Maybe you’ve been seeing those High Sport Kick Flare pants out in the wild or on social media. If so, you might be looking for an imitation that won’t break the bank. Way back in the early nineties, when I was backpacking around Europe the old-fashioned way–with a Eurorail Pass, a copy of Lonely Planet, and no cell phone–I noticed that everywhere I went in Europe, girls were wearing pants that were skinny on top, flared at the ankle, and slightly cropped. They wore these pants with a black ankle boot.
Thirty years later, I read in the New York Times that women are shelling out $850 (!!!) for a pair of stretch pants that look a lot like the ubiquitous Euro nineties pant, with one addition: a seam down the front.
Well, I do love a kick flare. I lived in the Madewell Cali Demi Boot Cut jean for years before they replaced them with the Kick Out Crop Jeans (also fabulous), but I wasn’t about to pay $850 for stretch pants. So I went in search of a worthy dupe for the High Sport Kick Flare pant. As it turns out, there are four good options, and three of them are under $100.
High Sport Kick Flare Dupe 1: Everlane Dream Kick Flare Pant ($98…but sometimes on sale)
I’ve been shopping at Everylane for about twelve years. The quality is great and consistent.
The Everlane kick flare pant comes in black, tan, navy, and gray. The regular price is $98, but I purchased the black on sale for $69. Because nobody looks good in tan pants, the tan version was on sale for $25. I figured I could try them and, if they were too unattractive for public consumption, wear them around the house. What I like: Everlane quality, plus the Everlane pants have a side zipper, which means they’re good for a curvy fit. The pants fit well, have a nice stretch, and are super comfortable.
High Sport Kick Flare Dupe 2: J.Crew Delaney Kickout Sweater Pant ($148)
Of all the High Sport pants dupes on this page, the J. Crew version probably comes closest to the original. They’re available in seven colors, including burgundy (the color of the season), candy apple red, pink, and all the usual neutrals. Good to know: these are less curvy-friendly than the Everlane and Gap versions, so if you normally purchase the curvy edition in JCrew or other brands, these may not work for you.
High Sport Pants Dupe 3: Land’s End Starfish High Rise Kick Flare Pant ($54.95)
Lest you think, “Wait, all these brands are just copying High Sport…” Land’s End (yes, that Land’s End!) was making a stretch kick flare pant long before High Sport Existed. Unlike the Everlane version, these come in petite and tall sizes. The one drawback is that they’re pull-on. If you’re curvy, you know why this could be a problem. This is the one pair on this page I haven’t actually tried, because I know that any waistband that will fit over my hips is going to have a huge waist gap. That said, Land’s End clothing tends to be generously sized, so they might surprise you. They’re available in black, gray, and navy.
High Sport Pants Dupe 4: Gap High Rise Crop Kick Pants ($63)
It’s easy to forget about Gap. The brand is just too uneven, the stores too disorganized, the quality too inconsistent. But this is a great price point to try out the stretch kick flare pant trend. And one thing Gap offers that Everlane and Land’s End don’t is a red version. High Sport kick flare pants come in look-at-me hues like sky blue and fire engine red. The Gap version has a version called Sled Red that looks really sharp with black boots or flats and a black sweater.
If you like this post, you might also enjoy 7 Things Parisian Women Really Wear.