This post, which I am finally committing to typeset having had it rattling around in my brain for weeks, was originally going to be all about how I seem to have developed a late-stage predilection for kick flares. Then Hurricane Milton happened, and I got distracted. Almost exactly two years after Hurricane Ian landed in our laps, SW Florida property owners were staring down the barrel of yet another behemoth.
I hasten to add here that just like with Hurricane Ian, we are fine. We got away with very little damage (a few shingles lost), zero flooding, and nobody in our neighborhood got hurt (as far as I know). I was in Scotland for this one so watched it coming in from afar on my NOAA app (nerd alert) and on CNN - we call this style of obsessively watching the path of an approaching storm "hurricane porn" in our house.
So once again, we got incredibly lucky. And yes, we've got some cleanup to do, and that has left us scrambling a little bit to try and reconfigure what we thought this next few months into the festive season was going to look like. If there was ever a time you thought you might like to buy something from one of my shops...nows the time peeps...nows the time.
Now, let's talk about something fun.
I'm kind of digging kick flares right now
I'm actually not even sure how this, my latest infatuation with kick flares came to be. I remember them being about in the 90s, but as someone who has always struggled to find long enough inseams on trousers, I was suspicious of them.
I think my newfound interest is because this time of year, everything is wet in Scotland, always. My predilection for ultra-long flare leg bellbottom jeans becomes a soggy liability. I also am a prolific wearer of boots, and kick flares allow you to showcase your boots a bit more.
I suppose I should qualify here that when I refer to something as a kick flare, I am talking about the ankle-grazing version. When you plug the term into the internet, you get a lot of different lengths popping-up.
The pair in this photo is a simple pair of thrifted Levis flare leg jeans that were too short an inseam for me, so I sliced them just a teensy bit more to distress the hem and was very pleased with the result. So if you're in the mood to try doing this, it's a really great little style hack that's an affordable way to see if you like a kick flare.
Side note: If you happen to like this partocular pair of jeans and are round about a US size 10-12 (about a size 31, UK 14), at the time of this writing I actually have a pair of Levis just like this in my UK eBay shop. They're a US juniors size 13, high-waisted and button-fly, so they have a slightly shorter than average, non-disressed inseam.
If you're not a secondhand kind of person, The Shadow Split Seam Kick Flares that are in stock right now at HF Mercantile are also a pretty darn cute option. They have a 31.5 inch inseam, so if you have a long inseam like I do they will fit like a slightly longer kick flare, but even at a longer length these jeans are pretty cool. The split on the side seam is great for letting your cool boots peek out. Or whatever shoes you want. The strappy, square toe heels paired with the kick flares in the photo here are serving some serious 90s vibes! My 20-something self used to spend all night in shoes like that. Y'all GenXers, remember how much these hurt!? It was like putting your feet through an intricate web of wire cheese slicers.
Figuring out what to pair with kick flares
One of the things I really like about kick flares is that they actually work with just about everything. A fitted top, tee, or a tailored blouse tucked it in to highlight the waist works really well as a base layer, when just start trying things on to see what works.
Kck flares also look good with blousier tops, chunky knitwear, and oversized blazers. Whatever you choose, the key element is balance if you do decide to layer. It was warm out when I took these photos, so I just went with a lightweight, loose-fitting blouse (the Zoe blouse, also from HF Mercantile). But I'm looking forward to wearing this look when it gets colder with some of my chunkier knitwear. I think that a kick flare looks particularly cool with a chunky turtleneck sweater and boots, so stay tuned for that!
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