You only need to look at the inhabitants moving through the cobblestone avenues of Paris, concrete blocks of New York and the brick façades of London to realise that slim-cut pants are on the rise. And if there’s one style that’s taking the proverbial crown, it's cigarette trousers.
Razor-thin and designed to mirror the proportions of a Marlboro Red—which is Carrie Bradshaw’s favourite brand to smoke, in case you need further proof that this silhouette comes It girl approved—this style is made distinctive courtesy of its sleek, cropped proportions, tailored shape and straight line that runs all the way from your hip bone to the top of your ankle.
Adherents of cigarette trousers include Hailey Bieber, who has made this an essential part of her street style sensibility and can often be spotted wearing the style whilst out in Manhattan promoting a new launch from her billion-dollar skincare empire Rhode or off-duty during a low-key dinner in Los Angeles. However, they’ve long been adored by her minimalist dresser predecessors like Kate Moss and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, in turn making them a staple for anyone trying to evoke the effortless elegance of this West Village set.
This year alone, we’ve seen them on Sarah Pidgeon, who is portraying the aforementioned former Calvin Klein publicist in Ryan Murphy’s Love Story, and Demna’s sophomore collection for Gucci, which imagined signatures from Tom Ford’s tenure through an even sleazier, sexier lens. But speaking to Pip Durell, founder of London-based label With Nothing Underneath, she blames the renewed interest in cigarette trousers on their versatility.
“Clothes that can go from the office to date night and everything in between are always going to be popular, which is why a cigarette trouser will likely be in [the modern woman’s] weekly rotation,” she tells me over email. Better still, they are “practical and easy to style”, she adds. “Simply tuck in an oversized shirt, roll neck or t-shirt, and you can go from work to drinks with ease.”
They might have suddenly become an overnight staple, but they’re still a particular fit to invest in. Unlike the fluidness of wide-leg trousers or the innate stiffness of stovepipe jeans, cigarette trousers have an exact shape that really doesn’t leave much room for chance. To that end, Durell notes that the best cigarette trousers are all in the material and the cut.
“The material should be a high-quality, mid-weight fabric that hangs well on your body and keeps its shape throughout a day's wear, whilst the cut of the trousers should complement this by skimming (not hugging) the body,” she remarks.
So, without further ado, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to round up the best cigarette trousers on the market that tick all these boxes and more. As vetted by a fashion writer, scroll through for the slickest and most stylish options worth shopping.
The 16 Best Cigarette Trousers to Shop in 2026
- The Overall Best Cigarette Trousers: With Nothing Underneath Regent Cigarette Trouser, £225
- The Best Designer Cigarette Trousers: Toteme Low-Waist Slim Evening Trousers, £450
- The Best High-Street Cigarette Trousers: H&M Cigarette Trousers, £23
- The Best High-Waisted Cigarette Trousers: Sezane Gustavo Trousers, £105
- The Best Cigarette Trousers for Petites: M&S Slim Fit Ankle Grazer Trousers
- £36
Style Notes: London-based brand With Nothing Underneath excels in sharp tailoring, sumptuous shirting and covetable wardrobe basics. As the name suggests, these are staples that nothing should get between, with these cigarette trousers being no different. Lean into the polish of the West London suburb it derives its name from by pairing it with a crisp white t-shirt and slipper-style loafers.
Material/s: 100% wool
Sizes: UK 6 - UK 18
Colour/s: Black and navy.
Style Notes: A high-street staple since before the high-street even existed, you can always depend on M&S for providing well-edited wardrobe staples at a succinct price point. Cut clean at the ankle and featuring a micro-slit, for the cost of an average meal out, these cigarette trousers will be the sartorial workhorse you’ll never regret purchasing.
Material/s: 64% polyester, 31% viscose and 5% elastane.
Sizes: UK 6 - UK 24
Colour/s: Black and navy.
Style Notes: Fusing function and fashion, it’s always wise to invest in a pair of cigarette trousers that you don’t mind getting a little wear and tear. This Mango pair is both accessible and chic, making them a great choice for office days when you’re commuting from home, running out to meetings, heading to after-work drinks and looking good whilst doing it. All in a day’s work…
Material/s: 76% viscose, 21% polyamide, 3% elastane.
Sizes: UK 4 - UK 18
Colour/s: Black and navy.
Style Notes: With its flagship boutique a stone’s throw from Savile Row, it’s only fitting that COS has become synonymous with contemporary tailoring at an accessible price point. Pick these up alongside the brand’s best-selling crisp white t-shirts and oversized knitwear.
Material/s: 95% cotton, 5% elastane.
Sizes: EU 32 - EU 44
Colour/s: Black and brown.
