Wide Legged Pants

Often, when new items become trendy, people wear them because they are trendy, without considering how the item fits their build and sense of style.  This runs counter to the concept of clothing as a form of self-expression, and often appears like a dedication to conformity as opposed to a dedication to the artistry clothing can offer. 

The mullet, a reminder that we should
always be a little suspicious of trends

Trends are a sort of evolving feed back loop.  Designers put out seasonal lines of clothing.  Beauty editors then attend many fashion shows, look for commonalities among the items put forward by designers, and decide what is going to be fashionable that season. They then write articles in fashion magazines advising ordinary people how to dress.  Approximately simultaneously designers sell their more promising or wearable items to retailers.  Which designs become trends or how long the trends last depend on the trends themselves.  Items that suit a wider range of body types, or that are more versatile tend to last longer, while more bizarre or restrictive trends tend to die out quickly.  Things that sell successfully will act as a starting point for the upcoming season, unless of course the market has become saturated with an item or particular style.  This may prompt a reaction against what had become common, and make the opposite of a fashionable item from the previous season be fashionable in the upcoming one.  Major events, celebrity style choices, or shifts in social attitude may also prompt a drastic shift in what is deemed stylish.  The point is, trends do not necessarily improve from season to season; there is nothing wrong with wearing ‘last year’s’ clothing except that now other people aren’t dressed the same way, and that magazines are not advising you to dress that way.  What is trendy has little to do with what looks good on you.  This year, instead of wearing what is in style because it is new and other people are, use the new ideas about how to dress to inspire your own style, and emphasize your inner self and your outer strengths.

The first trend I intend to discuss this year are wide legged pants.  You may have noticed that pants are getting bigger again.  After years of leggings, skinny jeans, jeggings, and every variety of ultra form fitting pants, the pendulum is beginning to swing the other way.  All the way back to the seventies when wide leg trousers were fashionable.  How are we to integrate this new option into our wardrobes which have likely evolved to accommodate tight pants?  Fear not!  The wide leg trouser offers many new and unique advantages.  Unlike skinny jeans, which focus on shape, the wide leg trouser emphasizes length and movement. The effect can be lengthening and some unique intersection of classy casual and chic depending on how it is executed. The long straight line of wide legged trousers add height and length to the legs.  If you really want to exaggerate this effect you can buy a pair that is a bit too long and wear a pair of heels underneath.  The trousers should reach about half an inch off of the ground and conceal the shoe you are wearing.  Understand however, that these trousers contain a lot of material, and can cause a widening instead of lengthening effect.  To avoid this, find wide legged pants that sit between your hips and waist, they should not cinch inward much at the waist if worn at the waist because the dramatic outward curve from the waist to the hips followed by the straight downward tumult of the pants will create an illusion of stubby thick legs, as opposed to towering graceful ones.  You can also consider wide leg pants with a bell bottom shape, this will maintain the movement and height of straight wide legged pants, while still showing some feminine curve in your legs.

The far right pants are wide leg pants.  Your legs will
appreciate the occasional breathing room these pants
offer.

These pants can look very professional when paired with a tucked in loose white or dark blouse and a blazer.  As these did emerge in the seventies we might as well stay consistent to the seventies and pair the trousers with a ruffled blouse.  

This woman contemplates her wide legged pants,
and how they pair well with a ruffled blouse.

For a more everyday look you can pair these pants with a form fitting tank top or sweater, and a statement belt (a statement necklace but on your stomach).  Wide Legged trousers are classified as resort wear, meaning they look leisurely and as if you are on decadent vacation, this translates to them being a fashionable version of pajama pants.  These pants are exceptionally comfortable, but not particularly warm, so they will become an excellent staple in the spring when the weather warms a bit. 

This woman actually is wearing pajama
pants to New York Fashion Week,
further proving wide legged pants are
the trend that every college student ever wanted
-- an excuse to wear pajamas to everywhere.

For a chic look you can pair bright or patterned wide legged pants with a simple, muted, or matching top, and one matching accessory such as a scarf.  This will call attention to your interestingly clad legs.  As these pants are so large and attention grabbing with how they flow when you walk, you will want to avoid excess fabric on your torso.  Blouses (even the slightly loose ones) and blazers should approximately fit your body shape.  Otherwise you will simply have lots of fabric everywhere, and look like your clothing is trying to eat you.

Most likely you want your pants to look like
this.....

....as opposed to like this, which is why
it is important to control the amount of
extra fabric you wear with wide leg pants....
Unless you want to look like this child,
in which case,  pile on the extra clothing 

Many of your staples from the previous year will still play nice with wide legged pants.  Form fitting cropped tops pair well with wide legged trousers, and look very bohemian if the pants also happen to be patterned. If all else fails you can treat these trousers about the same way you would treat a maxi skirt.  So tank tops, bolero jackets, scarves and statement necklaces are still kosher.  Wide Legged trousers have a slight advantage over maxi skirts because you are much less likely to get tangled in your pants or trip on them because each leg has its own hole.  Each leg having its own loose compartment also causes these pants to move in a dramatic way in which maxi skirts do not.

 

Unlike you, this girl is too confuse to appreciate the positive
effects of her wide legged pants.

Now go forth, and find ways to make these pants work for you.  Send me suggestions on how to best wear wide legged trousers this year, or pictures of how you wear them.