic business-as-usual look with a blazer and blouse or dressed down with a casual shirt and slouchy jumper. This season, we have created a couple of styles that tick every summer box. First up is our Ivory Hoskin Jacquard style which features a stunning bold floral motif, combining vibrant cobalt blue and leafy green accents against an ivory silk satin canvas. They're very easy to wear with a off-white blouse or silk shirt.

Another great style for daywear and especially resortwear is our Ivory Spence linen style. Try to picture yourself in these, a breezy silk or linen shirt and espadrilles, casually gliding down the Places des Lices on a Saturday morning in St. Tropez before a beachside lunch at Pampelonne (can you tell we haven't been on holiday for a while?!).

The beauty of cigarette pants is that they can easily switch between daywear and eveningwear depending on how you style them. Switch out the espadrilles for a pair of heels and throw on a tailored blazer or tuxedo jacket and you have a very sophisticated cocktail look. For a little more glitz, we've also created our cigarette pants in two satin silk styles that really ramp up the glam factor.

Constructed in a beautifully soft silk satin, the red Connaught pants are equal parts sexy and sophisticated and make for a fresh alternative to a cocktail dress. Worn with a silk blouse and black tuxedo jacket, you have a vibrant and confident look to wear long into the night.

Equally as chic, our navy Duchesse cigarette pants are a svelte option for eveningwear are look stunning when styled with our long-line flowing kimono coat. Not as loud as the red satin style, the navy allows for a more muted approach to elegant evening styling, while the satin finish still gives you that touch of glamour. 

Click here to shop all of Favourbrook's trouser options.