Style Notes: For moments when long days stretch into even longer nights, you’ll need something both sturdy and stylish to see you through. Sleek and razor sharp, simply throw on a slingback, let your hair down and allow these tapered darlings to do the talking.
Material/s: 7% modal, 3% spandex
Sizes: XS - XL
Colour/s: Black.
Style Notes: It really doesn’t get any more straightforward than this. This pair is considerably more loosely cut than others on the market, making it the perfect alternative to taut stovepipe jeans and perennially wrinkled linen trousers for the balmy months on the horizon.
Material/s: 54% cotton, 43% polyester, 3% elastane
Sizes: UK 4 - UK 28
Colour/s: 7; including black, dark brown, beige and navy blue.
Style Notes: It would be remiss to include this Sezane option and not draw a conclusion between the Parisians whom shop the brand and the act that the trouser style is titled after. You’ll spot these throughout the city, especially at the neon-lit watering holes that define street corners, like Le Progrès tabac bar in Le Marias.
Material/s: 74% acetate, 26% viscose
Sizes: UK 4 - UK 20
Colour/s: Black, navy blue and grey.
Style Notes: Simplicity and elegance are inherent to Stockholm-based brand Toteme. Underscored with an ease that suits cosmopolitan life, these trousers boast a lower waistline, subtle pleat down the leg and stiff touch that makes you feel incredibly sophisticated, even in something as minimalistic as a pair of trousers.
Material/s: 93% viscose, 7% polyamide
Sizes: EU 30 - EU 44
Colour/s: Black.
Style Notes: Where would we be without the Olsen Twins’ commitment to exceptional fabrics, precise details and understated elegance? One could argue that a world without The Row would also be one without the revival of cigarette trousers, given how the label’s opulent minimalism has been a harbinger for timeless silhouettes rendered in their most impeccable form.
Material/s: 70% viscose, 30% silk
Sizes: US 0 - US 14
Colour/s: Black.
Style Notes: Weaving a thread between Alessandro Michele’s time at Gucci and the signature sensual silhouettes of his predecessor, Tom Ford, this design for Valentino makes a case for Italian glamour in even the most mundane formats, like practical trousers. With a sturdy construction but ultra-glossy finish, these will enhance any setting they’re featured in.
Material/s: 95% silk, 5% elastane
Sizes: IT 36 - 50
Colour/s: Black.
Style Notes: Dubai-based designer Dima Ayad doesn’t stray away from opulence. From kaftans as technicoloured as the souks native to the city to trousers as fluid as the sea that surrounds it, these trousers subvert the idea that lavishness has to be found with chintzy flourishes,as these pants find boldness in a demure austerity.
Material/s: 100% polyester
Sizes: XS - XXXL
Colour/s: Black.
Style Notes: Blame it on the booming interest in Carolyn Bessette’s pre-Kennedy life with Ryan Murphy’s anthology series Love Story, but intrigue in Calvin Klein’s ‘90s era is at an all-time high. Lean into the streamlined sensibility of the decade with this cigarette style. Designed by current creative director Veronica Leoni, this pair bridges vintage tailoring with a quintessentially New Yorker feel.
Material/s: 100% wool
Sizes: IT 36 - IT 46
Colour/s: Black.
Style Notes: Dries Van Noten has long been heralded as the ultimate brand for gallerina types. You know, the artistically inclined and Charlotte York-esque amongst us who love nothing more than a visit to a Gogosian, pairing a cosy jumper with a body-conscious skirt and certainly could tell you the difference between Monet and Manet. These slim-cut pants will serve these kinds well. Just throw on a little heel, grab an embroidered pouch bag, and you’re set for your next opening.
Material/s: 57% cotton, 43% acetate
Sizes: FR 34 - FR 44
Colour/s: Black.
Style Notes: Khaite has become the uniform for discerning dressers living in big cities. These pants not only provide a reprieve from the sharp, sky-grazing architecture that often underscores these metropolises with its billowing shape, but give a bucolic slant thanks to the wafer-thin satin material and ruched waistband.
Material/s: 59% viscose, 41% cupro
Sizes: XS - L
Colour/s: Black and green.
Style Notes: Made in a French atelier with Italian fabrics, this pair of cigarette trousers from Givenchy drapes beautifully down the leg and crops sweetly at the hem, evoking a sort of gamine sensibility synonymous with muse of the maison, Audrey Hepburn. (Quite Funny Face, non?)
Material/s: 100% viscose
Sizes: FR 34 - FR 44
Colour/s: Black.
Style Notes: Tom Ford is a master at sexy suiting, so it’s only fitting that his version makes this cut. Pair with a cropped tuxedo jacket or a slinky scoop-neck satin tank.
Material/s: 100% wool
Sizes: IT 34 - IT 38
Colour/s: Black.