The swooshy trousers of the ’30s, those floor-sweeping flared pants, have made a roaring comeback. Palazzo pants, or call them what you will — Coco Chanel’s beach trousers, Greta Garbo’s pyjama pants or Katharine Hepburn’s wide-leg trousers — fall pat into place this Spring/ Summer 2012 that promises to be ruled by fluid, airy pieces.

If grand palazzos marched down international ramps (read: Dries Van Noten, Missoni, John Galliano, Just Cavalli) with gusto, they were an obsession with high-street brands too (Zara, Mango, Promod, Elle, H&M, Topshop). Their maxim: wider the better.

“Take it seriously this summer — lowers like palazzos are here to stay,” says designer Anupama Dayal, whose boho-chic label Anupamaa is peppered with languid palazzos in cottons, silks and sheer chanderis.

Aneeth Arora showcases a line with dropped crotches and billowy silhouettes	Colourful tassels make for pretty detailing in Anupama Dayal’s creations

So, keep your peeps open for sophisticated printed and solid avatars of palazzos. They’ve been given fresh makeovers by the Indian fashion brigade with sheer and sharara versions. Some come cropped below the knees.

The designer duo, Rahul Khanna and Rohit Gandhi, found their muse in Woody Allen’s late ’70s’ film, Manhattan, with its laidback retro chic pants. “We’ve designed palazzos with retro floral prints and liberty prints — small floral prints first popularised by a London department store called Liberty & Co. We also have solids in corals, emerald greens, icy blues, icy whites, navy blues and charcoal greys,” says Khanna. Cue’s line of pants, pegged between Rs 1,850 and Rs 7,500, in sheers, linens and cottons may reach your ankles or travel beyond the heels.

The palazzos from Dayal’s collection, priced between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000, have floral prints that almost pop off the pants. Her inspiration harks back to childhood days in the Himalayas, so she’s gone heavy on prints of blown-up roses, camellias, peonies and champa in candy hues.

“Variations include the sharara style of pants that are evocative of another era. If some are short with tassels hanging from the hem, others come with panels that make you look slim,” says Dayal.

A floral theme is also a favourite with designers Hemant and Nandita. The duo, who made their debut on the fashion week ramps in 2009, offer palazzo pants in fluid silks with larger-than-life flower prints in their summer collection.

Meanwhile designer Aneeth Arora carries the floral theme forward on slim belts to contrast with chequered palazzo pants (Rs 7,500 to Rs 11,000). She tweaks palazzos in bold ikats by giving them dropped, slouchy crotches and billowy silhouettes that reach high above the ankles.

And the dev r nil store in Calcutta is where you can grab a breezy pair of cotton palazzos printed with funky Wayfarer sunglasses.

Drama abounds in Namrata Joshipura’s line of fully sequinned palazzo pants and glamorous satin pants (Rs 13,000 to Rs 29,000) with contrasting panels on the sides. “Palazzos are not the ’60s grunge nor are they to be confused with boyfriend jeans or bell-bottoms,” she points out. Joshipura plays with neutrals like ivory, off-white and grey on printed crepes and satins.

Namrata Joshipura’s fully sequined palazzos are ideal for a night out	Dev and Nil use quirky prints for their cotton palazzos

For palazzos in solid colours, step into the portals of the high-street brands like Mango, Zara and Promod. Palazzo pants at Mango, priced at Rs 2,650, come in black, sunny yellow and electric blue in viscose. And at Promod, linen palazzos are available in orange, white, black, brown and beige for Rs 1,450.

Meanwhile, the look at Zara is all about pleats and stripes in viscose, polyester and mulberry silk (priced between Rs 3,790 and Rs 4,790).

But how do you wear these floaty pants? Pop in an androgynous touch to the palazzos by wearing a shirt tucked in with a slim belt. “The big no no is wearing oversized tops. Keep it fitted on top,”adds Khanna. Dayal, for her part, is all for a daring look. “Try a cotton sheer top with a palazzo. Fun begins with some drama,” she laughs. If you are feeling really adventurous, you can always take a page from Oscar de la Renta’s look of wide leg palazzos and bustier tops.

For a final touch, throw in accessories such as wedges and chunky heels to add height, oversized beads and chunky bags.

Here’s to a vintage look this summer.