As much as it makes me laugh-snort in an uncontrollable way, the episode of FRIENDS where Ross wears the leather pants also always terrified me. As part of a new year’s resolution he buys a pair of skin-tight kewl leather trousers to wear on a date. But, as he heats up, his pants start to shrink. Cue a disastrous trip to the bathroom and a subsequent inability to get the pants back on, Ross ends up leaving covered in talcum powder and his pants in his hands. Hilarious! But also, a source of refined claustrophobia that saw me steer clear of leather leggings until I was about 30. Even then, I made sure to only ever wear them on VERY cold days.

So, hurrah for the new style this season. The wide-cut, pleated, ankle-tapered leather pant is one of the smash-and-grab takeaways of autumn winter 2019. Much-hyped freshman, Khaite, seemed to get the ball rolling at New York Fashion Week, the designer’s hailed collection sporting some of the most-chic options of the season. Soon after, Ferragamo delivered bright-hued loose-cut trouser styles, Isabel Marant gave the paper-bag loose-cut vibe a resurgence, Celine went wider and shorter with pleated culottes and, for his first collection, Daniel Lee inspired everyone with his loose-fit moto styles for Bottega Veneta. But in the true test of whether a trend will reach plague proportions, it was the streets outside that preached their chic-winnings. Temperature-appropriate new-cut slacks were seen rigged up on editors, influencers and celebrities alike.