Get Waisted

It's mighty high; it's super wide. Is it a bird? Is it an Airbus? No, it's the trendy new trousers for ladies. When I say new, I'm talking 1930s. Talking plane-ly (excuse the pun), this slick new style, also dubbed the boyfriend-trousers, is a high flyer - ladies from the power-tripping madams to the diamond-dripping dossers are fast becoming converts around the UAE.

Grotesque beauty

Katharine Hepburn, a major film icon of the 1930s, was the first to set this trend decades ago and, in the words of today's
pop icon Justin Timberlake: "What goes around certainly comes around."

When a trend is both stylish and practical, you can bet your bottom dirham it's going to keep cropping up season after
season. The boyfriend-trousers, worn high up around your waist and not low on your hips, is a thing of grotesque beauty.
You either love it or hate it. And if you're a fan then you're in good company.

Signature

They're comfortable - compared to their skinny counterparts you don't need a half hour trying to fit in. Furthermore, these
cool, loose-fitting trousers are comforting – the wide legs and higher waists are perfectly engineered to hide a multitude of
sins.

Although Hepburn was tall and svelte, her signature trousers work just as well on petite or more rounded figures.

Length

What makes or breaks this look is what you pair the trousers with.

If you're quite petite then don't go too high up with your trousers, just skimming your belly button should suffice if you
don't want to end up looking like Donald Duck - all legs and very little torso.

Try to avoid trousers with pleats. Instead go for high wedges or platforms to get more length on your look. On top wear a
fitted, long-sleeve shirt to complete the look. And if you're really adventurous add a shrunken waistcoat for a chic and
classy ensemble.

Light

More voluptuous ladies can also rock the high-waisted trousers. Just remember to steer clear of heavy fabrics such as corduroy or tweed and opt for lighter fabrics in fresh summer colours. And instead of a fitted shirt, a loose-fitting blouse, tucked in for a stronger tailored look, works better here.

To finish the look, drop the waistcoat and tie a scarf around your neck for a touch of Parisian glamour.

Final tip

For the tall ladies of the UAE, like Hepburn: the higher the trousers (pleats et al), the better. But do you dare to take on
a pair of braces like the controversial movie star often donned for extra detail, drama and dynamism? Waist not, want not,
ladies.

Did you know?

A screen legend, Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) holds the record for the most Best Actress Oscars with four.

Hepburn made her first appearance opposite Spencer Tracy in Woman of the Year (1942). Behind the scenes the pair fell in love, beginning what would become one of the silver screen's most famous romances, despite Tracy's marriage to another woman. Hepburn is perhaps best remembered for her role in The African Queen (1951), for which she received her fifth Best Actress nomination.

Standing 5 feet 7 inches (1.71 metres), Hepburn was one of the tallest leading ladies of her time and the original pioneer of the high-waisted, wide-legged trousers.

Style focus: Brace yourself

Braces, also known as suspenders, are elastic fabric straps, run over the shoulders, which hold up trousers or a skirt.
Braces were once almost universally worn due to the high cut of late 19th and early 20th century trousers; this cut made a
belt redundant because the trousers were not made to rest on the hips. Now that high waisted trousers are back in style,
perhaps it's time you got acquainted with braces again.

Brand focus: For successful living

Diesel SpA, simply known as "Diesel", is an Italian based designer clothing company. The cool brand is a part of a surge of small denim-based design houses like True Religion, Seven for all Mankind, Chip and Pepper and Paper Denim & Cloth to name a few. Last February the company launched a major intimates and beachwear division for men and women that is carried in retail and department stores.

The designs tend not to follow established trends with innovative and at times radical collections.

The line is designed by a dedicated group of people (designers, assistants and product managers), whose inspiration comes from the most unpredictable places. Diesel designers are famous for their unconventional self-planned research trips around the world. I wonder if they've been to Dubai yet.

Diesel boutiques are located in Mall of the Emirates and BurJuman.